NAB 2013: Axle showcases media management software
April 10, 2013

NAB 2013: Axle showcases media management software

LAS VEGAS — Boston-based Axle Video (www.axlevideo.com), which offers simple to use media management software, has updated its Axle 2012 software and Axle Gear software/hardware appliance. The new software, 2012 Revision 8, offers several key workflow enhancements over preceding versions, including the ability to import and preserve a wide range of metadata generated by Adobe’s Prelude and Premiere Pro software applications. Users can enter descriptive tags as well as timeline-based comments and annotations, and have them automatically reflected when new versions of their media files are saved to the file system.

Revision 8 also offers new, high-productivity annotation workflows by supporting the assignment of text values to hot keys within Axle’s browser-based client view of the database. Mac, iPad and PC browsers can all be used to quickly and accurately place comments on the timeline, on a frame-accurate basis.

An optional XML import/export extension to the software, priced at $500, allows XML metadata from a variety of third party and legacy software systems to be brought into Axle’s SQL database, and also exported from that database. Connectors to this extension are expected from MooSystems, a specialist in Final Cut Server migration tools, and others.

Axle 2012 software is priced from $1,295 for five users, and its Gear software/hardware appliance is priced from $6,995. 

In related news, Axle is teaming up with Taiwan's QNAP, Inc., a provider of  network attached storage. The companies are showcasing two joint hardware/
software solutions for video production workgroups. The solutions are designed for use where large amounts of video footage need to be stored and accessed across a network.

A desktop solution has a starting price of$7,995, and uses QNAP's TS-879Pro Turbo NAS desktop storage system, which supports up to 32 terabytes of storage and high speed Ethernet access capability (up to 10GbE). The system uses Axle's Axle 2012, powered by Apple’s Mac mini quad core i7 system.

A rackmount solution is priced under $12,995, and combines QNAP's TS-1270U-RP business-class series Turbo NAS, with support for up to 48 terabytes and high speed Ethernet access capability (up to 10GbE), with Axle Gear, which fits in 1U of rack space right next to shared storage.