The sheer size of high-resolution video files presents challenges for video editors who aren’t equipped with the right tools to deliver adequate storage and high data transfer speeds. These professionals need access to video editing workstations that are designed to streamline editing processes and improve productivity.
Network attached storage (NAS) has become a popular choice among video editors looking for more efficient, high-performing storage to support their demanding editing workloads. Using NAS for video editing offers a number of important benefits that can help individual video editors—as well as larger editing teams—elevate their own performance while future-proofing their workstations against future gains in video resolution.
What are NAS systems?
A NAS system is a centralized storage solution that connects to a network, allowing multiple users and devices to store, access, and share data. Unlike traditional hard drives, NAS systems are equipped with NAS hard drives, and they’re designed to handle large amounts of data, enabling easy file sharing across a network. NAS is ideal for businesses and homes that need secure, scalable storage. With advanced features like data redundancy and remote access, NAS keeps your data accessible, protected, and easy to manage from anywhere.
Why are NAS systems used by video editors?
Network-attached storage offers many benefits when integrated into video editing bays or other professional workstations used by video editors. The top reasons video editors seek out NAS systems include:
- Improved data protection through a RAID configuration. When NAS systems are configured as a RAID 1 or higher, they provide a significant upgrade in data protection for all your video editing projects.
- Highly scalable storage. NAS systems can be easily scaled to accommodate growing storage needs, giving you flexibility to increase your maximum storage capacity over time. This storage expansion is also much more cost-effective than other alternatives available to video editors.
- Lightning-fast connectivity to support efficient data transfers. Moving large video files can be time-consuming if you don’t have fast connectivity options. NAS systems can be equipped with high-speed connectivity, including compatibility with Thunderbolt cables, to offer best-in-class data transfer speeds.
- Compatible with popular video editing software. NAS systems work well with non-linear editing software commonly used by video editors, including Adobe® Premiere and Apple® Final Cut Pro.
- Permissions-based control over shared folders and files. Since video editing projects typically involve multiple users, NAS systems offer a crucial benefit of enabling permissions-based access to support collaboration while maintaining security for those projects.
Key trends in NAS for video editing.
Between new technological capabilities and the evolving needs of today’s video editors, emerging trends are shaping the role of NAS for video editing purposes. Those trends include:
Rising demand for expanded, scalable data storage.
As video resolutions have advanced from 1080p to 4K and even 8K, the file sizes of these videos have increased exponentially. The 8K resolution, now supported by several high-definition TVs and digital screens available to consumers, features 16 times the number of pixels as 1080p, and four times the pixels of 4K.
As pixel count increases, so does the space required to store these video files. One hour of 1080p video consumes up to 8GB of storage, but a 4K video may require up to 30GB of available storage. By comparison, one hour of 8K video could require anywhere between 60GB and 200GB of storage—which means video editors working with 4K and 8K video will need to dramatically increase the available storage in their NAS system.
Also, it’s worth mentioning that as storage needs rise with higher video resolutions, the role of AI-driven video editing tools is becoming increasingly significant. Video editors are now leveraging AI applications that assist in automated editing, intelligent tagging, and real-time effect enhancements to complete complex projects more efficiently. These AI-powered tools analyze footage, apply edits, and generate effects that save hours of manual work, allowing editors to focus more on creative decisions.
That said, these innovations require large volumes of accessible data storage, as AI tools often work with multiple high-resolution files simultaneously, demanding fast, scalable, and reliable storage solutions like NAS systems. Expanding NAS storage not only supports the increased file sizes of 4K and 8K content, but also promotes the seamless integration of AI in video editing workflows, ultimately driving efficiency and creativity.
An ongoing shift toward collaborative workflows.
As more video editing and post-production processes are handled via remote collaboration, editors have an increasing need for tools that support remote collaboration on video projects.
A NAS system facilitates efficient remote collaboration by allowing multiple users to access video files simultaneously, while also managing access, so only authorized parties are accessing specific video files and folders. As long as video editing teams are collaborating on projects remotely, NAS systems will be a valuable and effective piece of infrastructure to support that work.
An emphasis on speed.
Remote, collaborative video editing projects also create a greater urgency around the need for high-speed connectivity that can support faster file transfers and maximize productivity in remote environments.
High-speed wired connections—such as 10GBe and Thunderbolt cables—give video editors fast file transfer capabilities when moving large files to and from desktop devices to NAS storage. This facilitates faster sharing and collaboration, achieving new workflow efficiencies in a video production environment.
Ongoing concerns around data security.
With global cyber crime surging in recent years, businesses must prioritize robust data protection solutions and practices to mitigate potential data loss and its related costs. Data storage solutions must be equipped with built-in security features that minimize the organization’s exposure to a successful cyber attack.
NAS systems offer several benefits in that regard. In addition to the protection against data loss that comes with setting up a NAS as a RAID configuration, individual drives in your network-attached storage can be equipped with built-in health monitoring and other security features to protect your data in the event of an attack.
Some NAS drives, including Seagate IronWolf® and IronWolf Pro drives, also offer data recovery services to support your recovery efforts after data has become corrupted or lost.
NAS solutions for evolving storage needs.
Seagate offers a wide range of NAS solutions to support video editing workloads on any scale. Whether you’re upgrading storage for an in-home studio, scaling up storage for enterprise-level video production or anything in between, Seagate NAS drives are built for long-term performance, efficiency, and value.
