LaserFilm Optimizes Storage for 4K Workflows with Quantum StorNext

Italy’s LaserFilm post-production studio has experienced a steady rise in 4K projects. Its TV and film production clients are shifting to 4K resolution, mainly based on DPX format, to meet consumer expectations for pristine, detailed visuals. LaserFilm is deeply committed to supporting cutting-edge technologies, including the latest 4K formats. But working with uncompressed DPX files pushed the studio’s existing SAN to its limits.

Team members required high-performance storage that would allow them to work with large files. At the same time, the studio needed a scalable environment that could support continuously growing data volumes. Any new storage system also had to provide fast, simple access to files regardless of what operating system and applications team members use. And to facilitate efficient collaboration, the storage environment had to be centralized.

Implementing Centralized Storage with Quantum
With input from Video Progetti, a solution provider and system integrator for media studios, LaserFilm selected Quantum’s StorNext File System running on the high-performance Xcellis appliance. Xcellis with StorNext provides the foundation for a centralized, tiered storage environment that integrates high-performance disk, high-capacity disk, data tape, and (eventually for LaserFilm) cloud storage.

“We selected Quantum storage as it is the best-performing storage solution and delivers an exceptional quality-cost ratio,” says Andrea Di Nardo, managing director of LaserFilm. “The Quantum StorNext solution enabled us to centralize extremely fast storage, provide easy access to files from all workstations, and enforce some discipline for using storage as part of the creative process.”

Enabling 4K Workflows with High-Performance Storage
The high-performance Xcellis appliance allows LaserFilm team members to work efficiently with large, uncompressed 4K files. With a highly responsive experience for editing tasks, color grading, visual effects processing, and more, the LaserFilm team can meet extremely short turnaround times.

Providing Fast, Simple Access to Files
With a centralized storage environment, team members can find files quickly, across tiers. Because StorNext supports a full range of post-production applications and workstation operating systems, team members can tap into the storage environment without altering their workflows. They can access files from Windows, UNIX, or Linux workstations just as easily as from Mac workstations. Simple access to files has been particularly important during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the StorNext solution, LaserFilm employees have been able to stay productive, collaborate efficiently, and meet tight deadlines—all while working from home.

Gaining Scalability for the Future
The Xcellis solution enables LaserFilm to expand its environment seamlessly as the number and resolution of files continue to grow. Designed specifically for service-oriented post-production houses, the Xcellis solution scales under a single file system. As the studio takes on more and more 4K projects, LaserFilm can store all of the files in one place and continue to provide easy, collaborative access for all of its team members.