Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/37786
Thunderbolt-enabled The Little Big Disk can deliver multiple streams of HD video and offload hours of content in minutes without compromising bandwidth and performance. The portable solution offers speeds that previously were only available from rackmounted storage arrays, and when con- nected to an Apple MacBook Pro featuring a Thunderbolt port, can allow users to edit on-set during a day of shooting, and then quickly transfer assets.The Little Big Disk can also be daisy chained for storage expansion or connecting other peripherals. Erwan Girard is the business manager for professional prod- ucts at LaCie, which is head- quartered in France and has US offices in Hillsboro, OR. “Thunderbolt brings several different advantages to the com- mon interface that we have LaCie’s portable Little Big Disk is ready for Thunderbolt. been using for the past few years to connect the storage or a display to a Mac, for exam- ple,” says Girard, noting that significant engi- neering needs to be done to implement Thunderbolt into its products. “Indeed, this interface is not just plugging another USB or FireWire chip on a PCB and getting it to work with a MacBook Pro. It allows the user to [plug in] whatever Thunderbolt compati- ble storage, display or camera — you have to bring this all together into the develop- ment process to get it to work properly. In terms of technical skills, it requires you have some pretty good people indeed.” Girard is cautious to comment on the company’s future product line, and notes that the preview of the Little Big Disk before it actually shipped was an exception for the company. “We’ve been with Thunderbolt technology since the beginning and when Apple announced the MacBook Pros, we were showing some Little Big Disks together with them, so we announced it also at the same time, even though it was not available before the summer.” Girard sees lots of potential for Thun- derbolt-enabled products in the profes- sional and prosumer fields, as many users are looking for a high-speed interface be- tween storage and their workstation. “Thunderbolt brings a lot of answers to these people, and in a technology that I would say is field proven.The connector is not brand new or a mix between different connectors or brand new wires. It’s a mini display port connector — well known and in the field for three years.” He adds that while Thunderbolt-enabled devices are still considered point-to-point technology, users can daisy chain external accessories, including storage and high per- formance cards from the likes of AJA and Blackmagic, for example. USB, says Girard, “will still have its pur- pose. I am not talking about two, three, five years. I am not sure how this will evolve. It depends on the costs of interfaces, but I think, in the early days, you will have USB 3 and Thunderbolt evolving in parallel. LaCie already offers the Little Big Disk Quadra, a $300 portable storage product with eSATA 3Gbits, USB 2.0, and FireWire 400 & 800 connectivity. The Thunderbolt product will cost slightly more, says Girard, but within reason, reflecting the increase in comparable performance. 28 Post • July 2011 www.postmagazine.com