Case Study

Smooth 4K Editing for ZDF’s International Emmy-Nominated Team

“After the installation, working with Pro Data was a walk in the park. 

EDITOR, JAN Dottschadis

How ZDF editor Jan Dottschadis cut multi-codec 4K projects faster and more reliably with iodyne Pro Data.

From Emmy-Nominated Documentaries to Megacity Mumbai

Jan Dottschadis is a Berlin-based video editor at ZDF, one of Europe’s largest broadcasters. While most of ZDF still runs in an Avid environment, Jan has steadily shifted to DaVinci Resolve for projects that demand more creative flexibility and speed. His credits include reportages and documentaries, one of which was nominated for an International Emmy.
 
For ZDF’s Megacity Mumbai project, Jan needed a solution that could handle full 4K timelines, multiple camera codecs, and the flexibility to move between editing setups without being tied to a traditional shared storage system.

The Challenge

In Megacity Mumbai, Jan wasn’t editing from the comfort of a post house — he was often working in tight hotel rooms and improvised workspaces while traveling.
 
Jan was also determined to keep this project in Resolve. Before Pro Data, working outside the Avid setup meant slower workflows and extra transcoding. This would have pushed edits late into the night and eaten into review sessions.

“We saved several hours per day just by skipping transcoding, thanks to Pro Data. That’s time we could spend actually editing or resting before the next day of production.”

EDITOR, JAN Dottschadis

Key ingredients

  • Editing Software: DaVinci Resolve (switched from Avid 3 years ago)

  • Workstation: Apple M3 MacBook Pro

  • Storage: iodyne Pro Data with dual Thunderbolt connection

  • Workflow: Full 4K native editing, with render cache written directly to Pro Data

The Results

With Pro Data, Jan was able to edit, render, and play back the entire project natively, saving time and preserving image quality.
 

high voltage Full-speed 4K editing and playback: Across four different raw codecs (intraframe and long-GOP).

 

laptop computer  Portable & reliable: Pro Data, paired with M3 MacBook Pro was on-the-go until the job was done.

 

three o’clock  No wasted time: Eliminated additional proxy creation and transcoding, and accelerated delivery.

 

relieved face  Peace of mind: Confidence that the project would be secured and editing would be a “smooth ride.”

Explore the gear that Jan used.

Check out iodyne Pro Data: High-performance shared Thunderbolt storage for creative teams.
 

To cover the basics, and get iodyne Pro Cables: Reliable connections for maximum throughput.

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