Dot Group, leader in data strategy, engineering and transport, has implemented its DataSprint high speed file transport service for audio specialist Pip Studios. The platform makes it simple, secure and affordable for Pip to receive material from Hollywood and other major production centres, and deliver its completed work anywhere in the world.
Pip Studios is the UK’s first purpose-built immersive audio post facility. Based in Wokingham in the Thames Valley, west of London, the facility houses six Dolby Atmos and IMAX stages, as well as edit and recording suites. Its main business is in providing audio localisation services for film, television and gaming.
The data transfer challenge it faced was the need to provide high throughput while maintaining quality and security. Typically, original content was received from production companies, in Hollywood and elsewhere. For every movie, television episode or game, Pip provides localisation services including dialogue replacement and voiceovers, as well as new mixes and final quality control. The result is the creation of as many as 30 new language versions which Pip then forwards to global mastering houses for DCP Creation.
IBM Aspera was the obvious solution for data transfers, but Pip wanted a one-stop solution which provided ease of use and automation, in a service which was cost effective. DataSprint, based on IBM Aspera, was developed by Dot to offer all the functionality seamlessly packaged into an easy-to-use system, offered at a fixed price including unlimited transfers and with no limits on the number of users or workspaces.
“We built our facilities to the highest specifications, using the best industry suppliers,” said Mark Sheffield, co-founder and managing director of Pip Studios. “Dot Group fits into that ethos: they understood our requirements and supported us to quickly set up our workflows. They provided a system that provides 500 Mb/s throughput which enables us to balance our high throughput loads with the inevitable last-minute deadlines. And most important, it does it at a cost effective and predictable price.”
Simon Parkinson, managing director of Dot Group, added “The nature of the work at Pip is that they are handling massive files, in and out, and they are always under time pressure. We designed DataSprint to build on Aspera, the gold standard in data transport, but in a form which is easy for users to adopt, both technically and commercially. Business leaders like Mark Sheffield can appreciate the obvious benefits of unlimited data transfers with no additional charges ever, high levels of data security at every stage, and interfaces which are immediately simple to integrate into the workflow.”
Find out more about Dot Group’s products and services at dotgroup.co.uk and you can see Dot Group at IBC2023 in Amsterdam 15 – 18 September 2023 on stand 5.A62.
Find out more about Pip Studios here: https://pipstudios.com/virtual-tour/
