NY Broadcaster WMHT Implements EditShare

EditShare, LLC announced that NY-based broadcaster WMHT (WMHT Educational Telecommunications) has revamped its TV, radio and web media management infrastructure with EditShare’s distributed shared storage XStream EFS, integrated Flow Media Asset Management (MAM) and Ark Tape offline archiving solutions.

“WMHT is now leveraging the full capabilities of EditShare end-to-end workflow solutions,” comments Andy Liebman, founder and CEO, EditShare. “Our high-performance, scale out distributed storage solution provides the single namespace and secure foundation they need to manage large volumes of data with seamlessly integrated smart media management tools that automate complex and redundant processes and facilitate collaboration across departments. The net gain i an incredible boost in productivity and a more efficient use of resources.“

Security and Performance
Replacing a legacy sneaker-net set up, the critically acclaimed public broadcaster is now centralizing content for all its TV, radio and web operations onto a single, unified EditShare XStream EFS shared storage platform, integrating EditShare Flow MAM and Ark Tape archiving for a workflow from ingest to archive.

“To share media across groups, we had been copying content from one drive to another, which was incredibly time consuming,” comments Bob Cummings, chief engineer, WMHT.” The new EditShare XStream EFS installation centrally stores our content – no more searching through drives for footage. It’s a huge time and physical space saver.“

In addition to streamlining the physical set up, XStream EFS provides WMHT with the HA required for rapid content creation with no single point of failure. The redundant architecture ensures that WMHT content is always available and that important programs broadcast according to plan.

Serving as a control layer for managing content across WMHT departments, EditShare Flow provides tools that manage ingest of content from studio shoots and automate processes.

“Flow lets us automate several procedures, such as transcoding and indexing material,” adds Cummings. “No more waiting for media shot in the studio to be transcoded. We set Flow to automatically manage the studio ingest and transcode. Media is ready for editing the moment it hits the EFS storage server.“

These easy-to-use tools let non-production staff search, browse and retrieve assets from the XStream EFS storage and archives right from their desktop system or laptop.

Cummings elaborates on the benefit of easy access to media: “What is really valuable about Flow for our non-post staff is that they can access the footage without having to find an available NLE or editor to assist. Producers can review their program footage, make simple cuts and send material off to the editor to be finalized. It’s a much more efficient way to collaborate on shows.“

Integrated Remote Collaboration
To provide remote production capabilities and access to media, WMHT added AirFlow, EditShare’s web-based media management module, to the mix.

Cummings explains: “We have an outside production company come up to Albany every couple of weeks to shoot for a few days in the studio with editing done back in NYC. With the infrastructure, they will be able to record the content to the EditShare storage and access it externally using AirFlow, and they won’t have to wait for us to copy and send drives. The editor, who is located in NYC, can download the proxies as the shoot is underway and begin editing the project.“

Future-Proof Platform
Completing the end-to-end workflow, WMHT installed EditShare Ark Tape for offline archiving. Integrated with XStream EFS, the tiered storage environment features automated backups and media restoration capabilities, allowing WMHT to control media from ingest to archive.

Emphasizing the enhanced productivity by having a fully integrated workflow with EditShare, Cummings states: “With content fully tracked and easily searchable, we are able to utilize our assets more efficiently across the board. Combined with the automation capabilities, we have removed the complicated technical processes and are better able to take advantage of emerging technologies such as EditShare’s Flow that continue to improve the quality of our production and our staff’s time.“