Sonnet Technologies has launched the Qio CF4 professional CompactFlash (CF) media reader. The latest member of the Sonnet Qio series of professional media readers offers a high-speed alternative to conventional card readers for videographers, studios, and photographers.
According to Sonnet CEO Robert Farnsworth, the CF4 is the first four-slot CompactFlash (CF) memory card reader available with support for concurrent file ingest from all four slots and an integrated two-port 6 Gb/second eSATA interface for connecting external storage systems. With Sonnet’s Qio CF4, users can transfer data concurrently from four CF memory cards used by professional HD camcorders from RED and Canon, as well as DSLR cameras from Canon and Nikon.
The Qio CF4’s fast PCIe 2.0 interface delivers an aggregate ingest speed of up to 400 MB/second with four CF cards. Designed for both in-studio and on-location use, the CF4 features a compact, rugged aluminum case with the same 15-centimeter by 16-centimeter (5.9-inch by 6.2-inch) footprint as the original Qio, but with a thinner profile.
The Qio CF4 is compatible with Thunderbolt technology and performs at maximum speed when connected with Sonnet’s Echo ExpressCard Pro Thunderbolt Adapter, xMac mini Server, Echo Express, or Echo Express Pro Thunderbolt Expansion Chassis. Two eSATA connectors on the back of the Qio CF4 enable the user to connect two Sonnet Fusion F2QR or F3 portable two-drive hardware RAID SATA storage systems or other SATA storage. These fast SATA connections accelerate card ingest when an eSATA interface is not otherwise available on a computer.
Compatible with Mac OS X 10.6.8 and higher, the Qio CF4 is now available at a suggested retail price of US$599 with either an internal PCIe 2.0 interface card or an ExpressCard/34 interface card. More info on the Qio CF4 is available at http://www.sonnettech.com/product/qiocf4.html .