Consumers who own camcorders that use flash memory cards instead of tape will now be able to select the right storage media for their cameras with the debut of a video card line from SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK). As the first of a new category of storage media, SanDisk Video HD cards will now be available in Australia in SDHC (high-capacity) and Memory Stick PRO Duo formats, and will be identified by minutes of recording time as well as by capacity.
SanDisk unveiled the high performance video card product family during a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year.
Echoing the familiar messaging of analog video tape, the SanDisk Video HD card packaging offers a chart that shows the approximate number of minutes for HD High, HD Standard and HD Extended settings. SanDisk Video HD cards exceed the performance required by high definition camcorders, making them ideal for 1080i High Definition recording. They also feature a fast read speed, making for efficient transfer speeds to a personal computer and giving them a “best in class” performance for video cards.
The concept of launching a new product category is being driven by the proliferation of HD-capable flash-memory-based camcorders and hybrid camcorders that contain both hard drives and card slots. Offered by manufacturers such as Sanyo, Sony, Panasonic and JVC, many of them are affordable and come in compact sizes that make them easy to carry.
The market for flash-enabled camcorders is expected to grow in popularity. Research company IDC predicts that by 2011, some 37 percent of global camcorder shipments will be models that record onto memory cards, and well over half of camcorders will feature HD video capture.
Handily, the cards come with jewel cases and labels so that users can identify and store their valued videos.
Price and availability
The SanDisk Video HD card is now available in Australia and will be offered in two sizes. The RRP for the 60-minute* (4GB) is $66 for the HDTM SDHC card and $101 for the HDTM Memory Stick PRO Duo. The RRP for the 120-minute* (8GB) is $119 for the HDTM SDHC card and $194 for the Memory Stick PRO Duo.
These times are based on the HD Standard setting – for both SDHC and Memory Stick PRO Duo formats.
Source: SanDisk
