Here is background on SONY/EDS partnership and why they will need FC fabrics to fill their visions........
eds.com
Tuesday, April 7, 1998
CNN Becomes First Beta Test Site in the U.S. for
Just-Announced Sony/EDS Digital Asset Management
System
EDS' MediaVaultTM and Avalon Archive ManagerTM Technology
Help Power Sony PetaSiteTM and DTFTM Tape Drives For Leader
in Broadcast News
LAS VEGAS – April 7, 1998 -- Sony Electronics Inc has today
announced that CNN will be the first beta test site in the U.S. for the
newly announced Sony/EDS end-to-end digital asset
management/archiving system. Just last week, Sony and EDS announced
they had teamed up to offer a complete digital asset management solution
for U.S.-based enterprises. This system is comprised of the Sony
PetaSiteTM mass storage library, Sony DTFTM tape drives, EDS' Media
VaultTM software and Avalon Archive ManagerTM (AAM) software.
Sony and EDS are scheduled to demonstrate this new, comprehensive
digital asset management system at Bally's Event Center during the NAB
'98 convention from April 6-9.
The system installed at CNN is part of its ongoing effort to evaluate
several approaches of how it will digitally archive and repurpose its vast
library of video assets including 18 years worth of news footage
amounting to over 700,000 video segments.
"Over the next several years CNN is committed to digitizing over 70,000
hours of its archive material," said Gordon Castle, VP of Research and
Development for CNN. "Our archive will be completely integrated into
the production, on-air and content sales business. Powered by a system
such as the Sony/EDS digital asset solution, the migration to digital
storage will be transparent."
"The Sony/EDS system is designed to provide CNN with a fully
integrated solution for digitally archiving and repurposing its media rich
assets," said Ichiro Segawa, vice president of Data Systems for Sony
Electronics' Business and Professional Group. "The combination of
DTF's inherent speed and the scaleable capacity of PetaSite combined
with the intuitive nature of EDS's MediaVault and Avalon's Archive
Manager technology provides a powerful tool for CNN."
"EDS' systems integration expertise plus our MediaVault system,
combined with Sony's digital product line and storage capability allows
CNN to seamlessly migrate to a digital environment," said Charles
Ansley, president, EDS Communications Industry Group. "This will
become increasingly important as the industry moves to a digital format."
"The enormous task of archive conversion to be undertaken by CNN is
indicative of the future of video production and delivery," said Joy
Foglesong, CEO of Avalon Consulting Group. "Treating video as digital
files will give CNN both the flexibility and efficiency needed for the
fast-paced news environment. Both Sony and EDS have a long history of
putting together quality solutions and we are pleased to be included as
part of their team."
EDS and Sony Electronics just announced a joint marketing agreement to
offer a comprehensive solution to meet the growing demand for
management of digital content and intellectual assets within U.S-based
enterprises, including entertainment facilities (film, television, music), news
organizations, advertising agencies, publishing companies, government
agencies and Fortune 500 corporations. Improving the archiving and
accessibility of digital media within companies allows those companies to
repurpose and redistribute digital media in a way that maximizes its
intrinsic value.
About the Technology
Digital asset management is an open framework or platform that supports
the acquisition, creation, manipulation, storage, archival, retrieval,
transmission, and display of digital assets. Digital asset management
applications include asset acquisition (applications that log content into
the digital asset management system); asset management (applications
that archive, browse, and query digital assets); content creation
(applications that generate digital content); and asset distribution
(applications that deliver and display multimedia).
Media Vault is a scaleable client-server based solution supporting all
media types -- including video, audio, images, text and MIS data -- over
any distributed network environment including the Internet and intranets.
The Avalon Archive Manager (AAM) is a complete archive management
system for Sony robotic data tape libraries working in conjunction with
video servers. AAM provides a file level interface for these robotic
systems and handles all of the storage and retrieval activities. AAM
eliminates the need for an automation system or a video application to
implement the tedious, and often complex, logic necessary to manage files
on digital tape. The application or automation system sends the request
for material to be archived to AAM. For subsequent use, the application
or automation system remembers that material is under AAM
management and sends a request to AAM to retrieve the video by the file
it assigned to it.
The DTF drive -- one of the fastest drives commercially available and
supported by UNIX® and NT platforms provides back-up and archiving
capabilities for a variety of servers, workstations and client/server
computer systems that spans from mission-critical IT environments to
high-end graphics production and post production. The DTF drive, a high
speed/high capacity device, is based on a derivative of Sony's Digital
Betacam® technology.
The drive currently combines a maximum capacity of 42GB of
uncompressed data per cassette with a sustained transfer rate of
12MB/sec (96 Mbps) over SCSI-2 Fast and Wide interfaces. All DTF
drives are compatible with the PetaSite system, the flagship and most
powerful member of Sony's DMS storage library family. The PetaSite
system is a modular, flexible system that allows for a migration path of
storage needs from 5.4 Terabytes up to 2.3 Petabytes (2300 Terabytes)
of data. The DTF drive is also supported by a full complement of robotic
autoloader and library systems.
For more information on DTF Tape Technology call 1-800-829-7669.
More information about Sony products can be found on the World Wide
Web at sony.com, or readers may call
1-800-686-SONY. Additional press information is available at at
sony.com.
The Business and Professional Group of Sony Electronics is a leading
U.S. provider of video and audio equipment for the broadcast,
production, business, industrial, government, medical, and education
markets. Sony offers a wide array of products and systems for image
capture, production, and display. Sony also provides specialized
equipment and systems for data recording, duplication, electronic
photography/publishing, video conferencing, high definition video,
interactive and security applications. In fiscal year 1997, Sony Electronics
had record sales of more than $10 billion.
EDS, the official information service provider for World Cup 1998, is a
leader in the global information services industry. The company's
approximately 110,000 employees specialize in applying a range of ideas
and technologies to help business and government customers improve
their economics, products, services and relationships. EDS, which serves
customers in 44 countries, reported revenues of $15.2 billion in 1997.
The company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and
London Stock Exchange. EDS can be visited via the Internet at
eds.com. For more information on EDS's Media Vault refer
to EDS' MediaVault home page at eds.com.
The Cable News Network (CNN), distributed to 73 million U.S.
households, is the hub of the CNN News Group, one of the largest and
most profitable electronic news and information companies in the world.
Altogether, the CNN News Group is available to more than 800 million
people worldwide with six cable and satellite television networks (CNN,
CNN Headline News, CNN International, CNNfn, CNN/SI and CNN
en Espanol), three private, out-of-home networks, two radio networks,
seven Web sites and CNN Newsource, the world's most extensively
syndicated news service. |
