Munich-based Screencraft has ordered BrightDrive Astella, the all-in-one media file server from Bright Technologies, for its post-production facility, writes David Fox.
“BrightDrive Astella is the ideal match for our requirements,” said Screencraft CEO, Michael Hieber. “It offers an intelligent and convenient solution loaded with features at an affordable price. We’re anxious to press it into service.” The system will be installed in the next few weeks.
Astella is the entry-level version of BrightDrive, and incorporates storage, a metadata server, and all the other features of BrightDrive in a single unit, such as its ability to avoid randomization (and the performance hit that causes) by maintaining optimal file arrangement of its storage. Its BrightClip sequence-aware file recording technology maximises scheduling dependability and facility output, overcoming latency and degradation through randomization.
BrightDrive also includes diagnostic and troubleshooting tools; increases data security by allocating files consistently; and will work with a wide variety of applications and protocols. Astella can deliver three concurrent 2K streams (file format- and resolution-independent).
It comes in a 4RU enclosure with RAID 6 storage, supporting 36x 3.5-inch SAS 6Gbps hot-swappable hard drives (includes two spares); runs Linux, and supports Windows, MAC OSX, Linux clients; and has Fibre Channel connectivity, with 4x8GBps (expandable to eight), as well as two Gigabit Ethernet ports. Although Astella itself isn’t scalable, the hardware can be utilized in a BrightDrive G2 environment.