Seagate IronWolf
Seagate IronWolf hard drives are designed for everything NAS. Invest in tough, dependable, and scalable 24×7 performance that can handle multi-bay NAS environments across a wide range of capacities.
Every IronWolf drive comes with IronWolf Health Management, annual workload limits of up to 180TB/year, and a three-year limited warranty.
Seagate IronWolf Pro
Build a storage infrastructure of unrivaled performance and unlimited scale. Seagate IronWolf Pro hard drives are engineered to deliver 24×7 performance, reliability, and dependability in multi-bay, multi-user commercial and enterprise RAID storage solutions.
IronWolf Pro drives come with complimentary IronWolf Health Management services, an annual workload rating of 550TB/year, and a five-year limited warranty.
Enterprise solutions.
Seagate offers a number of enterprise-grade storage solutions that cater to large-scale video production environments. Along with IronWolf and IronWolf Pro drives, Seagate Exos® X Series drives can be implemented in a NAS array to deliver enhanced scalability and reliability for your enterprise storage environment.
Performance factors to consider for NAS in video editing.
As you consider which drives to integrate into your NAS storage array, make sure you’re building a NAS system that is aligned with both your short- and long-term storage needs.
The performance capabilities of this NAS array will have a direct impact on day-to-day video editing activities. Here are the most important performance factors to consider:
- Storage capacity. How much space do video editors need for individual projects? How many video projects are ongoing at a single time? Consider also whether you envision an increase in higher resolution video projects, such as a transition from 4K to 8K—which will significantly increase your storage requirements.
- Transfer speed. Fast read/write speeds are critical for video editors, especially when editing directly from the NAS. Connectivity options such as 10GbE and Thunderbolt will give you high-speed options for cable connectivity, while built-in capabilities such as NVMe caching can help optimize drive input/output performance for faster performance.
- Network bandwidth. Make sure your network infrastructure can handle the high-speed workloads enabled by your NAS array. If the network infrastructure can’t support high-speed file transfers and other activity on the volume your business is anticipating, you won’t be able to take advantage of the speed efficiencies of your NAS array.
- RAID levels. NAS systems using a RAID configuration must balance their desire for data redundancy with their desire for faster operating speeds. While a RAID 0 configuration, for example, offers the highest-speed performance, this speed is made possible by the lack of any data redundancy.
RAID 1, by contrast, offers a minimal amount of redundancy while maximizing speed. RAID 5 and RAID 6 levels may be preferred by some video editors seeking more robust data redundancy, but the processing speeds of these configurations are slower, impacting day-to-day operations.
- Compatibility. Always confirm that the NAS array you’re creating is compatible with the video editing software you’ll be using. Verify that Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve—or any other preferred editing software—can work with your NAS system.
Optimizing video editing workflows with Seagate.
With Seagate NAS solutions powering your workflows, video editors can enjoy the efficiency, dependability, and peace of mind that comes with this adaptive, fit-for-purpose storage infrastructure.
Here’s how the features and capabilities of a NAS array can create new efficiencies in your video editing workflows—resulting in greater productivity and a higher return on your data storage investment:
Performance metrics.
NAS systems built with Seagate IronWolf and IronWolf Pro drives are able to achieve superior data transfer rates and low latency that are crucial for modern video editing tasks. This fast, efficient performance also makes it easier for multiple remote users to collaborate on video editing projects, further accelerating editing workflows.
One example of the performance impact of NAS systems comes from G6 Motion Control, a UK-based production company specializing in video production that utilizes high-tech motion capture technologies. Before implementing a NAS array, the company found itself storing assets from a single project across multiple storage locations due to the large size of its high-resolution video content.
The limitations of this storage setup were compounded by the inability for multiple users to access the same drive for collaborative work. By implementing an eight-bay NAS array featuring eight Seagate IronWolf drives and other supporting technologies, the production company was able to centralize its video files in a single location accessible to multiple users—resulting in faster, more efficient editing and production for its collaborative teams.
Scalability options.
Seagate NAS storage solutions are designed to grow with your business, accommodating increasing data volumes without sacrificing performance. IronWolf drives are compatible with NAS servers featuring up to eight storage bays, while IronWolf Pro drives are compatible with an unlimited number of bays, providing unlimited scale potential as you expand your NAS server over time.
Integration with editing software.
Efficient video editing workflows depend on the ability to edit files directly from their storage location. This requires a NAS infrastructure that is compatible with your organization’s editing software of choice.
Seagate NAS drives are compatible with popular video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro, eliminating concerns about compatibility with these platforms. IronWolf and IronWolf Pro drives also offer user-friendly storage management tools that help you simplify project organization.
Future-proofing your creative team with Seagate.
Seagate’s line of innovative storage solutions gives production companies and creative leaders the infrastructure they need to address critical challenges to their video editing workflows.
By prioritizing the unique features and capabilities of Seagate NAS solutions—including their ability to increase storage capacity, workflow performance, and collaboration among video production teams—creative leaders can effectively future-proof their editing workflows while harnessing key trends and opportunities in emerging video editing storage.
Build a video editing infrastructure that is agile and responsive to changing project demands—while still maintaining high data integrity and security for your assets.
