Video production has evolved over the years; now, teams work virtually to collaborate on projects. They do everything from remote editing to cloud-sharing assets with team members. A team working with 8K RAW or other demanding workflows naturally needs a solution that can handle that load and meet tight deadlines. QNAP’s new TVS-AIh1688ATX NAS system offers just that.
This refresh of QNAP’s best-selling model, used by major production houses, isn’t just another network drive. It balances hardware and software features that set it apart from other NAS units on the market. Here, we’ll break down what the TVS-AIh1688ATX has to offer and why it’s a perfect fit for many video productions in need of a speedy NAS.
Speed video productions need
The TVS-AIh1688ATX keeps projects moving by pairing compute muscle with wide data lanes. An Intel 15th-gen Core Ultra processor, available with up to 24 cores, can handle color grading and virtual machines at the same time. Four NVMe Gen 4 U.2 slots sit beside 12 SATA bays, so high-frame-rate footage lands on flash first, then tiers down to bulk drives without a manual shuffle.
Transfers leave the box just as fast. Two 10GBASE-T ports push 10 Gbps per line today, and an open NIC slot lets busy shops step up to 25 GbE or even 100 GbE when camera files grow. For desk-side edits, twin USB4 Type-C jacks speak Thunderbolt 4 and 3, and a simple add-in card unlocks Thunderbolt 5’s 80 Gbps pipeline. Backed by up to 192 GB of ECC DDR5 and ZFS-based QuTS hero, the array feeds frames quickly and guards against hiccups.
Collaboration at scale
Modern production pipelines depend on seamless collaboration. The TVS-AIh1688ATX acts as a shared workspace where editors and producers can all access the same project files. It supports real-time multi-user access thanks to its dual 10 GbE ports, expandable high-speed networking, and fast NVMe cache layer. So, teams working in the same studio or spread across campuses can collaborate from a single source.
Also, QNAP’s permission controls, folder management and built-in snapshot features help teams stay organized and protected.
Desk-side speed with Thunderbolt 5
One of the TVS-AIh1688ATX’s headline upgrades is Thunderbolt 5. QNAP lets you connect as many as six Macs or PCs directly to the NAS, with no switch required in between. Each link rides an 80 Gbps pipe, so scrubbing a 4K timeline feels like working off an internal SSD. The system ships with two USB4 Type-C ports that are compatible with USB4 accessories and can connect to both USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 computers.
If you’re looking to unlock full Thunderbolt 5 functionality, QNAP offers the optional QXP-T52P add-in card.
That desk-side horsepower pairs with dual 10 GbE jacks for the rest of the studio. Inside, 12 SATA bays and four U.2 NVMe slots hold up to half a petabyte of media, so the network never waits on a shuttle drive.
Smart storage
Inside the Core Ultra chip sits a neural engine that hits 13 TOPS. QNAP taps that power through its AI Core apps for accelerated AI work. Editors can auto-tag footage, flag bad takes or generate quick proxies without pushing jobs to the cloud. The NPU also helps photo management with facial and object recognition.
Additionally, the TVS-AIh1688ATX features 12 SATA bays, which can be filled with 30 TB Seagate Exos or IronWolf Pro drives and supports four U.2 slots for NVMe SSDs. The chassis tops out at 480 TB of raw storage, almost half a petabyte. That headroom lets editors keep entire seasons online without swapping drives.
Beyond speed and capacity, the system is also built for protection. Its ZFS-based QuTS hero operating system provides end-to-end data integrity, supporting RAID configurations that can tolerate disk failures without data loss. Built-in versioning helps users roll back to previous states of files in case of errors or overwrites, and QNAP offers both local and cloud-based backup tools.
Room to grow past wrap day
Three PCIe Gen 4 slots open the door to bigger pipes and faster renders, letting the TVS-AIh1688ATX grow with your production. If you want to add cards, like a GPU or faster network adapter, you can.
Plus, two extra 2.5 GbE ports handle asset management or ingest traffic, keeping the 10 GbE links clear for playback.
Why it matters
Video crews need more than raw speed. They need gear that scales, protects the timeline and trims busywork. QNAP’s TVS-AIh1688ATX hits those marks with Thunderbolt 5, half-petabyte capacity and smart software that watches your back while you create. For production teams staring down tighter turnarounds and bigger files, the TVS-AIh1688ATX offers an answer.
To learn more, visit qnap.com.
