Storage Challenges in the Media and Entertainment Industry

Image quality on broadcast television and displays has been improving steadily. Current HD technology, available in 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, already requires significant storage capabilities but pales in comparison to the requirements of 4K or 8K. Content created on 4K is going to take up quite a bit of space, with an average movie requiring up to 100GB or more. Storage in the media and entertainment (M&E) sector will continue to be a pervading issue, and a new study by International Data Corporation (IDC (News - Alert)), points out precisely the challenges the industry will be facing on this front.

The assets entertainment companies own are mostly stored digitally and are increasingly made available via streaming across different platforms. Monetizing this content means making it available to a global audience 24/7 by housing the content in data centers.  Thus explaining why storage in the M&E industry is such an important component.

Managing this data will require a new approach, and cloud-based storage is being considered as the most viable solution currently available for the industry.

The report is the first in a series of reports covering the M&E industry. Titled "Storage Consumption and Dynamics in the Media and Entertainment Industry," it examines the digital asset lifecycle and the type of impact it will have on storage requirements by focusing on the changing dynamics of storage in M&E. The report addresses:

• The impact of IT requirements for in-house storage and cloud-related storage services with content capture, production, distribution, and archiving;
• Issues with inefficiencies and guidance on current M&E storage related businesses;
• Market dynamics and the current digital asset lifecycle for television and cinematic content; and
• Vendors providing key components to the industry with an overview of their hardware and software services 

The report suggests the industry as a whole is uncertain about cloud adoption because of issues related to security. With virtually all content holding some form of copyright protection, the trepidation the industry is exhibiting is understandable. A security breach can lead to massive unauthorized distribution, costing creators a lot of money.

"New technology and content delivery methods are redefining the M&E industry. As the industry continues to grapple with constant change, an ecosystem of storage and services suppliers has emerged, often making it unclear as to where, how, and to what extent storage and other related services are used,” said Amita Potnis, research analyst, Storage Systems. “To provide a better understanding of the industry's current needs and challenges, IDC is publishing a series of reports that examines storage-related technology adoption trends within the M&E space." 

Edited by Blaise McNamee