FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blackmagic Design today announced Blackmagic Cloud Pod which lets you use any USB-C disk as network storage. The Blackmagic Cloud Pod means customers can build their own network storage using USB-C flash disks they already own. Features include high speed 10G Ethernet and Dropbox sync, so customers can cache files locally and share them with everyone on their network. Blackmagic Cloud Pod even includes an HDMI monitoring output for a real time view of the network storage status.
Blackmagic Cloud Pod is available immediately from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide for US$395.
Blackmagic Cloud Pod will transform customers’ work. It's perfect for film and television because customers can record onto USB-C flash disks and then use the Blackmagic Cloud Pod to make the disk available on the network for multiple editors and colorists to use. Depending on the brand of USB-C flash disk used, it even handles massive 12K Blackmagic RAW digital cinema files. USB-C flash disks are amazing because they are affordable, have zero seek times and customers can buy them in any office supply store.
Blackmagic Cloud Pod features an extremely small and thin design because it doesn't have any storage internally. It’s also very quiet and very portable. It features two USB-C ports so it can host two separate USB disks on their network at the same time. The 10G Ethernet port means customers get extremely high performance. There is also an HDMI monitoring output so customers can watch a live graphic view of the storage operating on a TV or monitor.
With a separate, very high speed 10G Ethernet connection, Blackmagic Cloud Pod is very fast. The internal processing has been designed to saturate the 10G Ethernet port to its theoretical maximum speed, so customers get full performance from the very fast USB-C disks available today. When using flash USB-C disks, access has very low latency, so responsiveness is fast. Even when editing large 12K digital film RAW files. It’s so fast, multicam editing is very smooth, even if it’s used with large digital film camera files.
Now customers can setup a local cache of their Dropbox files. This makes working much faster because files are instantly available without needing to be downloaded from the internet. Customers can save space on their computer by moving cached Dropbox files to the Blackmagic Cloud Pod so everyone on their network can share them. Customers can even sync multiple Blackmagic Cloud Pods or Cloud Stores via Dropbox so people in different geographic locations can collaborate without latency because everyone has a local copy of the files.
The most exciting feature is the HDMI monitoring output. Simply connect a TV or computer monitor to get a live status of the Blackmagic Cloud Pod. The storage map shows a graphic representation of the memory core and real time read and write access happening for the connected users. There are also graphs that show customers the data transfers on the Ethernet connection. The main space indicator shows customers the capacity of the two USB-C disks and how much is currently being used. The status for each Dropbox connection is also shown.
The Blackmagic Cloud Pod has a high speed 10G Ethernet port, which is only found on expensive workstation computers. With 10G Ethernet, customers get 10 times the speed of regular Ethernet. Plus most computers can be upgraded to add 10G Ethernet. Even when connected to an Ethernet switch with dozens of users accessing files at the same time. The Ethernet also features very low latency for fast access times. That’s similar performance to expensive business SANs but in a low cost design that customers can install yourself.
One of the big advantages of the Blackmagic Cloud Pod is that it’s private storage that customers fully control. There are no subscriptions to sign up for. There are no monthly license fees. There is no tracking of their usage or data. Customers don't even need to log into a web page to maintain the storage settings, because Blackmagic Cloud Pod uses a free to download software utility that runs on Mac and Windows. That means customers can run a private network, totally disconnected from the internet. This is critical for many security standards where computer networks cannot be connected to the external internet.
When customers need to change settings, customers can use the Blackmagic Cloud Pod utility that's available on Mac and Windows. In many ways, it plugs in just like a regular hard disk. That means it's so easy to setup, customers won't need an IT person to get started. However if customers want to customize their network, then the utility software lets customers change the network settings in the Cloud Pod. The utility also lets customers add Dropbox sync folders.
"I really love this product because it makes the whole DaVinci Resolve collaboration process so much easier and incredibly affordable," said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. "This is the perfect product to setup network storage at home and then let it constantly sync to Dropbox so you can work remotely with the speed of local media. Imagine having the Blackmagic Cloud Pod constantly syncing so your files are always local!"
Blackmagic Cloud Pod Features
- Compact pod design that connects 2 external USB-C disks.
- Hardware acceleration for high performance.
- Sync to Dropbox.
- Includes HDMI monitoring output with live storage status.
- Includes high speed 10G Ethernet port.
- No subscriptions, no licenses and no user data tracking.
- Includes software utility for Mac and Windows platforms.
AVAILABILITY AND PRICE
Blackmagic Cloud Pod is available now for US$395, excluding local duties and taxes, from Blackmagic Design resellers worldwide.
PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY
Product photos of the Blackmagic Cloud Pod, as well as all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images.
ABOUT BLACKMAGIC DESIGN
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984.
Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.
