XSAN is dead according to Sam Mestman. So how did they manage to replay 84 streams of 4K at the recent LACPUG meeting?
The answer to the question was the new range of LumaSHARE shared storage solutions from LumaForge.
We know that traditional shared storage such as XSAN isn't optimised for Final Cut Pro X. That's why you should store your Libraries locally otherwise your edit machine will constantly request to read and write small files which will slow everything down. If you have ever used XSAN, you will also know that the admins have to have a black belt in advanced computing to keep the system running smoothly.
LumaForge have been working on a solution and at the recent LACPUG, Sam Mestman showed one of the new LumaSHARE storage models playing back 84 streams of 4K to multiple Mac Pros and a MacBook Pro.
An impressive display and it certainly shows the way forward from those racks of metadata controllers, fibre channel switches and loud and noisy drive units. The storage comes ready out of the box to connect with GigE or 10GigE, so no extra boxes to buy to get going. Also no complex administrative tasks to keep on top of.
The prices are impressive too starting at $9,200 for the LumaSHARE 9TB Mobile HD Lite which can service 2-8 HD users. The largest mobile model is populated with up to 58 SSD drives and will output a staggering 30,740 MB/s - try that on a Blackmagic Speed test!. It will also set you back just over $100,000.
For larger installations, there are the range of LumaSHARE Facility models which are expandable up to 1.5 Petabytes and dozens of concurrent users. Prices are available on application.
Should you be in the market for fast FCPX optimised storage, please mention FCP.co in you dealings with LumaForge as they just might offer us a bit of money to keep our servers going!
I am the Editor-in-Chief of FCP.co and have run the website since its inception ten years ago.
I have also worked as a broadcast and corporate editor for over 30 years, starting on one inch tape, working through many formats, right up to today's NLEs.
Under the name Idustrial Revolution, I have written and sold plugins for Final Cut Pro for 13 years.
I was made a Freeman of Lichfield through The Worshipful Company of Smiths (established 1601). Though I haven't yet tried to herd a flock of sheep through the city centre!
Current Editing
2020 has been busy, the beginning of the year was finishing off a new property series (cut on FCP) for Channel 4 called The Great House Giveaway. I also designed and built the majority of the graphics as Motion templates. It has been a great success and the shows grabbed more viewers in the 4pm weekday slot than any previous strand. It has been recommissioned by C4 for 60 episodes, including prime-time versions and five themed programmes. The shows have also been nominated for a 2021 BAFTA.
Although both were postponed to later in the year, I worked again on ITV's coverage of the Tour de France and La Vuelta. 2020 was my 25th year of editing the TdF and my 20th year as lead editor. The Tour was the first broadcast show to adopt FCPX working for multiple editors on shared storage.
BBC's Snooker has played a big part in my life, I've been editing tournament coverage since 1997. I'm proud to be part of a very creative team that has pioneered many new ideas and workflows that are now industry standard in sports' production. This is currently an Adobe Premiere edit.
Covid cancelled some of the regular corporate events that I edit such as trade shows & events. I was lucky however to edit, from home, on projects for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Black Friday, Mastercard and very proud to have helped local charitable trust Kendall & Wall secure lottery funding.
As for software, my weapon of choice is Final Cut Pro and Motion, but I also have a good knowledge and broadcast credits with Adobe Premiere Pro, MOGRT design and Photoshop.
Plugin Design & Development
I'm the creative force behind Idustrial Revolution, one of the oldest Final Cut Pro plugin developers. It hosts a range of commercial and free plugins on the site. One free plugin was downloaded over a thousand times within 24 hours of release.
I also take on custom work, whether it is adapting an existing plugin for a special use or designing new plugins for clients from scratch. Having a good knowledge of editing allows me to build-in flexibility and more importantly, usability.
FCP.co
Now in its 10th year and 4th redesign, running FCP.co has given me knowledge on how to run a large CMS- you are currently reading my bio from the database! Although it sounds corny, I am pretty well up on social media trends & techniques, especially in the video sector. The recent Covid restrictions has enabled live FCP.co shows online. This involves managing a Zoom Webinar through Restream.io to YouTube and Facebook.
The Future
I'm always open to new ideas and opportunities, so please get in touch at editor (at) fcp.co. I've judged film competitions, presented workflow techniques to international audiences and come up with ideas for TV shows and software programs!
