More and more frequently, we are seeing an increasing need for rackmount PCs that are flight case-portable, particularly from our AV and digital media customers. Most media servers on the market today are too large and impractical to travel comfortably between different events, making transportation of the necessary kit awkward and time-consuming. We recently interviewed Lewis Kyle White (LKW) of Pixels & Noise, a well-regarded content and visual design company and G2 customer, to discover why portability is such an important aspect of their product selection and why our 2U Nano rackmount PC in particular turned out to be the “perfect solution” to their problem.
The 2U Nano in flight
LKW’s 2U Nano was custom-built to support real-time rendering software, Notch – an app that enables users to create interactive video content and is key to the services they deliver. The 2U Nano’s compact design and suitability for high-performance workloads was ideal for running Notch, and has now become LKW’s dedicated machine for this purpose, mainly used for show preproduction work. However, being such a flexible machine, it’s equally at home when used for both show rehearsals and live production, without having to hand the latter over to larger media servers.
The Notch-specific 2U Nano is transported to various shows across the country in a flight case, being small enough to easily fit on planes and trains as needed. Its 370mm ultra-short-depth chassis means that there is also plenty of room left within the case for any additional kit, or it could even conceivably be joined by a second 2U Nano within the same rack, as these are half the depth of standard media servers.
The unit has visited the Barbican, The Fast and Furious Live arena show, and on its very first outing, MTV’s Europe Music Awards, where it was the primary box on-site for Notch work for The Killers, helping to create visuals from real-time 3D scans of the band. It has also recently made an appearance at the 2018 BAFTA Film Awards, and travelled to Amsterdam for this year’s Integrated Systems Europe!
Why choose the 2U Nano?
As the height of servers was such an issue, and an important factor for Lewis Kyle White, they had searched for a long time to discover a suitable chassis before coming across G2’s 2U Nano solution. The machine itself, with no moving parts to speak of, is extremely robust and durable, and when housed within its flight case becomes even more ruggedised and secure during transit. Its mounting options are incredibly versatile, in that it can be rackmounted from the front as well as the back of the unit, which is a rarity. What LKW also found surprising was how diverse and expandable such a small unit could be, providing multiple options to interchange graphics cards and other components to further boost its performance.
With such a professional-looking, flexible machine in hand, LKW has already seen the business benefit, after only 6 months of use. They have had multiple enquires from potential customers following their purchase of the 2U Nano, if only due to its portability, which puts LKW heads and shoulders above other designers and operators using larger servers for their productions.
The value of a G2 unit
“G2 were very accommodating throughout the entire process, and went out of their way to help provide me with all of the components I needed from the 2U Nano. They considered seemingly minor elements that ended up adding real value to my experience; I was always confident that they truly knew their stuff and would be completely transparent with me.” – Lewis Kyle White, Director
If you are in need of a portable, high-performing unit such as the 2U Nano for AV and digital media shows or installations, or would like to learn more about our line-up of rack-mountable PCs, please get in touch with the G2 team.
