Visual effects (VFX) and post-production studios are facing rapidly rising demand for compelling visual content. To boost audience excitement and heighten engagement, directors and producers are incorporating an increasing number of VFX shots into their projects. Meanwhile, consumer interest in more immersive experiences are opening doors for VFX and post-production studios to investigate virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), 360-degree video, and other innovative technologies.

May and June have been an active time for Quantum’s technical workflow solutions team as we wind down from the Bio-IT World Conference in Boston and prepare for the ISC high-performance computing (HPC) show coming up later this month in Frankfurt.

More and more universities are assembling on-campus video production teams to meet rising demand for video content. From admissions offices and alumni associations to research teams and campus security, an array of departments are working with video production teams to create professional-quality media and manage content meant to promote the university, advance research, and help protect people and property.

I’ve dabbled in my fair share of do-it-yourself (DIY) projects, but I’m far from a self-proclaimed “crafty” person. I may not be crafty, but Comcast’s NBCUniversal was when it acquired Craftsy, a Denver-based how-to website for crafters. Not surprising since the crafts retail market is somewhere around the $30 to $40 billion mark. In the six years since the start of Craftsy, it has raised more than $103 million in venture capital and has become a premier meeting place for thousands of creative pros and millions of “makers.” Craftsy has produced more than 1,200 video classes on topics ranging from sewing and baking to photography and jewelry making.

Looking back three years at the 2017 NAB Show, one of the notable new technology trends was the influx of artificial intelligence (AI) applications and services. Perhaps the word “appeared” is understating what happened—IBM showed up with a 12-foot diameter, supercomputer-esque display of Watson and the AI services that it (or he?) provided. Microsoft and Quantum also devoted show space to this new AI technology. The takeaway was that there were AI engines—learning machines—brains—that were hungry for video content. Few knew what the implications were at the time.

There’s no doubt that data plays a critical role in life sciences research today. I’m referring to digital data that is stored, transmitted, and analyzed on IT hardware. New research technologies are rapidly changing the discovery process, significantly increasing the volume of digital data and reducing cycle times. These advances in research are straining today’s IT infrastructure with changes in the lab happening so fast that the infrastructure must not only meet today’s needs, but also have flexibility for an uncertain tomorrow.

I just got back from VeeamON 2017 in New Orleans. It was another great show and we had some good conversations with customers, partners (both resellers and technology partners), analysts, and other industry folks.

Quantum hit the jackpot at the ISC West 2017 conference in Las Vegas this year, coming away with two coveted security industry awards for video surveillance data storage. StorNext® data management software won top honors from the Security Industry Association (SIA) as category winner in the New Product Showcase (NPS). In addition, StorNext also received the Platinum Govies Government Security award given by Security Today magazine.

Major companies, healthcare organizations, and individuals were hit this weekend by the newest ransomware attack—WannaCry. WannaCry affected an exploit in the Windows XP operating system on PCs. Microsoft shortly sent out a fix for the security flaw, but authorities warn that many more cases may come to light in the following weeks.

Laissez les bons temps rouler! Or as we say, let the good times roll!

Today, video surveillance cameras are commonplace, and transportation agencies and businesses are benefiting from advanced technologies that are now widely available. Detailed images can be produced, with more activity captured by multi-sensor HD cameras, and facial recognition applications can also be used to identify criminal suspects. But, analytics are no longer just limited to security applications.

Self-driving cars must navigate dynamic environments under variable conditions—night and day, summer and winter. To accomplish this task, each car uses multiple devices designed to identify specific object types (i.e., pedestrians, other vehicles, road signs, painted roadway markings, etc.) at specific distances and conditions.