The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

Sony intros high-end camera storage card

XQD to displace CompactFlash?

What you need to know about cloud backup

And here's a new memory card format, courtesy of Sony. Just what the world needs, no?

It's the XQD card, and it comes in 16GB and 32GB capacities. Sony is also offering USB 3.0 and ExpressCard adaptors.

The format is aimed at high-end DSLRs, which will have to build the tech in if their manufacturers want to support it. One that already does - or will do shortly - is the Nikon D4.

Sony XQD memory card

Sony claimed the XQD format can deliver data transfer rates of up to "1Gbps (125MB/s) write and read" through the PCIe interface.

That enables "stable continuous shooting of RAW images", Sony said, with an XQD memory card writing "approximately 100 frames in RAW format in continuous shooting mode".

Sony XQD memory card

Source: Sony

XQD's write speed is 1.4 times that of a Compact Flash A card, Sony said.

SDXC cards' write speeds peak at 90MB/s, though version 4.0 of the SD spec calls for speeds to read 312MB/s.

The 16GB XQD costs $130 (£84) and the 32GB card is priced at $230 (£148). ®

Cloud based data management

The concern I'd have is not whether anyone other than Sony is building support for this format into their devices, but rather whether or not anyone other than Sony will be allowed to make the cards.

3
0

that will work with

the betamax/ATRAC video codec on my Minidisc camera.

3
0
Anonymous Coward

A bit disingenuous

If it mirrors PATA, compact flash has a proven path all the way up to 133MB/s and could probably go faster with minor physical tweaks to the connector, so the NAND chips therein and the arbitration thereof are the limiting factors.

I see a card that looks cheaper to manufacture (a serial interface and gold contacts flashed onto PCB substrate?) and one that Sony can presumably collect royalties on.

2
0

More from The Register

 breaking news
Curtain drops on Apple Store ahead of WWDC: What lies behind?
Steve Jobs watching from on high. No pressure, lads
 breaking news
Cold, dead hands of Steve Jobs slip from iPhones: The Cult of Ive is upon us
Billionaire biz baron's death clears way for uber-shiny iOS 7
Microsoft in sexism strife again over XBOX rape joke
E3 demo used 'offensive' and 'inappropriate' language
Airbus imagines suitcases that find themselves
Point your mobe at your smalls to track their every move
Nokia, Microsoft put on brave face as Lumia 925s parachute into Blighty
Pair get cracking on new ad blitz for latest smartphone
Surprise! Intel smartphone trounces ARM in power trials
Tests show equal performance while sipping significantly less juice
Apple said to be 'exploring' 5.7-inch iPhone
Who's the copycat this time, Mr. Cook?
Review: Belkin Thunderbolt Express Dock
Missing Mac ports reunited, for a price
Australian 'Apple tax' repealed for MacBook Air
But the new MacPro is priced at a premium