Computer Graphics World

For additional product news and information, visit CGW.com HARDWARE DATA STORAGE Maximizing Data Maxell expanded its line of Maxdata Quads with a 3TB external desktop hard disk drive (HDD). The 3.5-inch HDD has a quad inter- face designed to work with the large files associated with backing up and archiving HD projects, including animation files. Supporting USB 2.0, eSATA, FireWire 400, and FireWire 800, all Maxdata quad HDDs have a hot plug-and-play function for simple connection. The 3TB drive spins at 7200 rpm and has up to 16MB of cache. The Maxdata Quad HDDs are housed in durable aluminum and offer shock resis- tance so users can take them on the road. Measuring 5.6 x 1.38 x 8.52 inches, the Maxdata Quad HDDs can be positioned vertically or horizontally. The 3TB version is priced in the $500 range and is now ship- ping, along with the already available 1TB and 2TB versions. Maxell; www.maxell-usa.com WIN MAC Facilitating Sharing Facilis Technology, a provider of shared storage solutions, unveiled Version 5.2 of its TerraBlock SAN. The software release delivers enhanced performance and flex- ibility through data protection and load balancing, inter-server mirroring, and multi-user write spanned volumes. Terra- Block is a high-capacity, multiplatform, shared storage system supporting 4Gb and 8Gb Fibre and 1Gb and 10Gb Ethernet through the Facilis Shared File System. The new FastRAID Inter-server mirroring feature maintains an exact copy of volume data in real time on another enclosure. The FastRAID multi-user write spanned volumes helps balance loads and increase performance. Users can now assign prior- ity to drive recovery activities or client workload and pause recovery entirely for full bandwidth to client workstations. In addition, multi-seat Adobe Premiere studios can now open the same project on multiple workstations without conflict or 63 October/November 2011 overwrite. TerraBlock 5.2 will be available in October as a free download to custom- ers with current support contracts. Facilis Technology; www.facilis.com WIN SCANNING Measuring on the Go Creaform, which offers portable 3D optical measurement technologies, has unveiled the HandyProbe arm-free/portable opti- cal CMM system. The HandyProbe opti- cal probing system features TRUaccu- racy technology, which generates accurate measurements of up to 22 µm (0.001 inch). The new version is sturdier, slimmer, and more lightweight that previous releases. Businesses such as the European Space Agency, EADS (Airbus), Safran, Pratt & Whitney, BMW, and Honda are using Creaform solutions for inspection purposes. Creaform; www.creaform3d.com DISPLAY/MONITOR Panasonic Pro Plasma Panasonic extended its profession plasma family with the TH-65VX300U, a 65-inch display with color reproduc- tion that approaches digital cinema stan- dards. The display's high-speed drive technology achieves clear and detailed 3D video as well as enhances 2D content. The advanced drive provides smooth gradation—double that of conventional models—for richer gradation expression in a dark area of the screen, helpful in extremely low-lit situations. For 3D imag- ery, the TH-65VX300U features phosphor improvements and original lighting controls that deliver clear images with almost no doubling or crosstalk. The display is also equipped with multiple customizable func- tions, including a wide color gamut, an option to customize placement of RGB, adjustment menus with five gamma curve options, and white balance settings. An advanced memory function allows users to name and save equalized data. An independent RGB on/off function checks secondary colors or monochrome images, MAC helping with individual color calibration. Priced at $6250 and available in October, the TH-65VX300U features SLOT 2.0 for display convenience and system flexibility with standard HD-SDI and DVI-D termi- nals (optional). Panasonic; www.panasonic.com Widescreen Viewing NEC Display Solutions rolled out the first model in its new generation of the MultiSync P Series displays. The 24-inch widescreen MultiSync P241W desktop monitor is designed specifically for Web graphics and photography applications, and uses an e-IPS panel for great imag- ing performance. The monitor features a USB hub with DisplaySync Pro. Hard- ware color calibration is via the NEC SpectraView kit, which is compatible with both Apple Mac and Microsoft Windows operating systems. Wide viewing angles are possible with only minimal color shift, and contrast ratio is 1000:1. The 16:10 aspect ratio provides 1920 x 1200 native resolution. I/O includes DisplayPort, VGA, and two DVI-D inputs, and the USB hub features two up and three down connec- tions. The P241W is priced at $749. The P241W-BK-SV, meanwhile, includes the SpectraViewII color-calibration sensor and software, and is priced at $1249. NEC; www.necdisplay.com Laptop Viewing NextComputing has introduced a new portable monitor for laptop users who require multiple high-resolution displays. The ViewPort 17-inch LED backlit monitor

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