Comdex Spring: Serious about digital image processsing?
Published: 22 Apr 1999 06:11 BST
The suite combines a DS1100 disk array that can support eight hard drives with either a SCSI 2 or Fiber Channel interface. It includes SGI's dual motion MJ1000 JPEG card, which can process two simultaneous streams of full motion video.
The audio subsystem provides 24-bit digital audio, and each DA1000 audio card included in the system provides eight channels of ADAT optical and two channels of AES/EBU. That's a total of 10 channels of simultaneous audio. Six boards can be installed in its high-end 540 Visual Workstation.
Of course, all this will cost you. The audio cards start at $800 (£490); the motion JPEG cards at $1,700; and a four-drive, 36GB RAID array costs $6,450. You'll need a serial-component digital card (the SD1100) for $2,000, and of course either a 320 or 540 Visual Workstation to run it. (The 320 starts at $3,700.)
But if you want to process real-time media, this setup is the one to beat. Its capabilities left me drooling on the keyboard. Frankly, if you have the money, and want the fastest, most amazing NT workstation, send it all over to SGI. Your wallet will be lighter, but your bits will be the best.
Take me to the Spring Comdex special
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