Can You Reduce Storage Media Costs by 99 Percent? Absolutely!

The LTO program kicked off the 2013 worldwide tour presenting LTO-6 technology with the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) at the National Association of Broadcasters show in Las Vegas last month, where LTFS was a big topic of discussion for those managing media workflows and entertainment content.

There’s a lot of excitement about the cost savings, ease of use, convenience and peace-of-mind that LTO technology featuring LTFS provide. Media and entertainment production companies, along with other rich media big data related segments such as digital video surveillance, seismic imaging, and education, receive many benefits as a result. Read the story below for a use case of LTO tape and LTFS at work reducing storage media costs and protecting content.

TV Station Uses LTO Tape with LTFS

One broadcasting company in Greece has been taking advantage of the benefits that LTO tape and LTFS offer their organization, all while reducing data storage costs. Based in Athens, AlphaTV has been transmitting news and entertainment programming to millions of viewers throughout the country since 1996. When they were looking for a cost-effective solution to safely and reliably store their nearly two decades of programming – while also reducing their storage footprint – they turned to LTO tape and LTFS.

Before they switched over to LTO technology with the Linear Tape File System (LTFS), AlphaTV produced hours of video footage daily using VTR and single-use pro video tapes – a relatively expensive solution. Not only was the cost too high, but these single-use tapes needed to be stored for future use – taking up nearly 1,500 sq. feet of studio space. The maintenance costs for storing these tapes was also considerably high.

Reduced Costs and Content Protection

The transition to LTO technology and LTFS allowed AlphaTV to reduce their storage footprint by 74 percent, lower storage maintenance costs by 77 percent and store three times the number of television programs at just 1 percent of the media cost yielding a 99 percent savings. And with LTO tape and LTFS, when an older TV program is needed, it’s easy to locate the file and quickly transfer the footage from LTO tape using LTFS to a computer for editing. LTFS makes viewing and accessing tape files easier than ever before. With LTFS you can explore tape content with directory tree structures and drag and drop files to and from the tape.

According to Constantinos Colombus, chief technology officer, AlphaTV: “I had to do the calculations for the LTO solution twice, because I could not believe that the amount of savings could be true.”