Sonnet debuts 640GB portable RAID storage

Sonnet Technologies has launched its Fusion F2 portable RAID storage system, which provides storage for on-location video capture or remote use when grid power is unavailable. Fusion F2 features 640GB of storage using two 2.5-inch drives mounted side by side in a rugged enclosure. Offering a low-profile, compact design measuring (5.9 x 6.2 x 0.72 inches). The compact Fusion F2 delivers high performance with data transfer rates up to twice as fast as a pair of FireWire 800 drives. Using FireWire for power only, the Fusion F2 features two eSATA data connections and is designed for use with the Sonnet Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 adapter (MacBook Pro). By connecting via SATA interface, Fusion F2 easily supports portable video capture in conjunction with an AJA Video Systems' Io HD, which requires dedicated use of FireWire bandwidth.

With its drives configured as a RAID 0 striped volume, Fusion F2 is capable of 126 MB/sec read and write data transfers (compared with 66 MB/sec connecting via FireWire 800), according to the company. This allows users to capture and play more streams of compressed video for portable video editing.

In addition, users can configure the Fusion F2's drives as RAID 1 mirrored mode for redundancy and still capture Apple ProRes HQ HD feed from an AJA Io HD, according to the company. The protected mode also allows safe field transfer of Panasonic P2, Sony SxS Pro, or similar memory cards.

"Products in our Fusion line are designed to bring uncompromising performance and reliability to storage applications in film and video editing, as well as professional content capture. Fusion F2 offers the same high standard in a compact, low-power package intended for portable use," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. "The ¾-inch thin unit slides easily into a case for transport, and can be used in virtually anywhere."

Each Fusion F2 drive is individually shock-isolated, not only protecting the drives during transport, but also virtually eliminating cross-coupled vibration (to prevent soft errors and skipped frames). Fusion F2 is cool and quiet, operating without a fan and leveraging the side-by-side placement of its drives to increase the metal case's cooling surface area. Although Fusion F2 communicates via eSATA, it draws power from a FireWire 400 port for portable operation.

The Fusion F2 will be available later this month for $900, while the company's Tempo SATA ExpressCard/34 is $100. Sonnet will show the portable RAID system at the Expo (booth #S-2512).