Sonnet to Demo PCIe Expansion Solutions and Storage Systems

At the 2013 NAB Show, Sonnet Technologies Inc. will demonstrate its PCIe expansion solutions and storage systems for video, audio, and broadcast professionals.

In addition to its current lineup of Thunderbolt-ready systems, Sonnet will introduce new products to accelerate workflows for all sizes and types of on-location and studio productions as well as in post-production.

Echo Express Thunderbolt Expansion Family for PCIe Cards
Echo Express family of Thunderbolt-to-PCIe expansion chassis enables the use high-performance PCIe cards – originally designed for use in desktop computers – with any computer equipped with a Thunderbolt port.

At the 2013 NAB Show, Sonnet will demonstrate several workflow solutions featuring pro cards from Avid, ATTO, Blackmagic Design, RED Digital Cinema, RME, Universal Audio, and Sonnet. The Echo Express Pro chassis supports two single-width, full-length x16 PCIe 2.0 cards, and now provides an auxiliary power connector and compatibility with Avid Pro Tools|HDX PCIe cards. The Echo Express II supports two half-length (up to 7.25 inches long), full-height, single-width PCIe 2.0 x16 cards. Also featured is the Echo Express SE, a value-priced model that is light and compact, supporting a single half-length (up to 6.6 inches long), full-height, single-width PCIe 2.0 x8 card. All Echo Express systems enable the use of compatible professional video capture, audio interface, 8Gb FC, 10 GbE, SAS and SATA HBA, and RAID controller cards with iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers. Plus, all chassis feature dual Thunderbolt ports to support daisy-chaining of devices.

xMac mini Server
xMac mini Server securely mounts a Mac mini inside a 1U rackmount enclosure and connects two PCIe 2.0 slots – with a 100W power supply for installed cards – to enable users to harness the power of full-size pro video capture and processing, digital audio interface, DSP accelerator, FireWire, and RAID controller cards. Temperature-controlled fans deliver airflow to cool the enclosure. Two Thunderbolt ports – one to connect the PCIe slots to the Mac mini and a second for daisy-chaining other Thunderbolt devices – are integrated. Panel-mount HDMI, GbE, and two USB 3.0 cables are included to connect the ports on the back of the Mac mini to ports on the back of the xMac mini Server for convenient external connection.

Qio Family of Professional Media Readers
Sonnet will feature its Qio line of desktop and portable professional, high-speed media readers. The original Qio is a device that supports all major HD video memory card formats in one compact high-performance device, reading from and writing to just about any memory card – SxS, P2, CompactFlash, SDHC and SDXC – at high speed. Sonnet will also highlight the Qio CF4 four-slot CF card reader, and the Qio E3 three-slot SxS card reader, both supporting concurrent file ingest from all slots. In addition, Sonnet will display the Qio MR, a compact mobile rack device for PCs to support all major HD video memory card formats. Sonnet will feature a new Thunderbolt interface option for the Qio, Qio CF4, and Qio E3 that enables the use of these products with any computer with a Thunderbolt port, including the iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers.

Tempo SSD and Tempo SSD Pro High-Performance
6Gb/s PCIe 2.5-Inch SSD Cards
Tempo SSD and Tempo SSD Pro are PCIe 2.0 SATA cards to which one or two SSDs are directly attached, with the assembly installing neatly into a PCIe slot without the need for cables or brackets. Unlike other PCIe SSD cards, they utilize available 2.5-inch SATA SSDs (sold separately), giving users flexibility in selecting the SSD capacity and performance that suit their needs and budget, as well as the option to upgrade. Both cards have been updated to support booting in Mac Pro (early 2008 and newer) computers

Presto 10GbE PCIe Network Adapter Cards
Debuting at the 2013 NAB Show, Presto 10GbE 1-Port and Presto 10GbE Server 2-Port 10-GbE PCIe cards enable users to connect their computers and servers to high-speed infrastructure and storage systems using the 10GbE standard – offering up to ten times the performance of GbE. Both Presto 10GbE network adapters are low-profile x8 PCIe adapter cards that install into the PCIe slot of a computer or Thunderbolt-to-PCIe expansion chassis. The Presto 10GbE 1-Port card provides enhanced performance for a variety of applications. The Presto 10GbE Server 2-Port card is suited for use in servers and in applications where redundancy is critical, supporting transparent failover to keep the user’s computer connected in case a single cable is disconnected or one of the ports fail. Both cards are configured and optimized for use over Thunderbolt.

Fusion SATA Storage Systems
Sonnet will feature its Fusion RX1600 Vfibre and RX1600Fibre shared storage systems, and the Fusion DX800RAID Thunderbolt Edition DAS system. The Fusion RX1600 Vfibre and RX1600Fibre are 16-drive rackmount storage systems with enterprise-class features, available in configurations up to 48TB, and expandable to 384TB with the addition of expansion systems. The Fusion DX800RAID Thunderbolt Edition is a 8-drive Thunderbolt storage solution, and delivers HD-optimized performance and data safety to users of iMac, Mac mini, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers with Thunderbolt ports.