Blackmagic Design 8TB Cloud Store Mini (4 x 2TB)

Blackmagic Design Cloud Store Mini Overview

Designed for film and television productions, where large media files need to be shared between multiple users, the 8TB Cloud Store Mini from Blackmagic Design is well suited for editing, color correction, audio, and VFX work. It has a capacity of 8TB, which is made up of 4 x 2TB NVMe M.2 SSDs, which are preconfigured as RAID 0 and able to handle 12K Blackmagic raw digital cinema files. The Cloud Store Mini is also equipped with a 10GbE port and 1GbE port for network access as well as a USB-C port that features a built-in network adapter for systems that don't have an RJ45 port. An HDMI output lets you keep track of your Cloud Store Mini's status, including a storage map, speed-graphics, sync, active users, and power status.

Designed for Film and Television

The Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini is the perfect network storage solution for any use! It's great for film and television where large media files need to be shared between multiple users for editing, color correction, audio, and VFX work. It even handles massive 12K Blackmagic raw digital cinema files. Each user gets zero latency, and they don't need to store files on their local computer. It's the perfect solution for DaVinci Resolve, and Dropbox sync allows multiple disks to be synchronized in different locations globally. Then, each location gets the fastest editing experience possible, which is critical for multi-cam editing where multiple media files are playing simultaneously.

Portable and Quiet Design

The Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini features a compact rack-mount design that's very portable and whisper quiet. Internally, it has an array of 4 flash memory cards working in parallel for higher speeds. The 10G Ethernet port and the 1G Ethernet port operate as a 2-port network switch, which is great if you don't have a 10G Ethernet network, as you can connect the 10G port directly into your computer and the 1G port to your existing network. If you need to access files quickly, then the USB-C port also operates as a network port: just plug it into your computer. There is also an HDMI monitoring output so you can watch a live graphic view of the storage operating on a TV or monitor.

Flexible Power
An IEC power socket is included for connecting AC power. All international AC voltages are supported so you can use it globally. Plus, there is a separate DC power input for redundancy or battery use.

10G Ethernet
The 10G Ethernet allows high-speed computers to be connected. It's fast, even when lots of users are connected, all at the same time. It's perfect for connecting to the latest 10G Ethernet switches.

1G Ethernet
The 1G Ethernet connection is provided for slower connections, such as the Internet or slower computers. It is part of the built-in Ethernet switch and helps keep the faster 10G port free.

USB-C Connection
The USB-C port supports Ethernet for connecting it to your computer to access files. That's possible because there is a USB-C to Ethernet adapter built in. This USB-C port is also used for settings and updates.

HDMI Monitor Output
The HDMI monitor output lets you see the status of your Cloud Store Mini in real time. Simply plug in a TV or monitor and you'll be able to see a storage map, speed-graphics, active users, and power status.

Flash Memory Allows for Multiple Simultaneous Users

The Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini is available with 8TB of flash memory, so you have lots of space for your files. That's fantastic for television production, as it's small enough to be portable, but it has enough storage space for lots of video media. M.2 flash memory cards are used for extreme reliability, high access speeds, and zero seek times. Plus, the four M.2 cards are arranged in a parallel RAID 0 group so they can operate much faster than a single card. That ensures enough speed to keep up with the 10G Ethernet connection. Plus, in the future, as new larger M.2 cards are released, the flash memory cards can be replaced with new ones that helps ensure a very long life.

10G Speed - High Performance for Digital Film Files

With a separate high-speed 10G Ethernet connection, the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini is very fast. The internal memory core has been designed to saturate the 10G Ethernet port to its theoretical maximum speed, even with multiple users connected. Plus, files can be accessed with low latency, so responsiveness is fast. That's possible because of the parallel processing used by the memory core. Even at maximum speed, the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini is extremely quiet with very little noise from the cooling fan, even when editing large 12K digital raw files. Multi-cam editing is also very smooth, even if it's used with large digital film camera files.

Sync to Dropbox

Now you can set up a local cache of your Dropbox files. This makes working much faster because files are instantly available without needing to be downloaded from the internet. The Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini will constantly work to stay in sync. You can save space on your computer by moving cached Dropbox files to the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini so everyone on your network can share them. You can even sync multiple Blackmagic Cloud Store Minis via Dropbox, so people in different geographic locations can collaborate without latency because everyone has a local copy of the files that makes it a good home or offsite solution.

Add Cloud Service

Make sure your Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini is connected to the internet. Enter in your Dropbox account details so the Cloud Store Mini can gain access to allow sync.

Set Sync Folders

Next, you need to set the sync folders that tells the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini where to sync its files to the remote Dropbox. You can have multiple sync folders for different jobs.

Set Sync Direction

Now set the sync direction. One direction is good when you have local files you want to share but not enough room for everyone's files. Both directions means everyone gets the same set of files.

Distribute Files Globally

With support for Dropbox sync, you can use multiple Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini units to share files globally. That's important when working with large datasets or massive digital film and video files. These files need to be constantly accessed dozens of times a second, so most internet connections are too slow to handle it. While the internet has too much latency to access large files remotely, you can use it to sync these files. Syncing the files to local storage helps eliminate delays in accessing them that's because everyone has a local copy of the files on their network. The Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini will constantly sync files, even if your computer is turned off.

Real-Time Monitoring

Using the HDMI monitoring output, simply connect a TV or computer monitor to get a live status of the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini. The storage map shows a graphic representation of the memory core and real time read and write access happening for the connected users. There are also graphs that show you the data transfers on the Ethernet connection. The main space indicator shows you the capacity of the two USB-C disks and how much is currently being used. You can also add a custom name to the Cloud Store Mini. Also, the status for each Dropbox connection is also shown, and it's even possible to see connected users and the power status.

Usage Indicator
On the top left, you can see the storage capacity indicator. The number on the left is the space used and the number on the right is the total USB-C disk capacity connected to the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini.

Customizable Name
You can give a custom name to the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini so you can identify it on the monitor display and the utility software. To change the name, just use the Blackmagic Cloud Store utility.

Storage Map
The storage map display shows a view of the two USB-C disks. The memory is divi