Navigating The 0s And 1s

	Navigating The 0s And 1s By Alison Johns

	“Data today is where HD was in 1995,” Ron Burdett, CEO of Sunset Digital in Glendale, said to me when I visited him recently. A high-res version of one of America’s favorite actresses was being graded in a THX-approved digital cinema suite, and sure enough, on the white board in Burdett’s office was a block diagram for possible storage scenarios for the facility, which normally handles the digital timing of six to eight movies at a time. Burdett figures he manages 50 TB of data for these projects. Top of his mind, every time I run into him at IBC or NAB, is how to make data practical and cost-effective. [an error occurred while processing this directive] “Sure you can get a 1/4 TB FireWire drive for $400,” says Burdett, “but that’s not the world that I live in.” For more on navigating this new terrain of digital storage and workflow, at studios, facilities, and production companies, I’d like to give you two short-term alternatives: 1. Make a note to read more about what Burdett and his peers at other data-intensive facilities are doing to wrangle data in June’s issue. 2. Click over to our new site: http://www.dcdbusiness.com right now. We’ve watched recording studios and record labels take the leap into “digital content delivery” in some of our other magazines and decided that it was time to launch a Web site and a regular supplement that deals with the issues, emerging technologies and best practices in digital content management for entertainment. Look for the supplement in our July and October issues this year. Want to talk directly to DCD Business’ editor? Drop Bryant Frazer a note at bfrazer@pbimedia.com. Alison Johns, Editorial Director/Editor-in-chief ajohns@pbimedia.com Source: Film & Video