Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 12, 2011. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
At NAB, Sonnet presents its first products with Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt is based on PCI Express and was developed by Intel. With throughput of 10 gigabits per second in both directions, either displays and further devices can be supplied through just one connection, or high-performance storage solutions can be attached to the workstation. Until now, however, there has been a lack of devices using this standard; USB3 is only just beginning to spread.
The following devices are new to Sonnet’s range and among the first Thunderbolt devices, expected to be available from Sonnet and specialist retailers from summer 2011.
Sonnet’s Allegro FW800 Adapter
The adapter converts the Thunderbolt connection to a FireWire 800 port. Sonnet’s Presto Gigabit Ethernet Adapter converts a Thunderbolt connection to a Gigabit Ethernet port.
Fusion F2TBR
Fusion F2TBR 2-Drive is a portable SSD storage system with Thunderbolt technology. The 2.5-inch SSDs (Solid State Drives) are housed in an aluminium enclosure only slightly larger than two CD cases. If the SSDs are configured as RAID 0, transfer rates of up to 640 MB/s read and 430 MB/s write can be achieved.
Fusion E400TBR5
The Fusion E400TBR5 4-Drive RAID 5 desktop storage system with Thunderbolt technology contains an internal RAID controller supporting RAID 5. It is available in 4, 6, 8 or 12 TB configurations. Data transfer of up to 400 MB/s read and 340 MB/s write is almost twice as fast as a four-drive storage system with an eSATA interface.
Fusion D800TBR5
The Fusion D800TBR5 8-Drive RAID 5 desktop storage system with Thunderbolt technology contains a high-performance internal RAID controller supporting RAID 0, 1, 5 and JBOD. Drive configuration is controlled with an easy-to-use application. It is available in 8, 12, 16 or 24 TB configurations. With data transfer of up to 800 MB/s read and 730 MB/s write, Fusion D800TBR5 is perfect for HD video editing. It can handle individual uncompressed 10-bit 1080 4:4:4 HD streams or multiple ProRes 422 streams, uncompressed 8-bit 1080 HD, DV, HDV and DVCPRO video data. Sonnet provides a five-year warranty for Fusion D800TBR5.
Echo Express PCIe 2.0 Expansion Enclosure with Thunderbolt Ports
Sonnet’s Echo Express PCIe 2.0 expansion enclosure with Thunderbolt ports allows PCI Express 2.0 adapter cards to be connected to any computer with a Thunderbolt port, including video-editing cards, 8 Gb Fibre Channel cards, 10 Gigabit Ethernet cards and RAID controller cards. There are two sizes: the standard Echo Express PCIe 2.0 expansion chassis with Thunderbolt ports for half-length PCIe 2.0 cards, and XL for full-length cards. Both models feature integrated universal power supplies and fans.
Allegro FW 800 Thunderbolt Adapter
The Allegro FW 800 Thunderbolt Adapter allows a FireWire 800 device to be connected to any computer with a Thunderbolt port.
Presto Gigabit Ethernet Thunderbolt Adapter
The Presto Gigabit Ethernet Thunderbolt Adapter adds a Gigabit Ethernet connection to a computer with a Thunderbolt port.
