Media Distributors Editing Package the Big Kahuna at IronMan Triathlon

A new on-location postproduction system made its debut during the three-day production of the 2008 Ironman Triathlon in Kailua-Kona, HI, that will air this weekend on NBC. The system, called the Remote Station and available from Media Distributors, is based around Apple Final Cut Studio 2.

“The Remote Station was flawless,” says Brandon Yates, of Yates & Parks Consulting, who was in charge of on-site editing equipment. “We literally opened up the case and started setup.”

The system includes a Panasonic SD/HD video monitor, Genelec reference speakers, Mackie audio mixer, and Mac Pro computers (it fits in two Anvil-style road cases with a lid that can be a folding table for the system).

The IronMan setup used high-speed Storage Area Network (SAN) on fiber with 4-Gbps connectivity to connect four editing systems.

“We shot a great deal of footage prior to the actual triathlon, and we could organize our assets quickly without the stress before the real crunch time,” adds Yates. Nineteen cameras were used to acquire material.

Steve Klein, CEO, Media Distributors, says the system can be customized all the way up to 4:4:4 HD and even 4K work.