Chulalongkorn Uni Goes New School with Sony’s Optical Disc Archive System

In 2016, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand’s oldest higher institute of learning, turned to Sony to help with its ever-growing demand for managing and storing its academic resources which covered everything from learning activities, classroom and lecture capture to audio/video capture of life in the university.

Four years on, the success of its migration to Sony’s Optical Disc Archive solutions speaks for itself.

The task of managing this enormous endeavor was entrusted to the Office of Academic Resources which was set up in 1978.

Dr. Banphot Srosri Acting Director of Multimedia Information Service Division Office of Academic Resources, Chulalongkorn University explained: “When we first started, we used mostly tape data and used a timeline method to ensure consistency. When digital become more commonplace we were faced with a new problem – how do we archive and manage the ever-increasing volume of data. We found the answer in Sony’s Optical Disc Archive solutions.”

Whether it’s an institute of learning, national broadcaster or production house, there is a long-term need to overcome archiving challenges with a flexible, affordable and intuitive platform.

Dr. Srosri and his team identified Sony’s proprietary Mediabackbone NavigatorX (NVX) as the answer to the university’s pressing needs. He said: “From the onset we knew that we needed the gold standard in content and archiving management.”

One of the NVX’s main selling points was its ability to manage high resolution data efficiently. Said Dr. Srosri: “As the university creates a huge amount of audio and video content that needed to be shared quickly between students and teachers and vice versa, it was important that our media management tool be able to handle high volumes and more importantly be easy to use.”

Dr. Srosri and his team were also impressed with the NVX’s open platform system. This meant the university could easily upload almost any file format for video, audio, graphics or documents and it provides an unprecedented level of Metadata management.

To optimize the NVX’s full potential, the university teamed it up with Sony Optical Disc Archive (ODA). Using a revolutionary disc-based storage system, the ODA is built to perform under extreme conditions, it is scalable and like the NVX also future-proof.

Ideal for smaller and medium-sized environments, the other key selling point of the NVX is its ability to improve productivity with its automated workflow – from ingest, catalogue and editing to review, approvals, distribution and archive.

Both the NVX and ODA can seamlessly integrate with the university’s existing array of Sony equipment including cameras and camcorders.

Dr. Srosri concluded: “When we started reviewing media management solutions, two words were key – affordability and expandability. Sony scored in both areas. What we also liked about the NVX and ODA was the ease of use from its implementation to daily usage. Of course, it helped that we were investing in a platform that could run for the next 100 years. We have invested in the future.”