Sony Entering External Portable Drive Market

Sony Corp. announced at IBC2013 its first SSD and HDD portable storage range.

The PSZ-SA25 SSD, PSZ-HA50 and PSZ-HA1T HDDs will be available from September 2013.

Backing up footage securely on location requires a device that’s fast, rugged and efficient. As the size of video files gets larger, backing-up footage becomes more frequent. As a pioneer in file-based workflows, Sony launched a range of portable storage devices. The drives are capable of transferring content up to 400MB/s for SSD and 120MB/s for HDD via USB 3.0. With this speed, approximately 30GB of content can be transferred in less than a minute and a half onto the SSD via USB 3.0.

The drives are compatible with hardware including Sony’s PMW-50 and PMW-1000 recording decks. Hours of footage can be stored securely with a choice of a 256GB SSD drive, 500GB or 1TB HDD drives, all featuring USB 3.0 and Firewire 800 interfaces. Everything shot during the day can be backed up by the evening, minimising the risk of data being lost.

Working outside the studio requires reliable, high performance equipment that works efficiently. Both the SSD and HDD drives are built for rugged professional use and allow programme makers to download and backup content on location. With excellent shock resistance, they can absorb falls of up to 2.3m for SSD and up to 2.0m for HDD. They are compliant with the MIL-STD-810G standard. The drives are also compliant with the IP5X dust-proof standard and the IPX4 splash-proof standard so data can be backed up in a variety of environments and conditions. A tough case is available for transporting footage during a shoot, protecting the drive against damage when dropped as high as 2.4m.

The drives come with support including expert technical assistance and a three year warranty.

The PSZ-SA25 SSD drive, and the PSZ-HA50 and PSZ-HA1T HDD drives are planned to be available this month at the following suggested pricing:

• PSZHA50 – $127.99
• PSZHA1T – $173.99
• PSZSA25 – $299.99