Current status of CF cards

[Neil Duffy]

We are about to buy our cameras, and wanted to know if we should go ahead and buy the RED 8GB CF cards. I know this has been discussed before, but what is the current status of the 16GB and 32GB CF cards? Are they worth waiting for?

Any suggestions and insights would be helpful.

[Lexicon]

8GB is as good as it's going to get with current cards. 16-32GB will come with the next generation of flash memory cell technology and CFast which uses a SATA-based interface. The standard high density flash chips currently made for 16-32GB CF cards are too slow in write speeds to be used with RED and the faster ones are in R&D but use different flash cell technology which requires retooling of the manufacturing process. So it will be some time (1-2 years at the least) until we get 16-32GB cards suitable for RED 4K.

[Rainer Fritz]

we ordered one of the new delkin 16GB cards to test them:

http://www.delkin.com/products/compactflash/udma-compactflash-pro.html

regards
rainer

[Chris Parker]

if it takes 2 years to get 16GB CF cards that work in the RED, I'm gonna go postal.....

i am expecting them within 2 months....

[David Mutchler]

So, will the Red Flash (CF) Module work with the new CFast? Is it better to get the CF Module on the Red now, or wait for the new standard?

[Lexicon]

we ordered one of the new delkin 16GB cards to test them:

http://www.delkin.com/products/compactflash/udma-compactflash-pro.html

regards
rainer

RED already tested those. They don't meet the requirements. Most of the UDMA cards now on the market use higher UDMA levels for reading and lower levels for writing.

[Lexicon]

So, will the Red Flash (CF) Module work with the new CFast? Is it better to get the CF Module on the Red now, or wait for the new standard?

AFAIK, and this is just based on my knowledge of the preliminary specs of the CFast format, it should be as simple as a swap out of modules. No new boards or anything. That could certainly change though depending on where development goes but until I see anything that suggests otherwise, it's that simple. Unfortunately, RED is not a member of the Compact Flash organization (at least last time I checked they weren't) so they have no input into the development of the new format beyond whatever they pass along through Lexar or whomever else they have a business relationship with. Just buy what you need now and swap it out later.

[Lexicon]

Of course there's always the possibility that Jim Jannard has a secret facility in the Nevada desert that has been churning out 16 and 32GB flash cards for months using secret RED technology developed from a time machine that came from the 22nd century. Heh heh heh...

[Chris B. Hill]

Hi All,
I received a copy of HD Video Pro Magazine April 2008, in the mail the other day and they describe on page 22 In the CES ROUNDUP section, it seemed to imply that the Pretec CF cards (at 333x speed) can possibly be used on HD cameras, including the RED ONE.

Attached picture is the scan of the article

Chris B. Hill
www.HillDigital.com

[Matthew Rogers]

Hi All,
I received a copy of HD Video Pro Magazine April 2008, in the mail the other day and they describe on page 22 In the CES ROUNDUP section, it seemed to imply that the Pretec CF cards (at 333x speed) can possibly be used on HD cameras, including the RED ONE.

Please tell me that someone has tried this card! The 333x cards comes in 3 useful sizes, 8gb ($189), 16gb ($359), and 24gb ($799). The question is...anyone willing to pony out the money to test a 16 or 25 gigger?

Matthew

[Lexicon]

Please tell me that someone has tried this card! The 333x cards comes in 3 useful sizes, 8gb ($189), 16gb ($359), and 24gb ($799). The question is...anyone willing to pony out the money to test a 16 or 25 gigger?

Matthew

It seems someone here has tried them (or so I read) and they were not up to snuff. Look here on the first page. (http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6166)

[George A.]

We have a 16GB CF card in development... and a 32GB. Pretty soon...

Jim

Jim stated this back in November. I, for one, trust what Jim says. Late (most often) or not late, he does keep his word.
I think we should expect 16Gb and 32Gb cards VERY soon. Maybe a NAB announcement?

[Brandon Fraley]

I really hope we hear something at NAB, otherwise I'd rather put the $500 towards the drive (which i guess isn't an option now)

[Ken K]

I just called Pretec and asked about their 16GB 333x card and if it will sustain a 40MB/s write speed. He asked what device I was using it for and when I told him the Red, he knew what I was talking about.

Apparently, they sent Deanan a card to test and for some reason or another, it wouldn't work. He said the Red required a certain spec or something and it wasn't reading the card correctly? Or wasn't writing to the card with a fast enough sustained speed? He told me to contact Deanan for more info as to why it wasn't working properly.

Bummer, I was hopeful about the Pretec cards when they were first announced. So Red, anymore info on those Pretec cards and why they weren't working? I'm just curious for my own geek factor. :)

[Lexicon]

Jim stated this back in November. I, for one, trust what Jim says. Late (most often) or not late, he does keep his word.
I think we should expect 16Gb and 32Gb cards VERY soon. Maybe a NAB announcement?

I don't think we'll get that at NAB unless RED is seriously throwing around some cheese to get those cards out of the labs. Micron (parent company of Lexar and maker of the memory in the RED cards) has started to sample 32GB high speed NAND chips for products but there is no information on their performance. Lexar would be likely to offer a card before they allow RED to use it unless RED has some swanky agreement that allows them to do so. Of course there are always possibilities given all the recent developments and business relationships that have formed in the last few years...

[Jarred Land]

Pretec and the Delkin ones are too slow. Alot of companies have max rates read posted, or count the top peak write rate of the cards in a certain block size test which doesn't apply to RED unfortunately.

It's close.. but we aren't there yet. The next round of 16gb cards hopefully will be up to speed.... the good thing is the companies are paying attention to us a little more than when we started so we usually get to test them as soon as engineering samples become available.

[Mark Andersen]

I am told that Lexar Professional 300X cards will also work. Is tis true?

[sparkhope]

I am told that Lexar Professional 300X cards will also work. Is tis true?

I believe that's what soderbergh used.

[Deanan]

I just called Pretec and asked about their 16GB 333x card and if it will sustain a 40MB/s write speed. He asked what device I was using it for and when I told him the Red, he knew what I was talking about.

Apparently, they sent Deanan a card to test and for some reason or another, it wouldn't work. He said the Red required a certain spec or something and it wasn't reading the card correctly? Or wasn't writing to the card with a fast enough sustained speed? He told me to contact Deanan for more info as to why it wasn't working properly.

Bummer, I was hopeful about the Pretec cards when they were first announced. So Red, anymore info on those Pretec cards and why they weren't working? I'm just curious for my own geek factor. :)

There is a difference between cards tested on SATA/IDE analyzers that manufacturers use to test speed and real world write conditions that need to be real time. Unfortunately, cards like the Pretec which have good numbers on the analyzer, don't always do well on the camera. We do a fair amount of tuning on the camera for each card/device to try and get reliable and consistent speeds. Sometimes we have to do this on the media side also.

[George A.]

It's close...

How close exactly?

And what about the 16Gb and 32Gb cards that RED has in development, according to Jim?