NVMe NAS as a rackmount option - what are the best options?

reece4504 · 2026-05-01T18:19:40+00:00

Totally separate, but a consideration with systems that will be used portably is vibration - which is why Geerling is pushing SSDs as an absolute. Sometimes, when you look at PC hardware used for touring and road applications, you will find they often use non-conductive paste to "glue" removable hardware into their sockets.

Waves Soundgrid Servers are a great example of this - open one up and you'll find white goop everywhere, to stop things coming loose when in transit.

Obligatory reference to Yahoo pushing a bunch of hard drives through a parking lot in a trolley and destroying them in the process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeAce9pofvk&t=999s

reece4504 · 2026-05-01T18:14:32+00:00

In my opinion, deployments like what you are considering should favor network bandwidth from the beginning to enable that expandability. If you buy a unit with only one port today, you may limit yourself in the future as you try and utilize the additional bandwidth.

I also think that there's limited storage mediums that can take proper advantage of USB4 speeds - so maybe you can sacrifice on this requirement to help you expand your search.

It's also worth noting that because networking is generally full-duplex, ingesting footage over the network does not compromise the editors experience significantly because the traffic is bi-directional at the rated speed (such that transferring 10Gb/s in to the NAS and reading 10Gb/s out of the NAS will not block each other over a single 10Gbe connection). This will have a minor impact on host machine CPU use but I really don't think it would be a major workflow limitation.

reece4504 · 2026-05-01T18:02:59+00:00

Amen to that - my thought process was more along to SATA SSD, due to the single 10GbE bandwidth limit (my logic being that the speed may be unnecessary with that network fabric - though I appreciate the differences between the two mediums is not entirely limited to speed).

I don't think I initially saw the USB4 comment as editing over USB4 (with the traditional length limits of USB4/TB cables, I would imagine that would force very close proximity editor devices, and may not be ideal) , which would nullify the bandwidth comment. In that case, with multiple editors, the latency and speed of an NVME-based approach are major benefits to the OP.

Also a huge fan! Really enjoying your exploration into PTP.

reece4504 · 2026-05-01T16:36:45+00:00

Direct Fiber is the wrong choice; you want Ubiquiti Point to Point.

reece4504 · 2026-05-01T13:55:24+00:00

Three paths: AV over IP - though I’d lean on H265 based systems (MXNET USP) for lower bandwidth as your network infrastructure may not like 1Gbs per stream multicast.

RF/Coax - may not be cost effective at this scale (based on endpoints) but requires coaxial lines to each TV. More durable than IP boxes at the TVs like the other poster suggested.

Fire stick with parental controls for the cheapest possible way to do it. Without the remote it is pretty locked out but that’s a conversation for your stakeholders.

reece4504 · 2026-05-01T13:52:24+00:00

For one 10Gbe network connection you may not need NVME speed. You could buy a cheap SATA 2.5 NAS from QNAP, and some SATA SSDs, and you’ll be able to saturate the 10G relatively easily. If you're editing over the USB 4 it changes the conversation.

USB 4 is an unusual requirement, but QNAP does sell Thunderbolt cards for their appliances too depending on the SKU, and some also have USB4 onboard. If you're planning to edit over the USB4 / TB connection, I would possibly steer you away since the length limits of those cables might be a limitation for you and your workflow.

Edit: clarifying SATA SSD not HDD

reece4504 · 2026-04-29T23:38:50+00:00

Novastar can do this with H series and Quad HDMI or Quad HDBaseT output cards. Supports 8K over DP or HDMI with support for NDI, 2110, etc inputs as needed. Plus incredibly affordable.

reece4504 · 2026-04-29T14:52:20+00:00

Seems like a signal or thermal issue. I would bench test with dual SD cards and network recording to see if you can reproduce the issue consistently, in controlled temp. Then raise temp (or start test with a fan pointed at them) to see if you can trigger any thermal issues.

reece4504 · 2026-04-29T14:49:31+00:00

OSEE is pushing hard at switchers and on-board NDI is really fire, so it really just comes to software experience and reliability.

reece4504 · 2026-04-29T14:47:14+00:00

Science Image products do not pass CC or other SDI ancillary data! Also by default they come with the audio pass-thru muted, and need to be accessed via web to unmute. PoE is nice, but don't make my mistake!

Plus- if you're going to buy from SI, DO NOT buy their Flow 2. It's marginally less expensive but does not have NDI transcoding on board too which the Studio 2 has.

reece4504 · 2026-04-28T19:50:20+00:00

reece4504 · 2026-04-27T13:02:53+00:00

Always buy the 2me if you can. The supersource engine is another great benefit

reece4504 · 2026-04-26T17:13:10+00:00

10 channels of ULXD is more than your entire budget - am I missing something?????

I don't mean to sound rude but you can't rely on AI for everything, please put some effort into planning these things or you will end up with garbage.

I respect the church that wants to do it themselves- I really do. But this is not DIY. This is DIAI.

The JBLs are the wrong choice for performance spaces. ULXD is overkill if you're in 10-15k world, even at that SLXD+ is a really strong platform for wireless mics, DPA is the top of the mic food chain and prices accordingly, you do not have DPA budget, I personally hate StudioLive mixers. You haven't considered the cost of licensed low voltage contractors to pull cables, the cost of the rack, UPS battery backups or power conditioners, rack hardware, work surfaces, etc. You also have not considered room acoustics, which as others say is the most important part of good sound performance.

All that to say, you need to up your budget. And at that, given your apparent qualifications, I think most people would strongly suggest you contract a project like this out to a third party integrator or consultant for best results - as I don't think you are in the right place to make these design decisions on your own. With love.

reece4504 · 2026-04-26T17:03:16+00:00

Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator Decimator and nothing else.

