Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1509389
ost production workflows are complex. Typically, content is cre- ated in a studio and in remote locations, with production often split between facility and remote workers. Many companies are transitioning away from legacy infrastructure and LTOs in order to achieve faster access to their archive. While public cloud can be effective for remote production, the cost of frequently accessing content can be highly unpre- dictable, slow and costly to manage. One of the issues is that post houses are ingesting massive amounts of data. Keeping large amounts of assets in pri- mary storage is often impractical, not to mention, it's not 100 percent secure. This article will explore the key challenges that post production studios face when storing content, and explain the advan- tages of using object storage platforms. Object storage advantages Post production houses are dealing with an infinite amount of data. Given the vast size of their archives, post houses need to be able to quickly access their digital assets in order to speed up the editing process, streamline pre-processing tasks, optimize the reuse of content and, ulti- mately, increase monetization. With object storage, post houses can create, ingest, log, edit, share, distrib- ute and archive large volumes of video content faster than ever. Object storage allows post houses to pre-process video from directly where the content lives. Enabling fast random access across large video files, object storage ensures a very fast time to first byte (TTFB) when scrubbing video assets. Moreover, automated, built-in metadata extraction capabilities on object storage platforms simplify search, enabling post houses to easily find and tag media assets. Content can be delivered directly from the object storage to final customers. Backing up and archiving final projects is simple with object storage, ensuring long-term pres- ervation of content. Security can be a challenge too in the post production space, especially when dealing with high-value media assets. Whether content is being worked on in the studio, on-set, remotely or anywhere in the world, the storage platform must ensure robust security at all times, oth- erwise post houses put their precious content at risk. Today's state-of-the-art object storage platforms feature top-notch security techniques, such as firewalls, data immu- tability and data encryption to help keep assets safe. By providing post houses with a central point of access, object storage enables stronger user authenti- cation. Post production companies can park assets safely, saving precious space on expensive edit storage. Using asset management tools, they can easily pre- view and approve content workflows be- fore assets are finalized for distribution. Another challenge of storing video content for post production is cost. Post houses need a storage option with a predictable cost model. Using the cloud to store and process video content can incur egress charges, which post houses want to avoid. Object storage offers a cost-effec- tive approach to storing video content, ensuring post production studios aren't penalized for accessing media whenev- er they want. Object storage is a more predictable cost model than traditional cloud-storage models, which include up- front fees and unpredictable costs when accessing or ensuring the availability data. With object storage, post houses know exactly what they are spending, and can easily forecast and budget without any unwanted surprises along the way. Finally, as post production workflows become more and more complex, stor- age platforms must be easy to set up and use. Object storage platforms, from vendors like Object Matrix, are me- dia-focused, eliminating the need for IT experts. Having a storage platform with a user-friendly interface ensures that editors can easily search and find media. Moreover, storage platforms that offer third-party integration with common production and broadcast tools, like Avid, are key to driving additional work- flow efficiencies. Conclusion Today's creative professionals need storage solutions that offer lightning-fast, secure and affordable access to con- tent while supporting third-party tools and applications they're familiar with. Moreover, storage solutions need to be user-friendly, with access to content from anywhere in the world. Perifery is leading the charge for future-proof storage solutions that improve efficiency and global collabora- tion for post production applications. Perifery's well-renowned object storage platform — Perifery Object Matrix — has been deployed by some of the biggest and most innovative post houses globally, including Mediapro in the US, and Doghouse Post Production and The Finish Line in the UK. OBJECT STORAGE & POST WORKFLOWS BY MARK HABBERFIELD SENIOR SOLUTIONS ARCHITECT PERIFERY WWW.PERIFERY.COM FUTURE-PROOF STORAGE FOR WORLDWIDE COLLABORATION P STORAGE www.postmagazine.com 30 POST SEPT/OCT 2023