NAB 2019 Reflections: Object Matrix's Jonathan Morgan on the Power of Object-Based Storage for M&E Storage pioneer launches Sense analytics, monitoring, and stats tool By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor
Friday, April 19, 2019 - 11:39 am
Print This Story
Story Highlights
One of the big buzz items at NAB 2019 was the increasing use of object-based storage by M&E organizations. Although the migration from file-based to object-based storage has been a major trend in other industries for years, broadcasters have yet to jump on the bandwagon in a big way. However, that appears to be gradually changing, and Object Matrix is waiting with open arms.
The organization helped to pioneer media-focused object storage and hybrid cloud solutions, including its flagship product, MatrixStore. At NAB 2019, Object Matrix launched an analytics, monitoring and statistics tool dubbed Sense. As broadcasters' storage infrastructure extends into the cloud and multiple sites, Sense enables collection of real-time statistics of storage-infrastructure use, real-time monitoring of hardware and analytics of both usage and the types of information being stored.
SVG sat down with Object Matrix CEO Jonathan Morgan to discuss the new Sense tool, how he sees the migration to object storage accelerating in M&E, and how object storage enables organization's move to the cloud.
Object Matrix's Jonathan Morgan: Object storage is particularly relevant in the sports arena. These organizations want to be able to monetize their archive.
Can you tell me a bit about the new Sense tool and how it helps media-organizations looking to migrate to object storage?
We're seeing more and more people migrating from LTO into object-based-storage solutions. That could be because you want to migrate everything on-prem, or you may want to have a hybrid cloud workflow for your storage. We provide not only the safe, scalable place to keep all of the data but also the HSM piece that can allow you to migrate to object-based storage so you can manage the data from a single place. We can provide that single-pane-of-glass interface with our object storage.
We also provide analytics around the data, which is what we're [highlighting at NAB 2019]. With [Sense]: you're not just controlling where data is; you also have a view of the analytics around that to monitor long after you have stored it and make sure it is being [stored] on the most cost-appropriate platform. We can offer migration to a proven, scalable object-storage platform with a single pane of glass and all the analytics and monitoring around it that you will need.
What are the primary advantages of shifting from file-based to object-based storage for media organizations?
If it's content you're never going to use, it likely belongs on tape or [Amazon S3] Glacier. But if you're going to use it, we believe our [object-storage platform] offers a lot of extra value.
You want to be able to extract value out of that data in various different ways in order to monetize it. You want to be able to do things like image recognition and enhanced content discovery. In order to do that, you need to get that [content] onto a platform where you can access it quickly and reliably, and that is not tape.
Or, if you're going to push everything down to a Glacier [deep-archive] layer and train the database with all the images of a famous sports player, you can do that, but it will be a very expensive exercise to be able to analyze that data.
Being able to put your active [media] on an appropriate layer of storage, that's where Object Matrix fits in.
Do you believe the M&E industry - and sports organizations specifically - is finally opening up to the concept of using object-based storage on a larger scale?
Yes, absolutely. We've been selling object storage for 16 years. And we've been coming to the desert [for NAB Shows] for several years. But, [in the past], it truly felt like we were in the desert in terms of the messaging. Nobody knew what object storage was or was asking, Why do we need this instead of a file-based system? But now people are really beginning to understand its value. We've signed up three different sports organizations in just the last couple of weeks, which is great.
I think object storage is particularly relevant in the sports arena. These organizations want to be able to monetize their archive. Until now, that archive has always been a large cost that has been difficult to dig the benefit out of. The reality is, you need to make money off of that content to maximize what you've got. It's truly a gold mine; it can't just be a cost [center].
How does migrating to object storage help media organizations create an on-ramp to the cloud and create hybrid cloud/on-premises environments?
One of the main selling points about an object-storage platform is that the object is transportable. You can move an object with the metadata through different platforms, backwards and forwards. And you will still have that object in five years' time without relying on whatever the file-system structure was to store that file all those years ago. You can build metadata around that object and augment the metadata over time, rather than just the metadata when you capture it, and then you keep all that metadata together with the object.
You want to [store] that object in a non-proprietary way as part of a seamless workflow. And that's what we're helping to achieve for the customer. We're allowing that transportability of the data through many different use cases with all or some of the metadata [attached].
How do you see the media landscape changing as a result of object storage?
I think the days of having a digital-asset manager with a proprietary database are becoming a thing of the past because now you have
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
14/11/2026
Newest Lenses, Horizon Anamorphic Seminar & Guided Lens Character Experience Highlight Creative Possibilities
At the 2026 Toru CAMERIMAGE Film Festival, ZEISS...
