NAB: Maxell debuts rugged "Field Tough Media" HDD

Designed for mobile video markets, Maxell's Professional Media Products Division has introduced a light-weight, rugged and shock-resistant compact removable hard drive solution for field archive operations. Debuting at NAB in Las Vegas, the company calls it the first "Field Tough Media" solution of its kind. It leverages Maxell iVDR technology that connects directly through a bi-directional USB or eSATA adapter to a shoulder-mounted camcorder capable of delivering 10-bit, 4:2:2 master- quality video and native full HD video. In its current form factor, Maxell iVDR solution is capable of storing 160 GBof data and has a transfer rate of 540Mbps.

"Maxell iVDR will take center stage at NAB given its promise to offer efficiencies across a broad range of broadcast applications in the total work flow from material gathering, to editing, transmitting and storing video content while eliminating the time it takes to convert content from tapes to hard disk drives and storing video content," the company said in a statement. "The Maxell iVDR removable hard disk features a rugged, durable and light weight construction that can withstand shock and vibrations."

The company claims drop protection of up to 1.2m (4 feet) using a hardened plastic shell and specifically designed shock isolation systems. The current Maxell iVDR on display at NAB weighs a total of 181 grams (0.4 pounds).

With its capability of up to 10,000 insertions and removal cycles, it is built for continued and repeated use, Maxell said. The drive comes pre-formatted with the Windows FAT32 file system allows to easily mount to any professional camcorder. The 160GB drive and adapter will be available in the second quarter of 2008, while the 250GB drive is due in the third quarter of this year. Pricing was not available.

Filed under: upgrades/storage
Other story tags: hard drive, NAB, mobile video, rugged, mobile storage