Yash Raj Films uses Dell's EqualLogic to archive its movie catalogue
YRF needed a dedicated storage solution that would ensure high availability and reliable data protection of its archived films.
Generations of Indian film lovers have watched movies produced by Yash Raj FilmsPvt. Ltd. (YRF), and relished several unforgettable dialogues. Digitally archiving these movies, which are the lifeblood and core revenue stream of the studio, will allow future generations to watch and enjoy these films in their original format.
Always a step ahead of the changes taking place in the entertainment industry, YRF has plans to scale up its production output every year and grow its existing catalogue of 55 films. While the advent of digitization has given the studio greater flexibility to expand its film distribution over multiple media platforms, YRF needed a solution to archive its catalogue. Dilip Patil, senior manager, digital and systems, YRF explains, "With the increasing number of digital platforms available through the internet and mobile technology, and growing global interest in the Indian film industry, our films are being distributed and watched more than ever before. To meet this demand we needed a single solution capable of archiving our expanding film catalogue for future audiences."
YRF needed a dedicated storage solution that would ensure high availability and reliable data protection of its archived films. Following discussions with Dell representatives, the studio reviewed the Dell EqualLogic PS6500E virtualized iSCSI storage array with SATA disk drives, and found that the EqualLogic storage array was the perfect fit for its needs.
Single storage solution improves responsiveness
YRF now has the flexibility to access and use its archived catalogue of films for a range of media projects across platforms such as YouTube, Netflix, and iTunes. As more and more film lovers use these platforms, having an easily accessible film catalogue that is searchable down to the level of the single frame is critical to ensure YRF's global distribution. In addition, "With our films now archived within a single location, we have the ability to expand our audience for both current and back catalogue films. We can respond to requests within days now, while previously it used to take weeks, and deliver exactly what our partners and media require," Patil says.
The ability to take snapshots and then restore specific data was a critical requirement for the studio, a feature provided by the fully redundant and hot-swappable STA disk drives. "A big advantage was the snapshot restoration feature of the Dell EqualLogic SAN where we could restore a single frame that may have been corrupted, rather than having to restore the entire film. That saves us a sizeable amount of time and ensures we experience no delays during the film's promotion and distribution," says Patil.
Continued technical innovation, the increased use of computer-generated and computer-altered imagery and a greater demand for high definition (HD) films, means that YRF's storage requirements will rapidly increase. According to Patil, "We need large volume storage to archive HD films. Being able to scale our current storage solution whenever we need enables us to maintain a unified platform for our film archives. That makes film management easier and means we can deliver a high level of service to our media partners who in turn receive quick access to our catalogue."
Ease of management has reduced time spent on archiving from days to hours and has allowed YRF's team to focus on new projects. For example, Dell storage solutions based on open standards support continuous innovation, and YRF can integrate the storage array with industry software to add metadata tags to its digital assets to make their film catalogue easily searchable.
YRF's IT team relies on Dell ProSupport with Mission Critical 4 hourOnsite Response service to support their storage solution and keep the studio on schedule. Despite the expanding archive requirements and increasing demands from media partners, YRF has been able to maintain the size of their IT team. "I have been in this industry for 17 years and worked with almost every leading technology provider. The level of support we receive from Dell is really impressive. They really take care of us through their personalized approach and go out of their way to ensure we have seamless access to our film archive," concludes Patil.
Always a step ahead of the changes taking place in the entertainment industry, YRF has plans to scale up its production output every year and grow its existing catalogue of 55 films. While the advent of digitization has given the studio greater flexibility to expand its film distribution over multiple media platforms, YRF needed a solution to archive its catalogue. Dilip Patil, senior manager, digital and systems, YRF explains, "With the increasing number of digital platforms available through the internet and mobile technology, and growing global interest in the Indian film industry, our films are being distributed and watched more than ever before. To meet this demand we needed a single solution capable of archiving our expanding film catalogue for future audiences."
YRF needed a dedicated storage solution that would ensure high availability and reliable data protection of its archived films. Following discussions with Dell representatives, the studio reviewed the Dell EqualLogic PS6500E virtualized iSCSI storage array with SATA disk drives, and found that the EqualLogic storage array was the perfect fit for its needs.
Single storage solution improves responsiveness
YRF now has the flexibility to access and use its archived catalogue of films for a range of media projects across platforms such as YouTube, Netflix, and iTunes. As more and more film lovers use these platforms, having an easily accessible film catalogue that is searchable down to the level of the single frame is critical to ensure YRF's global distribution. In addition, "With our films now archived within a single location, we have the ability to expand our audience for both current and back catalogue films. We can respond to requests within days now, while previously it used to take weeks, and deliver exactly what our partners and media require," Patil says.
The ability to take snapshots and then restore specific data was a critical requirement for the studio, a feature provided by the fully redundant and hot-swappable STA disk drives. "A big advantage was the snapshot restoration feature of the Dell EqualLogic SAN where we could restore a single frame that may have been corrupted, rather than having to restore the entire film. That saves us a sizeable amount of time and ensures we experience no delays during the film's promotion and distribution," says Patil.
Continued technical innovation, the increased use of computer-generated and computer-altered imagery and a greater demand for high definition (HD) films, means that YRF's storage requirements will rapidly increase. According to Patil, "We need large volume storage to archive HD films. Being able to scale our current storage solution whenever we need enables us to maintain a unified platform for our film archives. That makes film management easier and means we can deliver a high level of service to our media partners who in turn receive quick access to our catalogue."
Ease of management has reduced time spent on archiving from days to hours and has allowed YRF's team to focus on new projects. For example, Dell storage solutions based on open standards support continuous innovation, and YRF can integrate the storage array with industry software to add metadata tags to its digital assets to make their film catalogue easily searchable.
YRF's IT team relies on Dell ProSupport with Mission Critical 4 hourOnsite Response service to support their storage solution and keep the studio on schedule. Despite the expanding archive requirements and increasing demands from media partners, YRF has been able to maintain the size of their IT team. "I have been in this industry for 17 years and worked with almost every leading technology provider. The level of support we receive from Dell is really impressive. They really take care of us through their personalized approach and go out of their way to ensure we have seamless access to our film archive," concludes Patil.
Source : ET
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