14/11/2026
Sonnet Announces Black Friday Sale on Select Products
Brie Clayton November 14, 2026
0 Comments
WHAT: Sonnet Technologies is having a sale on a select...
14/11/2026
Berklee Alumni Shine at the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards This year's winners included songwriters, engineers, and performers who contributed to acclaimed reco...
13/11/2026
The UIM E1 Series wraps its third season this week with the Bombay Sapphire E1 Miami GP, Nov. 11-14, on Biscayne Bay at the Miami Seaplane Base on Watson Island...
13/11/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
13/11/2026
Singer-songwriter Benson Boone will headline entertainment for the Discover NHL Winter Classic between the Utah Mammoth and Colorado Avalanche at Rice-Eccles St...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design has announced the Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone, a 7th order ambisonic microphone array that captures spatial audio for immersive video prod...
13/11/2026
SMPTE has announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infrastructure and communications technology for the Solutions Hub at t...
13/11/2026
The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) has announced the theme and program focus for the 2027 HPA Tech Retreat, which takes place Feb. 14-18, 2027, in La ...
13/11/2026
Football Manager 27 Touch is available on Apple Arcade starting today. The game ...
13/11/2026
MotoGP has announced a two-year media rights agreement with ESPN covering the Un...
13/11/2026
Apple Sports, the free iPhone app, has added the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to its lineup of supported sports, in time for Saturday's UFC 334. The...
13/11/2026
The NBA and Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and entertainme...
13/11/2026
ESPN held its annual EDGE Innovation Conference last night and offered up an ove...
13/11/2026
Regional sports network gives Ithaca College, SUNY Cortland students a platform to thrive
One of the biggest games in Division III college football will be pla...
13/11/2026
Studer-inspired 500-series PWM compressor unveiled
The HLabs range already includes a couple of Studer-inspired offerings in the form of the PRE169 and EQ16...
13/11/2026
Download Now!
To view the white paper, please enter the following details:
--
First Name* First Name
Company*
Country* Please select your countryA...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Blue Lucy, the workflow orchestration and integration platform for broadcasters, rights owners and localisation companies, today announced an integration with c...
13/11/2026
Krotos announces Black Friday offers on Studio Pro and Studio Max
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
First-year annual plans start at US$195.99...
13/11/2026
Blackmagic Design Announces Blackmagic Ambisonic Microphone
Brie Clayton November 12, 2026
0 Comments
New 7th order ambisonic microphone with 108 MEMS...
13/11/2026
Meet the Berklee Student Setting Planetary Motion to Music With his compositional platform SoniKosmos, Javier Roqueni aims to make the universe the ultimate i...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , er...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Share
{alert(Link copied)}).catch(err => {console.error(Failed to copy: , err)}) data-platform=copy_link data-action= class=font-ui-heading py-2 text-sm tex...
13/11/2026
Amagi, the media industry cloud company, today announced a partnership with Golden Times Media Technology (stock code 920021.BJ), a Beijing-based media and tech...
13/11/2026
CGI (TSX: GIB.A) (NYSE: GIB), one of the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world, together with its Malaysian partner, Cedar ...
13/11/2026
SMPTE, the home for media professionals, technologists and engineers, today announced that The Studio B&H and Riedel Communications will provide the video infra...
13/11/2026
iWedia, a global leader in connected TV software solutions, will present its software-first approach to DRAM optimization at Android TV APAC Summit 2026 in Bang...
13/11/2026
Beginning today, November 13, Apple HomeView is available for purchase at Apple Store locations, on the Apple Store online, and in the Apple Store app in select...
13/11/2026
From pediatric research to smart hospitals, AI is helping care teams spend less time on routine tasks and more time with patients.
Health systems and startups...
12/11/2026
Industry leaders examine how Dynamic Media Facility, Media eXchange Layer, and c...
12/11/2026
The junior Tar Heel is embracing the technical and creative challenges of live production while emerging as a leader and mentor in the control room...
12/11/2026
Gracenote, Nielsen's content intelligence business, has released its fifth a...
12/11/2026
RTL Deutschland will bring the NHL to free-to-air TV in Germany starting Nov. 30...
12/11/2026
Clear-Com supported On Air 2026, a 24-hour student-led broadcast connecting 45 u...
12/11/2026
uniqFEED has opened a Remote Operations Center (ROC) in Madrid, Spain. It is already operational, delivering virtual advertising for LaLiga matches. The ROC is ...
NAB 2019 Reflections: Object Matrix's Jonathan Morgan on the Power of Object-Based Storage for M&E Storage pioneer launches Sense analytics, monitoring, and stats tool By Jason Dachman, Chief Editor 
