LSI 3ware RAID Controller Cards Enhance Performance of New SpectSoft Disk Drive Recorders for Video Production

LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today announced that SpectSoft has selected high-performance LSITM 3ware® 6Gb/s SATA+SAS RAID controller cards as the embedded RAID solutions for its new line of Rave 4.0 disk drive-based video production appliances.

Rave is an uncompressed video production solution based on the Linux® platform. The newest additions to the Rave product line of disk drive recorders utilize new LSI 3ware 9750 series controllers based on 6Gb/s SAS technology to deliver new levels of RAID performance and data protection. The sustained throughput capabilities offered by 3ware controllers enable film and broadcasting professionals to utilize Rave 4.0 in an uncompressed 4K workflow, providing real-time access to video data frames without sacrificing content quality.

Post-production and broadcast companies are used to working in real-time when it comes to HD, and as they transition into 4K, they will expect the same opportunity, said Ramona Howard, president of SpectSoft. Until now, the industry has lacked the storage hardware to keep pace with the capacity and performance demands of an uncompressed 4K workflow. The combination of Rave and the LSI family of 3ware 6Gb/s SATA+SAS RAID controllers allow video professionals to instantly access uncompressed 4K frames as data from disk for use with solutions such as compositors or color-correctors.

LSI and SpectSoft will demonstrate the new Rave 4.0 platform in the LSI booth (booth #N614) this week at the 2010 National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The demonstration will showcase the Rave platform processing uncompressed streams working with both single and dual feeds, both combined or individually, with support for up to 4K uncompressed video content.

As the broadcast and video industries continue moving away from traditional film and into digital content, the increasing file sizes associated with improved image quality are creating a tremendous need for scalable RAID storage solutions with high throughput capabilities, said Brent Blanchard, worldwide channel sales and marketing director, LSI. The combination of the new family of LSI 3ware SATA+SAS RAID controllers based on 6Gb/s SAS technology with the latest SpectSoft Rave platform creates an opportunity for video professionals to work with the latest formats in real-time for improved productivity and superior quality.

Also on display in the LSI booth at NAB will be new LSI 600 series JBOD storage enclosures. The 2U, rack-mountable enclosures are based on 6Gb/s SAS technology and are powered by the LSI SAS2x36 6Gb/s SAS expander IC. LSI 600 series JBODs provide expandable storage capacity to Rave systems while maintaining throughput, two factors that are equally important when working with uncompressed content, especially 3D uncompressed content.