Slashdot Mirror


South Park Turns to Xserve for Storage Upgrade

Lam1969 writes "Computerworld reports that South Park producers are turning away from digital linear tape and direct-attached disk storage to a linear tape open setup complimented by Xserve RAID disk arrays. The show's creators never thought South Park would last nine seasons, so a storage hardware upgrade was necessary. J.J. Franzen, technology supervisor at South Park Studios in Los Angeles, says he chose Apple hardware based on a "gut" feeling. From the article: 'While South Park may appear technologically amateurish with its character cutouts, over the past nine seasons the cartoon series has added a great deal of storage-consuming detail, including backgrounds and crowd shots that can take up to 100MB of memory each.'"

19 of 324 comments (clear)

  1. I figured maybe.. by twocoasttb · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Cartman roshamboed someone for it.

  2. They took jer job by rolandog · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm pretty sure that their providers of DL Tape are probably saying "They took mah job!"

  3. Overheard at SP productions when hw came in by FerretFrottage · · Score: 3, Funny

    Sweeeeeeeet, but you get your bitch ass back in the kitchen and make me some pie!

    --
    "Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change."
    1. Re:Overheard at SP productions when hw came in by WorldRimWalker · · Score: 5, Funny
      "Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change."
      The fat white guy's name is Michael Moore.
  4. Re:Hm ... by Dahamma · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't know... I think that "gut feeling" was actually caused by a noise 92 cents below the lowest octave of E-flat.

  5. The Simpsons animates in real time for broadcast by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Despite the terrible strain on the animator's wrists.

  6. "South park compression" by Entropy · · Score: 3, Funny

    Bet they sure could save tons of HD space if they just had one clip of Kenny's death.

    --
    The sea changes color, but the sea does not change.
  7. Why choose Xserve? by nystagman · · Score: 3, Funny

    One word: Hellastorage

    --
    Theory and practice are the same in theory, but different in practice.
  8. As long as... by Geoffreyerffoeg · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just don't name your machine "kenny." It's not good to have it crash every episode - even if you can reboot it.

  9. Re:Why so huge? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    First time I saw the show, I figured it was PowerPoint.

  10. Gut check! by version5 · · Score: 5, Funny

    If you think about it, maybe there are a few missing pieces to the rationale for choosing Apple hardware. But doesn't it feel like the right thing...right here in the gut? Because that's where the truth comes from, ladies and gentlemen...the gut.

    Did you know that you have more nerve endings in your stomach than in your head? Look it up. Now, somebody's gonna say `I did look that up and its wrong'. Well, Mister, that's because you looked it up in a book. Next time, try looking it up in your gut. I did. And my gut tells me that's how our nervous system works.

    Now I know some of you may not trust your gut...yet. But with my help you will. The "truthiness" is, anyone can make IT decisions. I promise to feel IT decisions!

    --

    "It's Dot Com!"

  11. ...and in response Steve Jobs stated by dickeya · · Score: 3, Funny

    RESPECT MY AUTHORITAY!!!!

  12. Re:For those of us who are ignorant by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

    it kills kenny faster and more efficiently.

  13. why this is important by commodoresloat · · Score: 4, Funny

    Only Apple servers will do the job when the South Park guys decide it's time to play "kick the server."

  14. Re:For those of us who are ignorant by node+3 · · Score: 4, Funny

    For those of us who are ignorant and don't see why someone would use Apple hardware over good commodity stuff, what's the advantage in going with Xserve stuff?

    You plug it in and it works.

    It's sort of like the underpants gnomes, except there is no step 3.

  15. Re:Why so huge? by EvanED · · Score: 3, Funny

    LaTeX + Beamer

  16. /.ers' thoughts on "Bloody Mary" being pulled? by lysergic.acid · · Score: 3, Funny

    I know this is off-topic, but most of the discussion so far has been pretty uninteresting, so I was wondering how other slashdotters feel about the "Blood Mary" episode of South Park being pulled off the air and basically being censored from TV or any other future reproductions because it offended a few religious conservatives.

    Here's another news article on it featured in the North Korea Times.

  17. Re:Spelling Nazi warning by SleepyHappyDoc · · Score: 3, Funny

    So the Xserve RAID disk arrays flatter the linear tape setup with words of admiration? (I think they meant to say "complemented").

    I'm not so sure. Apple's are supposed to be user-friendly, right?

    --
    Stasis is death. Embrace change.
  18. Re:For those of us who are ignorant by UniverseIsADoughnut · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is Slashdot, where people think Linux on a Xbox is a solution for something.

    Many here will never understand why people buy stuff from actual companies, and things they just pull out of a box and turn on and go on with their life at that.