CompuServe Messages

IBM is making a new series of drives both a 5 gig and a 8.7 gig 3.5" form factor that are rated AV and will deliver above 5 megs sustained throughput. The Seafgate Elites will not do this and as far as I know, there is no drive on the market yet that has broken the 5 meg barrier. I'm testing 4 IBM Ultarstar XPs that are the forerunners of the new IBM AV drives. They spin at 7200 RPM and are actually faster than the AV dirves IBM will produce. I get a minimum op 5.2 megs per second sustained date throughput, 6.5 – 7.0 most of the time. The Flyer needs 5.0 megs sustained to record lossless MII or Betacam SP on all shots. It needs less for a closeup/medium shot etc since there is less detail. The quality is the equivalent of other systems that use arrayed drives to get 4 to 1 JPEG compression rates if you use Flyer HQ5 continuously as I do. The IBM drives will be released this summer and faster drives are on the horizon. Flyer D2 lossless needs 8 megs sustained throughput. These drives probably won't surface until next year, but the Flyer is processing at that res. Problem is now you can't record or play it back so D2 will not be a reality unless Newtek can figure a way to use arrayed drives. If you arrayed two of these IBMs you could get well ove 10 megs sustained throughput which would utilize Flyer D2 capapbilities. I must say that having these drives greatly enhance the utility of the Flyer as you can lay down exactly what you put in (to the eye at least, and for the veiwer what else matters?). These type of drives will probablly sell for $1750 wholesale for the 5 gig form factor and I'm getting about about 21 minutes on each drive in HQ5 mode. I must reiterate my previous post that I wish to hell people would stop blaming Newtek for laggardly drive technology. IBM has told me these fast drives are overkill for 99% of their market so they have not been motivated to make them. Hence we're victims of supply and demand, not Newtek's folly. Kevin Elders