jaimearodriguez
The Fly
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2011
- Messages
- 210
According to the article:
"U2 has not decided exactly how it will monetize the video it captures from its concerts."
"U2 decided it might be a good idea to capture every concert in a digital format."
(U2 Finds What It's Looking For in EMC Storage | Computer Technology Hardware Solutions and News content from The VAR Guy)
________________________________________________________________
U2 Finds What It's Looking For in EMC Storage
Channel partners are always on the lookout for a new use case for applying technology that not only makes money, but actually might be fun to implement. With that in mind, solution providers should pay a little extra attention to what EMC (EMC) is up to with the rock band U2.
During its iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE concert tour, U2 decided it might be a good idea to capture every concert in a digital format. To that end, U2 engaged EMC to deploy an all-Flash array version of VNXe 3200 storage system and its Data Domain backup systems.
Normally found in a 2u rack inside a data center, these 3.5-inch tall storage systems are, at least as far as U2 is concerned, portable. Each night before the concert starts, Live Nation, the company U2 contracted to film its concerts, takes over a suite at the venue to set up systems that capture streaming video using eight high-definition cameras. Each concert can generate as much as 2TB of data, depending on the actual length of the concert and whether there are guest performers joining the band on stage. Connected to both PCs running Windows 7 and Mac OS operating systems, the version of the VNXe storage array being used by Live Nation is configured with 22.9TB of solid-state disk (SSD) storage. The Data Domain systems then provide and addition 6PB of backup storage.
Perhaps most important from Live Nation's perspective, it doesn’t take a dedicated IT staff to set up these systems before every show. The same roadies used to set up the stage and the HD cameras also plug in the EMC storage.
Chris Ratcliffe, senior vice president of Marketing and Product Management for emerging technologies at EMC, said what’s really interesting about all this from a solution provider perspective is that not only is this solution replicable to other live venues, it also can be applied to just about any event, including everything from the local high school football game to, say, graduation ceremonies. Rather than rely on a USB stick to capture video, Ratcliffe said HD video cameras and Flash storage technologies have advanced to the point where arrays can be taken directly to the place where the video needs to be captured to preserve the highest quality video experience possible.
Ratcliffe said U2 has not decided exactly how it will monetize the video it captures from its concerts. But HD video is such a major part of the monetization strategy for just about anybody participating in an event worth preserving for posterity. For solution providers, that means that any firm or company looking to capture video professionally represents a new use case for connecting storage arrays to servers as well as something as simple as a basic PC system.
Of course, not every one of those events may be as cool as a U2 concert. But then again, there are a lot more of them than there are rock concerts.
"U2 has not decided exactly how it will monetize the video it captures from its concerts."
"U2 decided it might be a good idea to capture every concert in a digital format."
(U2 Finds What It's Looking For in EMC Storage | Computer Technology Hardware Solutions and News content from The VAR Guy)
________________________________________________________________
U2 Finds What It's Looking For in EMC Storage
Channel partners are always on the lookout for a new use case for applying technology that not only makes money, but actually might be fun to implement. With that in mind, solution providers should pay a little extra attention to what EMC (EMC) is up to with the rock band U2.
During its iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE concert tour, U2 decided it might be a good idea to capture every concert in a digital format. To that end, U2 engaged EMC to deploy an all-Flash array version of VNXe 3200 storage system and its Data Domain backup systems.
Normally found in a 2u rack inside a data center, these 3.5-inch tall storage systems are, at least as far as U2 is concerned, portable. Each night before the concert starts, Live Nation, the company U2 contracted to film its concerts, takes over a suite at the venue to set up systems that capture streaming video using eight high-definition cameras. Each concert can generate as much as 2TB of data, depending on the actual length of the concert and whether there are guest performers joining the band on stage. Connected to both PCs running Windows 7 and Mac OS operating systems, the version of the VNXe storage array being used by Live Nation is configured with 22.9TB of solid-state disk (SSD) storage. The Data Domain systems then provide and addition 6PB of backup storage.
Perhaps most important from Live Nation's perspective, it doesn’t take a dedicated IT staff to set up these systems before every show. The same roadies used to set up the stage and the HD cameras also plug in the EMC storage.
Chris Ratcliffe, senior vice president of Marketing and Product Management for emerging technologies at EMC, said what’s really interesting about all this from a solution provider perspective is that not only is this solution replicable to other live venues, it also can be applied to just about any event, including everything from the local high school football game to, say, graduation ceremonies. Rather than rely on a USB stick to capture video, Ratcliffe said HD video cameras and Flash storage technologies have advanced to the point where arrays can be taken directly to the place where the video needs to be captured to preserve the highest quality video experience possible.
Ratcliffe said U2 has not decided exactly how it will monetize the video it captures from its concerts. But HD video is such a major part of the monetization strategy for just about anybody participating in an event worth preserving for posterity. For solution providers, that means that any firm or company looking to capture video professionally represents a new use case for connecting storage arrays to servers as well as something as simple as a basic PC system.
Of course, not every one of those events may be as cool as a U2 concert. But then again, there are a lot more of them than there are rock concerts.
