The Media Services team provides equipment to under-and post graduate students and operates facilities that inlcude TV and photographic studios, video editing rooms and media production suites.
Content is created in a variety of formats using professional Panasonic and JVC camcorders, and DSLR systems. It is post produced using networked-connected Apple and Adobe software suites, running on Mac hardware.
"Prior to upgrading our infastructure with GB Labs' Space, we had fibre channel-based storage system." Continues Thorton. "It worked well and generally ran problem free. However, it had some key shortcomings that meant that it would no longer meet our needs. Firstly, it placed a cap on the number of user accounts that could access the storage; secondly the amount of space allocated to individual users was restricted, something that became real problem as we transitioned to multi-layer HD projects."
The success of the film and television course meant that an upgrade to the storage infrastructure was essential. With between 300 and 400 users, 35 Mac's running Final Cut Pro and the Creative Suite, the university needed a powerful shared storage system that had the reliability for very intensive use, espeicially at peak times in the run up to assessment deadlines.
