CLOUD EDITING GEAR.
RESOLVE YOUR CLOUD EDITING ISSUES
Blackmagic’s new hardware and cloud services bring easy virtual post-production in DaVinci
WORDS. Adam Duckworth
T he best engineers don’t just build hardware and software to solve a problem, but simplify complex systems to make everything more straightforward for the typical buyer. That’s what Blackmagic Design has done with its products, allowing easier and cheaper editing via the cloud. Something a typical filmmaker or small production company can quickly get to grips with, rather than being forced to employ IT tech-heads to get things working and keep them running. Blackmagic’s new system allows multiple editors to work on the same project at the same time – anywhere on the planet. It’s based around a major update for DaVinci Resolve 18 and a range of network storage solutions.
attached a Lacie Rugged SSD Pro drive. It was instantly recognised as part of the network. However, we did have to plug it in via USB-C to download the latest firmware upgrade – installing the free Blackmagic Cloud Store app to manage the system. Doing this allows all users on the network to access files on the Lacie, so it would work for
This is quite a departure for Blackmagic, marking as it does the Australian firm’s clever move into storage hardware. These fresh innovations aren’t just hard drives that plug into a workstation via USB, but cloud-connected devices. In the case of the entry-level Cloud Pod, it doesn’t actually come with any storage at all. Instead, plug in a hard drive you already own, and the device will turn into a network- attached storage drive. The £366/$395 Cloud Pod lets you use any USB-C disk as network storage. This unit includes high- speed 10G Ethernet and Dropbox sync, and HDMI monitoring output for a real-time view of its status. We plugged the Cloud Pod into our Mac Studio with Ethernet, to make it part of our network, and
EDIT-READY Blackmagic’s Cloud Store Mini (above) is built with 8TB of storage and plenty of connectivity
“Like the Cloud Pod, this unit displayed plug-and-play simplicity. Software is easy to use and understand – it just connects and works”
87. SEPTEMBER 2022
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