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Technology Stocks : Ampex Corporation (AEXCA) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scott Pedigo who wrote (5862)	2/26/1999 3:13:00 PM
From: killybegs	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 17679

Here's some more from the Louth whitepaper...I think it does shed light on why content creators HAVE to talk to Ampex about what they need to do to get video out on the web and DTV. "Expanded Storage If only we had more storage capacity... While device acceptance equated to greater functional capability (and therefore scalability), storage capacity appeared to shrink overnight. All video file servers share one common limitation - high relative cost of storage and insufficient storage space. Though the cost of disk drive storage has continued to fall precipitously, certain applications coupled with the sheer storage capacity still favors the most economical transportable storage ever devised - videotape. Surprised? High bandwidth, small size, transportability, and direct playout capability are just a few of the many benefits of traditional tape. Few of us believe that videotape will disappear anytime soon, particularly with exciting new developments in economical digital video tape formats such as DV and SX. However, the move to video file servers has created a need to expand the storage capacity for two primary reasons: 1) Non-volatile storage for extended disk storage or failure recovery. 2) Long-term or near-line storage for program or interstitial material. Just as video file servers have transformed the broadcast landscape, digital tape archives are poised to change our world further. Near-line mass storage, reflecting voluminous program and news material, is opening the doors to true browse servers and Internet access. Big steps? Absolutely, but fully possible with the proper management. The data tape storage manufacturers are now realizing, just like the video file server companies before them, that the broadcast industry has its own set of requirements. Transfer times are not just a matter of transport bandwidth but total duty cycle. Consider the process of moving a piece of content from an archive to a server: Grab a cartridge or cassette (very quick). Mount it in the transport (slower than you may think). Find the material on the tape (seconds to minutes). Move the data (speed limited by the tape/disk SCSI interface and available bandwidth). Finally, dismount the cartridge or cassette. The point? While initial archive implementations appear as extensions to the disk itself, closed-loop management of library contents (internal and external), error reporting, file transfer scheduling, and prioritization are essential ingredients to a successful implementation (Figure 6). At Louth, we understood this requirement years ago, and developed the first low-level cart machine interfaces on the market. Figure 6-Archive "Behind" Video File Server During the past two years, Louth Automation has worked with our partners including Avalon Consulting Group, Ampex, and StorageTek to develop and implement a new protocol, designed to enhance the original VDCP. The Video Archive Communication Protocol (VACP) provides non-real time connectivity to digital tape archive control systems. Whether applied with a Serial (RS-422) or Network (LAN) physical connection, this new non-proprietary protocol helps both the digital tape archival companies and application providers reap the full advantages of this new generation of devices (Figure 7). The VACP is now in use, for example, at KRIV-TV in Houston connecting Ampex DST to Fibre-networked Profiles. "