Quantel generationQ system certified for SGI InfiniteStorage solutions

Following exhaustive compatibility testing, Quantel and Silicon Graphics have announced that the Quantel iQ Digital Intermediate system and eQ HD editing system are now both certified for integration with SGI's InfiniteStorage solutions that feature the shared Filesystem CXFS.
The combination of the two technologies offers a unified, high-performance post production environment that allows the efficient handling and networking of Terabytes of data - a pre-requisite in the modern post facility where optimised workflow and simultaneous real-time access to content is as central to success as creativity.
The key to the interoperability is SGI’s open shared file system that supports all the leading operating systems used in post today: IRIX, Windows, 32-bit and 64-bit Linux, and Mac OS X.
iQ and SGI SAN solutions are already proven in the real world, with a system having been in operation for the last six months at Peter Jackson's facility, The Film Unit, in New Zealand.
Quantel Marketing Director Nigel Turner said: "The post industry needs open products and systems to be able to compete successfully; openness is a central tenet of generationQ. We have found SGI to be equally open-minded; the fact that the iQ/eQ and CXFS integrate fully in a straightforward ‘plug and play’ manner to produce real gains for the users is an excellent illustration of the benefits of such an approach."
SGI Senior Director of Market Strategy Media Industries Chris Golson said: "SGI is totally committed to open solutions and it’s a pleasure to be working closely with a company that shares our vision. This integration moves us much closer to the promise we made to the industry and our ultimate goal of totally open, real-time access to all content for every workstation in a post production or broadcast environment. We look forward to building further on our relationship with Quantel in the future, as we continue to deploy more systems in post and broadcast facilities.”
The Film Unit post production facility was the first customer to benefit from the coupling of Quantel and SGI InfiniteStorage technologies designed for an ultrafast, highly productive environment for Digital Intermediate (DI) color correction.
Working with 2K film images demands up to 300MB/sec throughput, so the high performance of both the iQ and the SGI CXFS shared filesystem technology was an important factor in The Film Unit’s choice of equipment, said Quantel.
SGI will feature the Quantel iQ as a client in a digital infrastructure demonstration at NAB 2004, April 19-22, in Las Vegas at Booth SL4755.
(SP)