Sony With Rugged Portable HDD RAIDs and 256GB SxS PRO+ Card

Sony Corp. unveiled two high speed, high capacity products at IBC 2015 to meet the needs of 4K professionals.

PSZ-RA-Series HDD RAID drives

For efficient video data transfer in the field, a rugged, portable HDD RAID drive (dual 3.5 inch HDD) will be introduced, allowing users to store 4TB or 6TB of footage on location.

Also, the SBP-256D SxS PRO+ card redefines on location video shoots with 256GB of storage – twice that of the existing highest capacity card.

Rugged portable HDD RAID drives for ultra-fast data transfer on location
With the rise of 4K video production comes an increasing demand for fast and high capacity data transfer solutions. Unlike current HDD RAID products, the high speed PSZ-RA-Series HDD RAID drives provide flexible and efficient storing of large amounts of data not only in the studio, but also while on location. The drives can store data at a speed up to 440MB/s ⁽¹⁾ in RAID-0 mode, enabling a 1TB file to be transferred up in approximately 50 minutes ⁽²⁾.

For reliable outdoor use, the portable and rugged RAID drives are durable due to its construction. Internal and external dampers protect the bare drive against vibrations and shocks as high as MIL50G/11ms (in non-operating mode ⁽³⁾). The drives are also delivered with a built-in carrying handle and the tough, easy-to-carry carton box protects the product against damage during transportation.

Two versions are available – the 4TB PSZ-RA4T and 6TB PSZ-RA6T. Both include USB 3.0 and dual Thunderbolt2 ports that are 25 times faster than FireWire 800. In addition, dual Thunderbolt ports support daisy chain up to six units. Flexibility is enhanced with a choice of hardware RAID-0, RAID-1 or JBOD modes.

Memory Media Utility application is supplied for easy media management (downloadable from Sony website). End-users can use this application to format their drive, check the remaining capacity, the file system or the RAID mode. This application also alerts them when the drive needs to be replaced. ⁽⁴⁾

256GB SxS PRO+ media

Shoot twice as much footage with 256GB SxS PRO+ media
With worldwide sales of over 400,000 units, SxS, these durable media has a good reputation for strength, quality and reliability, thanks to features such as data error correction, wear-leveling and data refreshing. Intense testing during manufacture, supported by a ten-year warranty, gives professionals the confidence to shoot securely in the toughest conditions.

The SBP-256D is for efficiently capturing ultra high definition 4K in the field. It can read data at up to 3.5Gbps (440MB/s) ⁽¹⁾ and record up to 480 minutes of MPEG 422 30p (50Mb/s) or 40 minutes of XAVC 4K 60P (600Mb/s) footage. High transfer speed optimises workflow efficiency, allowing filmmakers to share large, data-intensive 4K video files. SxS PRO+ D Series offers three capacities: 64GB, 128GB and 256GB and the cards are exFAT pre-formatted for a quick start-up with PMW-F55 or F5.

Technical support
Professionals are covered by service and technical support. As well as offering a ten-year warranty on the SBP-256D and three year warranty on PSZ-RA-Series drives.

The SBP-256D PRO+ card will be available from October 2015, and the PSZ-RA4T/ PSZ-RA6T drives from November 2015.

⁽¹⁾ Based on company’s internal testing; speed may vary upon measurement condition.
⁽²⁾ Company’s internal testing using with SxS PRO+ memory card (SBP-256D), SxS Reader Writer (SBAC-US30) and PSZ-RA6T. Transferring time may vary dependent on test condition.
⁽³⁾ Based on company’s testing according to MIL-STD-810F, Method 516.5. The company cannot guarantee against damage to recorded data or the exterior case in all situations and conditions. Do not deliberately drop it or subject it to impact.
⁽⁴⁾ ‘Memory Media Utility’ new version with dedicated features for PSZ-RA series will be available in November 2015.