Wide Eye Productions With Small Tree Ethernet Storage Technology

Featuring a client list that includes ABC News, CBS News, NBC Universal and Paramount Pictures, service HD production company Wide Eye Productions, based in Boise, ID recently installed Small Tree‘s Gigabit Ethernet-based shared storage technology to improve project management.

As a result of implementing Small Tree’s Ethernet-based solution, Wide Eye’s editing team can now work simultaneously on the same projects, so they no longer have to spend valuable time copying files from one client to another or trying to figure out which version to archive. For Jennifer Isenhart, principal producer for Wide Eye, the introduction of a server based media storage solution has brought benefits to the creative process.

"Prior to installing the Small Tree technology, we had to transcribe and log footage from one of our editing suites," Isenhart stated. "Now, we can ingest all of our materials onto the shared storage system and transcribe from our iMacs. As a writer/producer, being able to access footage off the server from my desk as I’m writing script is extremely beneficial to the creative flow. Additionally, our editors love that we no longer have to tie up an editing suite to transcribe footage."  

With three Final Cut editing suites working off Mac Pro, Wide Eye installed Small Tree’s GraniteSTOR  Ethernet-based technology with its unique OS X networking capabilities supporting multiple Ethernet ports, which tightly integrates with Apple’s built in file sharing system. The GraniteSTOR solution incorporates Small Tree’s PEG6, a 6-port Ethernet card with the Edge-corE ES4528V, a 28-port Gigabit Ethernet switch certified to work with Small Tree’s technology.

Before turning to the Small Tree’s networking technology, Wide Eye had been working exclusively over Fibre Channel with an Apple Xserve. While editors continue to use the Xserve for multiple layer compositing, the majority of their work is now done via the server based media storage system.  

"We’re currently working on a pilot episode for broadcast television, so the shared storage technology has been critical in allowing multiple editors to work on single episodes at the same time," Isenhart stated.

"We’ve been interested in implementing a server based media storage solution for some time, but we couldn’t afford to spend $50,000 for a traditional system," Isenhart continued. "For a small production company like ours, the Small Tree system offers exceptional performance at an ideal price point."