Western Digital enables 4K/8K video editing with new Thunderbolt 3 SSD solutions

Western Digital has a new storage solution for professionals.

| Published: Tuesday, April 10, 2018, 12:57 [IST]

Western Digital is meeting the escalating fast-transfer and high-capacity demands of professional content creators by enabling real-time 4K and 8K workflows with three new professional-grade solutions in its G-Technology G-DRIVE and G-SPEED Shuttle product families. Working with large 4K and 8K RAW video means massive file sizes and is undoubtedly one of the largest pain points for content editors.

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With new cameras capable of capturing over 400 MB/s of RAW data, there is an opportunity for content professionals to create incredibly high-resolution footage and even-more immersive viewer experiences. It is not uncommon for a production crew to be on-location for two or three months recording three to four terabytes per day of footage from multiple cameras. With this expansion of data capture, comes a potential bottleneck in maintaining a real-time workflow on location.

G-DRIVE Mobile Pro SSD

With storage running at 2800MB/s, the G-DRIVE mobile Pro SSD (Up to 1TB of capacity) lets you edit multi-stream 8K footage at full frame rate, render projects and experience them at full resolution, and transfer as much as a terabyte of media in seven minutes or less (for capacities 1TB or larger). A shock-resistant design uses specially engineered components to endure traveling, while a single Thunderbolt 3 port lets you instantly edit footage on the go with high speed without the need for wall power.

An aluminum core prevents overheating and maintains a high performance, and comes with a trusted 5-year limited warranty. The G-DRIVE mobile Pro SSD solution with Thunderbolt 3 is available in the US Summer of 2018 in capacities of 500GB ($659.95) and 1TB ($1,049.95) USD.

G-DRIVE Pro SSD

Equipped with fast transfer rates of up to 2800MB/s, the G-DRIVE Pro SSD solution (up to 7.68TB of capacity) with Thunderbolt 3 technology enables a filmmaker to edit multi-stream 8K footage at full frame rate, quickly render projects and experience them at full resolution, and transfer as much as a terabyte of content in seven minutes or less (for capacities 1TB or larger).

Dual Thunderbolt 3 ports are ready to daisy-chain up to five additional devices, while a stackable, rugged aluminum enclosure offers a durable way to help keep your workplace tidy. Combined with solid state drives, an endurance rating of one drive write per day (DW/D) endurance rating, and a trusted 5-year limited warranty, the G-DRIVE Pro SSD claims to deliver reliable, high-performance desktop storage. The G-DRIVE Pro SSD solution with Thunderbolt 3 is available in the U.S. May of 2018 in capacities of 960GB[1] ($1,399.95), 1.92TB ($2,099.95), 3.84TB ($4,099.95) and 7.68TB ($7,599.95) USD.

G-SPEED Shuttle SSD

With up to 16TB of SSD capacity, the G-SPEED Shuttle SSD with Thunderbolt 3 is optimized to support multi-stream HD, 4K, 8K, VR and VFX workflows. Equipped with transfer rates up to 2800MB/s, hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50, and eight removable SSDs pre-loaded and configured in RAID 5, it is built for ultra-demanding production workflows. The G-SPEED Shuttle SSD is available in the U.S. this month in capacities of 8TB ($5,099.95) and 16TB ($7,599.95).