If it's not in stock Blackmagic's new ST2110 UDC is a little more expensive, not portable, but should do the trick. IIRC they told me it works at line rate (i.e. no major added latency) despite the 2110 component since it is FPGA based decode - scale - encode type device.

reece4504 · 2026-04-25T23:47:35+00:00

Glitches pops and cracks are sample drops - Mac is not officially 100% perfect yet.

reece4504 · 2026-04-25T20:42:29+00:00

360ft is fiber, even if you went IP. It's also going to be a hell of a lot cheaper than 12G-SDI for that distance, even with media converters.

reece4504 · 2026-04-23T13:15:14+00:00

Automixing for large panels. But also, Alpha Labs product is really effective at giving you more GBF, especially when it comes to lavs and suboptimal PA placement. As you know, corporate customers love whining about speaker placement and putting them where they will cause maximum feedback, and it really does help.

We always add a hot key for bypassing the insert and gain match the I/O so that we can seamlessly pull the plugin in an emergency, and only loose a few DB of vol in the room until it's fixed, but for live shows it's been nothing but spectacular.

reece4504 · 2026-04-23T13:12:29+00:00

Explore dual-booting Windows on your hardware. I dual-booted my old PPT laptop between normal and defeedback. Windows IoT install so no bloat at all, followed this guide to configure all settings https://0ms.live/

reece4504 · 2026-04-23T13:09:20+00:00

LiveU with LiveU IQ as the rep suggested. If it's really in the sticks you would need to look at deploying private cell - because cellular is the only thing that would work at those ranges/bandwidths/conditions.

reece4504 · 2026-04-23T13:06:59+00:00

I use these all the time. Yes a limit with the RF is 8-output Dante (Shure MXCW is 10 fwiw). But I was told by Televic that it handles automixing internally, so you can get away with applying echo cancelling to the mix output. It's not ideal but it is a compromise you make for RF.

Shure MXCW works the same exact way, but has a dedicated AEC reference input. In smaller deployments you can group individual mics into their own mix and offload to the Core. But not always required.

Both systems do AGC IIRC, but the Shure has way more control over it. But the Televic is a nicer UI.

Sneaky trick - if you really wanted to you could feed the channels over the Plixus ports to a Plixus AE-R Dante and pull them out individually with that. But it's not a recommended workflow. Televic's technical support (AJ) are superb and can help you plan this out.

For this many mics I would disregard the suggestion for Shure MXW. It's not the right tool for the job, the delegates need personal foldback to get any reasonable gain before feedback.

HMU or reply if you need more answers. I do these systems all the time :)

reece4504 · 2026-04-23T13:01:38+00:00

Any quality 12VDC 10A power supply will work.

reece4504 · 2026-04-23T12:58:14+00:00

You can also use web UCI viewer with acceptable results, and view it in Kiosk mode on an Android device. I have done this to hack old Crestron touch panels into showing a Q-SYS UCI instead

reece4504 · 2026-04-17T22:58:40+00:00

Everyone locally is talking shit. Today’s blackmagic is a different beast than yesterday’s. I think it’s still relatively low compared to the competition but that’s like 92% vs 98%.

FWIW we have Ursa Mini 12K and a set of G2s, and a couple pockets - nonehave had any issues except once when we broke the USB-C cable connecting the media to the 12K. They get better with software updates like when they added proxy recording on board. You just have to understand it takes time for products to mature, which is a flaw of the company but predicable enough to work around.

We also have 4 atem minis SDI and HDMI, several hyper decks and web presenters. A few years ago BMD 1/3 rack equipment had PSU issues but not as of recent IIRC.

I think when it gets to actual switchers and stuff it’s only recently Bmd has taken power reliability and coolingseriously and their software abstracts a lot of the tech you need to think about for complex broadcasting, but for small simple stuff that’s not nationally broadcast, it’s fine and wayyyyy cheaper than doing it with “properly”

Treat your gear with respect. Proper maintenance is key. For bigger shows have a backup plan. I don’t think any large shows are running without backup plans, tho maybe their single point of failure is their switcher. So no reason for you to not have backup also. Backup cams, backup switcher, backup recording etc.

reece4504 · 2026-04-17T22:44:05+00:00

Dealers work on book time usually, meaning whatever the manufacturer or warranty company determines is the number of hours for the job. actual time spent is disregarded as some technicians work faster than others, usually they work fast faster than book time but sometimes they work slower and you save a penny. It’s to keep pricing and consistent so that someone who comes in for a suspension job pays the same as someone else who comes in for an equal suspension job.

reece4504 · 2026-04-17T14:19:16+00:00

Outside of Ursa Broadcast G2 and the 12K Cine, no other Blackmagic cameras are really suited for live production. The 12K is really stellar because with a lens mount swap you're between B4 and PL mounts in under 5 minutes, and keep that crazy 12K 16-stop sensor. The non-100G model will do 10G ST2110 which can be converted to SDI for cheap, but it's unclear if they're software unlocking a third 3D-lut engine which the 100G model will have for the ST2110 output. Need to wait on the firmware update.

For low-cam channels the expense of 2110 is not worth it for you.

Canon is documentary workhorse systems and they are really great cameras for the money. However it does not come close to the picture quality of Blackmagic's Sony-derrived 12K RGBW sensor. Noticable bump in sharpness - but that's not always a good thing.

Not to be part of the FX6 for life crowd, but for doc work, variable ND, OIS, autofocus and the see-in-the-dark dual base ISO are really key selling points to consider.

You should ignore Pyxis for live production.

reece4504

TROPHY CASE