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G-Technology announces 8-bay 64TB Thunderbolt 2 RAID

Written by Patrick Jong Taylor | Sep 13, 2014 6:00:00 AM

IBC 2014 is kicking off in a big way, with G-Technology's announcement of an 8-bay Thunderbolt 2 storage solution with up to 64TB capacity!

Just a day or so ago, RedShark reviewed one of the latest G-Technology products, the two-bay G-RAID Studio featuring Thunderbolt 2. Our reviewer, Jim Pierson, gave it his 'BUY' recommendation, as he found it a compact, stylish performer ideally suited for HD, 2K, and even heavily compressed 8-bit 4K (such as what the Panasonic GH4 can record internally to SD card).

Today, G-Technology debuts something for the storage-hungry (and those that require the speed or redundancy offered by more volumes), the G-SPEED Studio XL, which sports an 8-bay hardware RAID set-up with Thunderbolt 2 connectivity. Capable of holding up to "eight removable enterprise-class 7200 RPM hard drives," the G-SPEED Studio XL can reach speeds up to 1350MB/s, making it a powerful companion for anyone's 4K video workflow. The unit supports RAID 0, 1, 10, 50, and 60, so whatever your needs - speed, redundancy, or a combination - the G-SPEED Studio XL has you covered. And, like the two bay G-RAID Studio, dual Thunderbolt 2 ports means you can daisy-chain other Thunderbolt devices.

G-Technology asked acclaimed cinematographer Vincent Laforet to provide his take on the G-SPEED Studio XL. Here's what he had to say:

"The new G-SPEED Studio XL is the ideal storage solution for me, as it is incredibly fast, super quiet and really compact, allowing me to conveniently house two of these massive storage solutions in two different locations – one in New York and one in LA. Previously, I had a large server with less capacity in these locations, which was economically prohibitive. Now I have 64TB of easily accessible data at my fingertips with the G-SPEED Studio XL solutions, which helps me find and transfer my files in ways that were only a distant dream just a few years ago."

The G-SPEED Studio XL will arrive at stores and online retailers at the MSRP of 24TB for £2,699, 32TB for £3,479, 40TB for £4,199, 48TB for £4,499 and 64TB for £5,250. The G-SPEED Studio XL may be priced out of reach for the budget-conscious, but this is a premium line of products, and discerning users like Vincent Laforet, who require high-end, fast, and mammoth storage solutions, will enjoy the many advantages offered by the G-SPEED Studio XL.

Check out the full press release for G-Technology's G-SPEED Studio XL on Page Two!


Full Press Release

G-TECHNOLOGY EXTENDS ITS STUDIO LINE OF EXTERNAL HARD DRIVES

New Eight-bay 64TB G-SPEED® Studio XL Among G-Technology’s Newest Innovations to Support Multi-Stream HD, 2K and 4K Workflows for Creative Professionals

International Broadcasting Convention (IBC 2014, Booth #7.G15), Amsterdam, September 11, 2014 – G-Technology, a leader in delivering premium storage solutions for audio/video production, photography and creative professionals, today announced the first extension of its Studio line, the G-SPEED Studio XL. Expanding on the two–bay G-RAID® Studio and four-bay G-SPEED Studio Thunderbolt 2 storage solutions, which launched earlier this year, the G-SPEED Studio XL holds up to eight removable enterprise-class 7,200 RPM hard drives, offering colossal capacity and performance of up to 1,350 megabytes per second (MB/sec) performance for the most demanding digital content creation applications.

“We understand that today’s creative professionals are constantly on the go and need to turn around quality work on ever-shortening timelines,” said Mike Williams, vice president and general manager, G-Technology. “Boasting lightning-fast speeds, our eight-bay G-SPEED Studio XL has been built to help better manage their demanding projects, representing our continued efforts to further support content creators’ workflow and data management needs.”

Featuring the sleek design and reliability of G-Technology’s Studio line, the G-SPEED Studio XL eight-bay Thunderbolt 2 storage solution comes in a high-quality, black enclosure with integrated cooling technology, ideal for any high-performance computer or workstation. It also supports 4k workflows with user-configurable RAID 0, 1, 5, 10, 50 and 60, and impressive transfer rates of up to 1,350MB/sec in RAID 0. Like other products in the Studio line, the G-SPEED Studio XL can be daisy-chained via dual Thunderbolt 2 ports to boost storage speeds and effortlessly support demanding multi-stream HD, 2K and compressed 4K workflows. The G-SPEED Studio XL will be available in November. Manufacturer’s suggested retail pricing is 24TB for £2,699, 32TB for £3,479, 40TB for £4,199, 48TB for £4,499 and a colossal 64TB for £5,250.

“The new G-SPEED Studio XL is the ideal storage solution for me, as it is incredibly fast, super quiet and really compact, allowing me to conveniently house two of these massive storage solutions in two different locations – one in New York and one in LA,” said Vincent Laforet, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer and director. “Previously, I had a large server with less capacity in these locations, which was economically prohibitive. Now I have 64TB of easily accessible data at my fingertips with the G-SPEED Studio XL solutions, which helps me find and transfer my files in ways that were only a distant dream just a few years ago.”

Attendees of the International Broadcasting Convention can preview the G-SPEED Studio XL at the G-Technology Booth #7.G15.

All products in G-Technology’s Studio line are plug-and-play for Mac® and come with a three-year limited warranty. For additional information or details for Windows support, please visit http://www.g-technology.eu/.

Stay connected with G-Technology:

G-Technology’s roots are deeply ingrained in delivering premium storage solutions for audio/video production, photography and the professional content creation community. From storing, transferring, editing and distributing content, G-Technology makes the workflow simpler, better and faster. G-Technology’s high-performance portable and desktop drives, flexible transfer/edit solutions and fast RAID systems are all built for professional content creation environments where performance and reliability are paramount. Because G-Technology holds itself to the highest standards, its products can be found in premier production and post-production facilities worldwide.

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About HGST
HGST is a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Western Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: WDC). HGST sets the pace for storage innovation and is helping the world harness the power of data. Building on its reputation for producing reliable HDDs, SSDs, and developing tighter integration with software, HGST is optimizing storage efficiency and reliability for today’s data-centric economy. Founded by the creators of the hard drive, HGST serves a broad range of market segments, including enterprise, cloud, OEM, mobile, consumer electronics and personal storage. HGST was established in 2003 and maintains its U.S. headquarters in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit www.hgst.com.

One GB is equal to one billion bytes, and one TB equals 1,000 GB (one trillion bytes). Actual capacity will vary depending on operating environment and formatting.

G‐Technology external hard drives serve as an element of an overall backup strategy. It is recommended that users keep two or more copies of their most important files backed up or stored on separate devices or online services.

G‐Technology, G-RAID and G-SPEED are registered trademarks of HGST, Inc. and its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. Thunderbolt is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Mac is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.