About Us

Designed to foster the rapid and cost-effective dissemination of scientific research information, Media Services is a shared facility of the New York University School Of Medicine and is tightly integrated with data transportation and storage systems of the Skirball Institute. Established using Skirball Institute funds but operating as a resource to all members of NYUMC, Media Services supports a wide range of activities related to the production of both quantitative and presentation imagery. The center's facilities are generally user-operated, and are supported by an extensive set of web-based instructional and administrative resources.

Media Services began operations as the Digital Media Center in late February, 1995 and currently includes the following facilities:

A public area occupying approximately 380 sq. ft. of Lab 6, SK 3rd floor providing around-the-clock access to scanners, printers, CD-ROM burners, imaging software, and other tools used in digital image and document production. The center can quickly and inexpensively generate digital photo prints, color or large high-resolution B&W laser prints, overhead transparencies, posters or slides from computer files.

A separate area of approximately 140 sq. ft. in Lab 6 equipped with a non-linear video editing system and an array of videotape recorders and support equipment permitting footage in any major format or standard to be edited, annotated, format-converted and duplicated.

The Jacob Bleibtrau seminar room on the third floor of the Skirball Institute, which has been equipped with a sophisticated but user-friendly electronic presentation system controlled by simple, touch-screen commands.

Media Services is fundamentally a user-operated facility. It is the policy of Media Services to rely as completely as possible on web-based instruction and administration of its facilities. For this reason, web-pages describing the tasks most frequently performed by it's users are required reading for anyone wishing to use these facilities. Veteran users are encouraged to share their knowledge with novices.

Skirball Information Technologies

The systems of the Media Services imaging facilities are linked via ethernet or fiber optic cable to the institute's Silicon Graphics Origin 350 and to the medical center's computer network. Administered by the Skirball Institute Information Technologies group, the servers' RAID storage architectures and DLT tape-backup systems guard against data loss and enable users to safely avoid the confusion ensuing from the proliferation of derivative files stored in multiple locations. A suite of copy-protected software (Adobe InDesign, Macromedia Freehand , Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft PowerPoint, etc.) has been licensed by the institute and distributed to all labs. This software is also available in the Lab 6, SK 3rd floor public area. Additionally, World Wide Web pages describing the facilities, equipment and software offered by Media Services, and offering concise instruction in their use are available on the Skirball home page.

Media Services Related Equipment

The following equipment is currently part of the facility:

Fujix Pictrography 3000 Digital Image Printer

Microtek Artixscan 35mm film scanner (with auto loader)

Microtek 9800XL 11x17 flatbed and tranparency scanner

Xerox Phaser 5400 11x17 laser printer

MGI Sapphire film recorder

Silicon Graphics Indy with ColorByte IP RIP

Final Cut Pro video editing system

Hewlett Packard DesignJet 755CM E-size Printer

Hewlett Packard DesignJet 5500ps3 60 inch large-format Printer

Xerox DocuColor 12/Splash G620 Color Laser Printer

misc. analog and digital video recording and processing equipment

Operation of Media Services

Media Services is a user-pay facility, with fees for service covering as few of the costs as is possible. In general, fees are charged for hardcopy output such as large-format posters or digital photo prints and staff service labor, but not for equipment usage. Exceptions include some video equipment.