December 2001 — Features
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Evolution of a Digital Production Studio
Planning the Studio
As part of the grant-seeking process, members of the grant committee devised a detailed plan regarding facility usage, funding and budgeting. A primary obstacle was deriving clearly defined functions of the studio in view of the overall goals and requirements of the Link-to-Learn grant. Another important planning hurdle involved environmental constraints, such as finding a suitable room and determining specifications of the studio's physical infrastructure. ECOB&IT's network administrator also had to review and approve the schematic of the physical layout of the studio for feasibility within the existing university network. With the help of a systems expert, the planning committee developed a budget. This process required several brainstorming sessions concerning equipment and personnel costs for the studio, as well as other projects unrelated to the studio.
Once the grant was awarded, the real work of putting the studio together began. Hardware and software have changed dramatically in the last eight years. According to Moore's Law, as each new chip is made, computing power rises exponentially, containing about twice as much capacity as its predecessor. In addition, each chip is released within 18-24 months (Intel Corp. 2001). The effect of Moore's Law is evident in desktop computer evolution. For example, a state-of-the-art multimedia lab in 1993 might have consisted of 486 DX PCs with 16 MB of RAM and 340 MB hard drives. By contrast, the most modest system in the current studio contains Intel Pentium III processors, 128 MB of RAM and 80 GB hard drives. Multimedia applications, such as video, sound, animation and 3-D graphics, infused with the demand for Web-based access, will continue to drive the need for faster computing speed, more RAM and larger hard drives.
Following extensive vendor research by the project director and studio staff members, it was decided that each workstation would be built component by component, rather than buying an out-of-the-box workstation. In addition to computing resources, studio planners also had to spec-out adequate furnishings, such as secured and unsecured storage cabinets, ergonomically designed computer/peripheral tables, functional computer chairs and spacious worktables. Throughout the process, the creators of the studio sought to obtain the highest quality equipment to bring the latest in multimedia application development to faculty, students and business professionals working with IUP.
The Studio's Technology
The studio has five main components that can be used for production and training in the areas of:
- LAN operation, security and management;
- Web site development and administration;
- Multimedia authoring/desktop publishing;
- Digital video/audio production and editing; and
- 3-D computer graphics rendering.
As of September 2000, the selected hardware was advanced. However, some of the components, such as microprocessors, are already outdated - a fact that illustrates the reality of Moore's Law. Windows 2000 was chosen as the operating system for all desktop workstations. The technology selected for the studio includes:
