SanDisk, Nikon and Sony have announced the joint development of a set of specifications that addresses the future requirements of professional photography and video markets. The three companies proposed the specifications to the CompactFlash Association (CFA), the international standards organization, with the intent to standardize the format.
Professional photography and High Definition (HD) video applications require a new generation of memory cards capable of processing significantly larger files, according to Kazuyuki Kazami, operating officer, vice president and general manager, development headquarters, imaging company. To address the imaging industry’s future speed and capacity demands, SanDisk, Nikon and Sony proposed a new card specification whose performance and storage capabilities surpass those of existing memory cards. Once accepted, the new format will enable “exciting new possibilities” in the professional imaging and video markets, Kazami says.
The proposed specifications achieve data transfer rates of up to 500 megabytes per second (MB/sec) using the PCI Express 4 interface. The increased speeds will enable imaging and video applications that could not be accomplished using the current CompactFlash specification’s Parallel ATA (PATA)5 interface. CF6.0, released in November 2010, offers maximum performance of up to 167MB/sec.
The new specifications’ faster speeds enable continuous burst shooting of massive RAW images. The enhanced performance also allows users to quickly transfer storage-intensive high-resolution photos and videos from the card to a computer, Kazami says. The specifications combine high-speed data transfer with low power consumption via a power scaling system to extend battery life, he adds.