G-Technology Adds 8TB Thunderbolt Disk Array ($1,000)

G-Technology by
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is shipping its 8TB G-RAID with Thunderbolt drive – a two-drive, RAID-0 external drive.

It incorporates 10Gbps Thunderbolt technology by Intel and two 4TB, 7200 RPM Deskstar hard drives.

Aimed at the professional A/V market, it delivers speed and capacity, helping Thunderbolt-enabled laptops and desktops morph into full-fledged video editing workstations.

It features two Thunderbolt ports, enabling the connection of up to six Thunderbolt peripherals such as additional G-RAID drives, a high-resolution display and professional video capture devices. It delivers up to 280MB/sec sustained throughput for handling multi-stream compressed HD workflows, including REDCODE, DVCPro HD, XDCAM HD and ProRes 422. It can also transfer a full-length, high-definition, internet-ready H.264 movie in less than a minute.

Highlights of G-RAID with Thunderbolt include:

• Up to 280MB/sec sustained throughput
• Two-drive, RAID-0 designed specifically for professional content creation applications
• Supports multi-stream HDV, DVCPro HD, XDCAM HD, ProRes 422 and uncompressed SD workflows
• Dual Thunderbolt ports for daisy chaining up to six Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals
• Time Machine ready, plug-and-play setup on Mac OS
• 8TB, 6TB and 4TB capacities
• Two, high-speed 7,200 RPM Deskstar hard drives
• All-aluminum case for durability
• Kensington Lock slot for security
• Smart-cooling fan
• Three-year limited factory warranty

"We’re making digital production faster, super-sized and affordable for post-production workflows," said Mike Williams, VP and GM, Hitachi GST, Branded Business. "Gâ€?Technology has built its reputation and business on serving creative professionals and prosumers that demand performance, capacity and quality. Continuing this tradition, we’ve leveraged our popular G-RAID design to deliver amazing sustained throughput for post production workflows, and with 8TB you can easily store hours of clips, composites, digital intermediate (DIs), proofs, effects and more."

"Thunderbolt technology brings speed and versatility to the PC, letting people connect high-speed products and high-resolution displays over a single cable," said Jason Ziller, director of marketing for Thunderbolt technology at Intel Corporation. "Products like the new 8TB G-RAID drive are using Thunderbolt technology to redefine what’s possible with external PC devices, giving media creators and enthusiasts even more freedom to create."

"From their superior products to their amazing team, I back everything G-Technology stands for and is doing," said Lucas Gilman, president of Lucas Gilman Productions, a photography and video productions company specializing in adventure, travel, sports, portraiture and commercial projects. "G-Technology is known in the industry for its high-quality drives, and I exclusively use them for all of my projects. As one of the first to receive a new G-RAID with Thunderbolt drive, I can now quickly offload the massive amounts of data I collect in the field to the G-RAID drive, saving countless hours and speeding up the workflow."

"I just received the G-RAID with Thunderbolt drive and look forward to utilizing it," said independent film director Vincent Laforet. "The balance it offers between blazing RAID-0 performance, increased data transfer rates, and G-Technology’s known quality and reliability will no doubt prove to be an immense help with the projects we’re working on."

"Using the G-Technology G-RAID with Thunderbolt drive makes me feel like I stepped into the future. Its speed is simply mind-blowing. This changes everything," said photographer Jeremy Cowart.

First in a family of solutions, G-Technology’s G-RAID with Thunderbolt drive family is available in Apple Stores. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the 8TB drive is $999.99, 6TB is $849.99 and 4TB is $699.99.