LSI MegaRAID Controllers Help Rain Computers Meet Demanding Audio and Video Editing Requirements of Creative Professionals

LSI 6Gb/s RAID controllers deliver balanced system performance, premium features and proven reliability for Rain’s digital audio and video workstations

2011 NAB SHOW, LAS VEGAS, Nev. - LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) today announced that Rain Computers has chosen LSI® MegaRAID® 6Gb/s SATA+SAS RAID controller cards for integration with its new Venturi Video + Graphics Workstations. The high-end I/O performance and reliability of LSI MegaRAID controllers allow Rain Computers to deliver systems for some of the world’s most demanding audio and video editing environments, including customers such as Cirque du Soleil, The Walt Disney Company, the new Conan O’Brien Show and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“Digital audio and video editing professionals demand workstations that don’t allow their compute-intensive environments to interfere with the creative process,” said Bill Paschick, founder and chief architect, Rain Computers. “Our Venturi platform is designed to balance power, stability and compatibility, and this can only be achieved by integrating technologies that meet these same standards. Based on our rigorous testing and qualification processes, LSI MegaRAID controllers proved to be the only RAID products on the market that excelled in each of these critical areas.”

Rain’s Venturi workstations are turnkey, high-performance video and audio production computer systems designed for use with applications such as Adobe Creative Suite, Avid Media Composer and AutoCAD. Venturi runs a finely tuned, 64-bit version of Windows 7 Professional and custom BIOS that boosts performance and prevents glitches and dropouts. Venturi workstations are optimized for high-speed video throughput and 2D and 3D rendering.

Rain Computers selected the LSI MegaRAID SAS 9260-4i four-port, PCI Express® 2.0 controller for integration with Venturi systems based on its high transactional I/O performance capabilities, rich feature set, rock-solid reliability and competitive price. The MegaRAID SAS 9260-4i controller, featuring the LSISAS2108 6Gb/s SAS RAID-on-Chip (ROC), helps enable Rain customers to take full advantage of the mulitcore processing power of the Venturi platform.

Using the LSI MegaRAID SAS 9260-4i controller, multiple streams of high sample-rate audio with bit depths of 24 or 32 are tracked into the Rain Venturi system. The streams are then filtered and mixed on a PC platform using all the required plug-ins. The Venturi system helps enable a perfect balance of power, stability and compatibility for today’s complex and demanding digital audio and video editing applications.

“Access to digital content is essential to meeting audio and video editing deadlines and to avoiding costly project delays,” said Brent Blanchard, director of worldwide channel sales and marketing, LSI. “The I/O performance, proven reliability and assured interoperability provided by LSI MegaRAID controllers, together with Rain’s high-performance workstations, are helping creative professionals bring their visions to life on time and on budget.”

The Venturi Video + Graphics Workstations with integrated LSI MegaRAID SAS 9260-4i controllers are available through Rain authorized dealers (http://raincomputers.com/dealers) including Best Buy, B&H and Beach Camera, or directly from Rain through the online Rain Custom Shop (http://raincomputers.com/store).

Additional information about the LSI MegaRAID controller and Rain Computers’ audio and video editing solution is available at http://www.lsi.com/DistributionSystem/User/AssetMgr.aspx?asset=56767.

LSI will be demonstrating products from its comprehensive portfolio of 6Gb/s SATA+SAS storage building block solutions at the 2011 National Association of Broadcasters Show (Booth #5058) taking place this week at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

LSI storage products are available through a worldwide network of distributors, system integrators and VARs. Additional information is available at www.lsi.com/channel.
About LSI

LSI Corporation (NYSE: LSI) is a leading provider of innovative silicon, systems and software technologies that enable products, which seamlessly bring people, information and digital content together. The company offers a broad portfolio of capabilities and services including custom and standard product ICs, adapters, systems and software that are trusted by the world’s best known brands to power leading solutions in the Storage and Networking markets. More information is available at www.lsi.com.