Blackmagic Cloud and Cloud Store Explained – NAB 2022 Interview

April 25^th, 20228

by Olaf von VossApril 25^th, 2022

We had the opportunity to chat with Blackmagic Design during NAB 2022 about their extensive cloud updates. Not only is DaVinci Resolve 18 (Beta) now cloud compatible, but the company has also released a number of new software and hardware products to streamline the entire process. Namely, the Blackmagic Cloud and a new line of Cloud Store devices.

Less than a week ago, we learned about Blackmagic Design’s new products when Grant Petty gave a 90-minute presentation introducing the new Blackmagic Cloud, DaVinci Resolve 18, and the new Cloud Store devices. In case you missed it, you can read up on it here (DaVinci Resolve 18) and here (Cloud Store).

Fast-forward to NAB 2022’s show floor, we had the chance to talk to Blackmagic Design about these exciting updates.

DaVinci Resolve 18 Beta – Cloud updates

In order to make use of the new cloud-based workflow, you’ll need the latest version of DaVinci Resolve which has just been issued in its first public beta. The 18th release of DaVinci Resolve includes the ability to log into the so-called Blackmagic Cloud and store project files there instead of keeping them on your local (or networked) disk.

Color Page — Image credit: Blackmagic Design

The Blackmagic Cloud, even though that’s what it’s called, is not the subscription hell you’d expect at first glance. Pricing is pretty straightforward:

Only the host pays a fee, any other co-workers don’t
the cost is $5/library per month
when removing or exporting any given library from the cloud, the cost drops to zero dollars until you upload another one

The Blackmagic Cloud serves two purposes: 1) to share projects around the world and work on them simultaneously, wherever you are, and 2) to review edits or grades in real-time with all the collaborators needed for that purpose. Again, the pricing for this Presentation mode is quite simple, though not yet fixed: Only the host pays a certain amount, and all connected peers do not.

DaVinci Resolve 18 — Image credit: Blackmagic Design

To distribute footage globally via internet, Blackmagic Design has also released a new software called Proxy Generator, which streamlines the process of proxy generation on the fly. This and the all-new proxy handling in DaVinci Resolve are essential for smooth online collaboration.

Once the proxies are created, they can be shared over the internet more easily than regular camera media. Once the high-quality footage is available (via VPN, Dropbox, or other services), swapping the proxies for the camera originals is just one click away.

By the way, if you want to dig deeper into DaVinci Resolve 18, you can read the complete 3,981-page (sic!) manual that was just published.

Blackmagic Cloud Store

On the hardware side, Blackmagic Design has released three new Cloud Store models, each with a slightly different feature set to meet different needs, but all serving the same purpose: storing media files in one place and distributing them across the network (or internet) at high speed.

The Cloud Store is available in either 20TB, 80TB, or a whopping 320TB capacity. It shares the same enclosure as the (now legacy) Blackmagic eGPU. All three models sport 4 10GBit/s Ethernet ports for distributing media to lots of desktop workstations over the network. It also has an HDMI output for connecting a display to the unit to show a comprehensive dashboard of all vital information in one place.

The smaller Cloud Store Mini offers 8TB of storage and only 2 10GBit/s Ethernet ports, but the device’s functionality remains the same. The same goes for the so-called Cloud Pod, which has no internal storage. Just plug in your own SSD via USB-C and the content will be distributed by the Cloud Pod as soon as it is connected to the network. It only features one 10 GBit/s port.

Blackmagic Cloud Store — Image credit: Blackmagic Design

Both the Cloud Store Mini and Cloud Pod are aimed more at individual filmmakers working at home or on the road, or when working in smaller teams, while the full Cloud Store models are best suited for larger teams in post-production houses.

Pricing

DaVinci Resolve 18 (Beta) remains free software unless you upgrade to the Studio version, which offers more effects, higher resolutions, and the support for more GPUs. DaVinci Resolve 18 Studio is $295.