Networked Projects

[im.thatoneguy]

Has anybody used Media Composer in a collaborative environment?

I'm looking for advice on how you're supposed to manage all of the video files in a networked system.

Is it acceptable to use a gigabit ethernet connection to serve footage? Or does the media need to be stored locally? If it's stored locally, how can more than one computer on the network stay synchronized with the same footage?

Instead of using the OMFI MediaFiles folder, can I be more specific about how and where Avid captures data, and caches footage?

How do I handle versioning of timelines/sequences? If I want a shared network bin/timeline should I use something like perforce to mange versioning or can Avid do it internally? Are your sequences/timelines saved in the project or the media files folder? I presume it's the bin with the project settings.

I'm starting into a project with about 8 computers that need to play nice together, and I want there to be as few conflicts as possible.

The idea situation would be able to sit down at any one of the systems and just start editing from where I left off on another computer. Is this a realistic dream?

 

[mark.burton]

Avid shared storage and sharred project supprt is the best in the industry, but you do have to have the right components. You can't simply hook a bunch of computers up to a netwrok volume and expect the Avid application to take care of it all - you wil have a disaster on your hands.

There are plenty of options though. Avid of course have Unity and Lanshare EX. These have been around for some time and although require a significant outlay, the workflow they allow is priceless.

There are a number of 3rd party options too. The best of these is Editshare. This is lower cost Gig-E attached server which has some very clever software to manage Avid shared media storage and the only 3rd party shared project support. I worked with an older version of the Editshare software all last year with 2 to 3 Xpress Pro HD systems and it was very solid.
http://www.editshare.com

Terreblock is another 3rd party option worth a look but with less advanced Avid support. http://www.facilistech.com
There are a few other solutions which offer Avid support, some being server software which you buy and install on your own setup, can't remember the name.

If you 8 systems which need to work together I would seriously look at the Lanshare or Editshare - both will do a great job and save you a lot of trouble.

Mark