Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Anyone seen internal MediaBlock yet?

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Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 01-13-2011, 11:21 AM:

Has anyone had their hand on a projector with internal MediaBlock so far?

Does anyone know any details about these things?

I'm wondering wether they only do some sort of realtime-streaming from storage, or wether they have their own local storage/buffering? If they have - would it be hard disc? And if so - would it need to be RAID again like in standard servers?

Any insight?

- Carsten

Posted by Jussi Siponen (Member # 5572) on 01-13-2011, 12:26 PM:

So far I've only seen the GDC integrated media block (compatible at least with Barco Series II projectors).

The connection between the storage server and the media block is similar to SAS external disk array connectors.

The media block card likely has some kind of buffers but his is just small, volatile data transfer buffers -- no persistent storage (except for the decrytion keys, obviously).

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 01-13-2011, 01:05 PM:

That probably means that the Media Block will not buffer a full feature, but only variations in streaming throughput? Or could it be a large SSD in the 256-512GByte range?

- Carsten

Posted by Chase Pickett (Member # 5975) on 01-13-2011, 02:41 PM:

Sony SRX-R320

RAID just like standard servers. [beer]

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 01-13-2011, 03:18 PM:

Yep, Sony always called their servers 'media block', yet they are full fledged servers, not just integrated media blocks ;-)

- Carsten

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 01-14-2011, 08:06 PM:

Doremi media block replaces the input card in a Barco projector and connects with a "2 lane ext SATA" cable. The server AES audio and GPIO comes out of the media block on two RJ-45 "ethernet" jacks each. They provide "dongles" to convert the ethernet cables you use to connect to the D-A input and GPIO and turn them into the "old" style DB connectors. Probably the Christie etc units are the same setup.
Note that this makes it advisable to put the Doremi server in the projector base. The media block comes with a shortish ext sata cable. The maximum length allowed for this cable is 7 meters. The 7M cable costs several hundred dollars.

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 01-15-2011, 12:52 PM:

The cable between the server and IMB is a "2 lane PCIe", not SATA.

What's the "time limit to edit posts expired" about?

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 01-15-2011, 02:20 PM:

Hmm. So far I don't see the benefit of the DOREMI solution, or maybe of the IMB idea as a whole.

<10m cable lenght is certainly not enough for TMS.

If the IMB has no full feature buffer, it needs a solid performing server for realtime streaming. And again one dedicated server per projector/media block. I can hardly see plain vanilla TMS machines serving multiple streams in parallel. If the IMB DOES have full feature storage - then when and how quickly will the filling of the storage be scheduled, and wouldn't it need to be RAID for redundancy? And then we have a couple of harddiscs in the IMB again. Why then integrate it into the projector at all?
Maybe SSD would be a suitable tradeoff.

That audio will be coming from the IMB/projector instead of an external server - probably no issue. But automation signals will have to be transferred/scheduled between server and IMB? I don't get it. Unless in the long run, IMB will be full flegded servers with RAID, but just a smaller footprint and with less cooling needs, being operated through a Web-Interface/Terminal client. But then what's the benefit?

Right now, and with the given constraints, I don't get the idea behind it.

- Carsten

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 01-15-2011, 04:53 PM:

Right now I think it's a 4K thing. You apparently (I may be wrong) get 4K through dual coax. The PCIe has enough bandwidth for 4K. I've only installed them in Barco "B" series 1.4" DMD projectors that may/will be upgraded to 4K when available.
The IMB I've installed does need a server, it doesn't run from the TMS directly. The server (these have been Doremi DCP-2K4) has no dolphin/enigma board, just that PCIe jack. The projector still needs tcp/ip ethernet for control. The normal projector GPIO will do RealD sync, and the server GPIO plus the AES digital audio output is now on the projector too. The Doremi servers with an internal media block have the GPIO and AES outputs on the Dolphin board that does the link encryption and probably lots more.

Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 01-15-2011, 04:55 PM:

The Sony 4K Cine Alta (320?) has an internal media block. It's 100% self-contained. I was told it is a RAID array. You could play a full-length feature from that.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 01-15-2011, 08:03 PM:

Yes, the SONYs use a very reliable RAID6 array. Yet no one except SONY would call these 'integrated media block'. They are full servers like everyone elses. They are not actually integrated into the projector housing, but into the SONY system housing, or pedestal how SONY calls it.

If you put a Doremi server below a NEC projector in a frame chassis, it doesn't make the Doremi an integrated media block. Though, argueing about SONYs naming leads to nothing, I admit ;-) It's their way of communicating that they are selling a fully integrated DCI projection system, not just components.

- Carsten

Posted by John Gavin (Member # 5949) on 02-13-2011, 10:27 PM:

The media block is integrated, the storage/control panel is not.
With Doremi, there is the external ShowVault with storage, ingest
ports etc and user interface. From a maintenance and security perspective, i think this is the best solution.

Posted by Brendan Penny (Member # 5041) on 02-13-2011, 11:11 PM:

Yes Ive seen one. The picture looks amazing. [Wink]