Manhattan Neighborhood Network uses Final Cut Pro, G4s

StudioNet-FC, a high bandwidth fibre-channel workgroup solution from Rorke Data, was recently installed at Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) in New York City. And there’s a Mac connection.

MNN is responsible for administering public access cable television services throughout Manhattan. The fibre-channel system — implemented by PWR Systems, Rorke’s reseller — provided a Fibre-Channel SAN solution to help MNN cost-effectively network its Mac-based Final Cut Pro workstations, according to MNN producer, Kenyatta Cheese.

Final Cut Pro is Apple’s US$999, high-end video editing, compositing and special effects software. Version 2, introduced in February, is designed to work with Apple’s DVD Studio Pro to form a complete system for professional digital content creation and delivery.

“Our user base isn’t made up of professional editors,” said Cheese in a statement. “It’s made up of the thousands of community producers and independent media-makers of Manhattan. They’re users of all ages, all walks of life, and all levels of production experience. We needed a solution where a person could just come in, sit down, click a few buttons, and gigs and gigs of storage space would magically appear on their desktop, ready to use. The StudioNet-FC system does that for us.

MNN’s StudioNet installation features the networking of eight Final Cut Pro workstations (Power Mac G4s), allowing the sharing of stored video content in the amount of 1TB of Fibre-Channel RAID5 storage.

Joe Rorke, vice president of marketing, Rorke Data, said the MNN installation is further evidence of the penetration of Mac-based SAN solutions into the mainstream of the digital video community.

“The benefits of Fibre-Channel SAN are too big to ignore,” he said. “By not having to copy files alone, a post-production studio can save huge amounts of time. When you combine that with the cost savings inherent in a Mac-based application like Final Cut Pro, it’s not difficult to see why markets like New York and Los Angeles have been installing more and more SAN solutions this year.”

Steve Manella, sales engineer for PWR Systems, said there’s “no question” that the future of film production is digital. The issue confronting producers today is how to optimize the technology infrastructure supporting professional video, he said.

“Rorke’s Fibre-Channel SAN solutions address these issues, with high-capacity reliability and flexibility as well as support for key Apple applications, like Final Cut Pro,” Manella.