Marvin


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			MARVIN - secure data asset management from the Set to Post

MARVIN is an innovative combination of tried and tested technology controlled with extremely well considered software, configured to make life on set much easier and less traumatic. Data management is a big issue - how to handle the Terabytes of data generated on a shoot in a simple and secure manner? Marvin is one answer. With features and workflow originally specified by RED owner and film maker, Maarten Treurniet, Marvin evolved from a real life demand for a data management solution born out of frustration with the existing methodologies - a multi million dollar shoot held hostage to a laptop, a couple of firewire cables and external, mechanically fragile, hard drives! Please!!! Keep your fingers crossed no longer!

Designed initially for processing r3d files generated by RED cameras, at BVE London in February 2011 we demonstrated Marvin’s functionality to ingest and process Arri Alexa ProRes footage directly off camera from SxS cards (many thanks to the Arri booth personnel for their support), plus native processing of footage from SI2K, Phantom HD and RED. This was an opportunity to beta test the “multicam” software, which performed with flying colours. Expect the full release of multicam during March 2011.

What does MARVIN do?

Using Marvin couldn’t be simpler! Initially, you create a project and define a few parameters (this takes about 10 minutes) and then you start shooting. Once a data card or RED drive is full, you connect it to Marvin, and the data automatically starts to download onto the internal raid as clips, with all time code and meta data.

Marvin makes a full checksum of all the data to ensure an exact copy. As the first “reel” finishes loading, Marvin now starts to automatically back the data up to LTO drives with full data verification to the same standards as international finance institutions (2 x LTO3, optionally 2 x LTO4). The complete database is also saved to a separate internal USB key, so if the unthinkable happens and Marvin gets damaged, the entire project can be rebuilt on another Marvin using the USB key and a set of the back-up LTO tapes - giving an extra level of security not available from any other solution.

During the shoot, Marvin creates up to 4 thumbnails of each take. Connect it to a network and these can be browsed - from any day, via any connected pc with a Firefox browser installed -

and the rendered Quicktimes played back ... perfect for instant review, continuity, make up, client approval, etc.

It creates DNxHD proxies for offline editing. The resultant Edit Decision List (EDL) can be used in conjunction with the free “Marvin in Post” software for simplified data ingest at the subsequent post production stage. Here, the EDL is read and the software performs a selective restore (auto-conform) from the LTO tapes created by Marvin on Set.

Finally, Marvin also creates a “dailies” DVD in PAL or NTSC format and a reduced h.264 stream for upload to iPhone or streaming over the internet.
Note that since the data saved to the hard drives has been faithfully copied to at least one LTO cassette, the Marvin workflow allows this tape to be considered as a “master” for ingest in post production – read it, just once, to a SAN, and then archive it. Simple, and secure!

For more information, browse over to the Marvin website at www.marvintech.com or contact Russell at this dedicated Marvin e-mail address

Marvin is a 4U rack mount pc based system under the control of a web based GUI system. It offers 6TB (optionally 12TB) of raid 5 storage, two LTO3 tape drives (option for LTO4) and interfaces for e-sata, USB, firewire 400/800 and CF or SxS cards. (Specifications subject to change as it develops, but it will only get better!!)


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