G-Technology™ Delivers Solid State Drive-Like Sustained Performance In A Compact External Hard Drive Solution

LAS VEGAS, April 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- National Association of Broadcasters (NAB 2013) Booth #SL12105 -- G-Technology, a leader in delivering premium storage solutions for audio/video production, photography and the creative professional market, announced today its new G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt, a compact, desktop external hard drive that delivers hard drive capacity with SSD-like performance, taking full advantage of the speed and power of Thunderbolt. Leveraging G-Technology's well-known G-DRIVE design, the new G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt delivers sustained data transfer rates of up to 480MB/s, which is up to three times faster than standard 3.5-inch desktop external hard drives. The broader creative professional market now has access to an extremely high-performance, high-capacity and portable editing solution for maintaining 2K and 4K¹ workflows.

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Storage Evolved
New high-resolution media formats and related files sizes require massive storage and faster data transfer rates to efficiently edit and distribute content throughout the workflow. For example, an uncompressed 2K digital video format consumes more than one terabyte (1TB) per hour and requires approximately 305 megabytes per second (MB/s) sustained throughput for smooth editing with no dropped frames. These high-resolution video formats, along with the rising popularity of higher megapixel DSLR cameras that shoot professional 2K video, has created a need for a new high-performance storage solution designed to meet the needs of today's digital content creators.

Previously, most storage solutions able to support 2K and 4K were either bulky multi-bay solutions, or were extremely expensive and sacrificed needed capacity for the performance of SSDs. By bringing the cost of entry down for those making the jump to richer media formats such as 2K and 4K, G-Technology is empowering today's independent professionals and other small production studios with more cost-effective, efficient workflows.

Introducing the New G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt
No external storage solution using a single 3.5-inch hard drive form factor has taken advantage of the performance of Thunderbolt – until now. Delivering sustained data transfer rates of up to 480MB/s, the new G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt is a performance leader in the desktop, external hard drive category. Optimal for Thunderbolt-enabled Mac® systems, the G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt is easily transportable for editing in the field or in the studio. Based on G-Technology's high-quality G-DRIVE design, it provides dual Thunderbolt ports for future external storage expansion and to daisy chain with other Thunderbolt-based devices. It easily supports compressed 4K and multiple streams of 2K, HDV, DVCPro HD, XDCAM HD, ProRes 4444 and uncompressed SD workflows. With up to 4TB capacity, the G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt is Mac-formatted and is Apple® Time Machine® ready.

"We work closely with many high-profile studios and independent professionals, so we understand the rigorous requirements of production workflows. With our latest product release, we continue to deliver high-performance and reliable external storage solutions that our customers have come to expect from G-Technology," said Mike Williams, vice president and general manager, G-Technology/HGST Branded Business. "In a class of its own, the G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt combines outstanding performance, innovative patent-pending technology, reliability and ample capacity so digital content creators can focus on their creativity, not their gear."

The G-DRIVE Pro with Thunderbolt will be available this summer through G-Technology and its Premier Channel Partners. The MSRP for the 4TB G-DRIVE with Thunderbolt will be $849.95. A 2TB G-DRIVE PRO with Thunderbolt solution will be available for $699.95.

To become a member of the new G-Technology Premier Partner Program, please visit:                www.G-Technology.com. Targeting digital video, audio and photography-focused resellers,              G-Technology's Premier Partner Program is exclusively dedicated to the creative professional storage market.

Come see "Storage Evolved" at NAB 2013, G-Technology Booth #SL12105:

• New Evolution Series: Also announced today is G-Technology's new Evolution Series. The Evolution Series is a flexible ecosystem of docking stations and interchangeable and expandable external hard drive modules that streamline the digital content workflow, making copying, transferring and distributing content more efficient, scalable and reliable. The Evolution Series family comprises the G-DOCK ev™ with Thunderbolt, the G-DRIVE™ ev and the G-DRIVE ev PLUS external hard drive modules with USB 3.0. The G-DOCK ev with Thunderbolt is the only two-bay solution with interchangeable and rugged storage modules that can be taken into the field and used as true standalone external drives. Together they provide efficient content transfer, easy storage expansion, high performance and reliability in a simple user-configurable solution.
• G-TEAM Workshops at G-Technology's NAB booth: Pulitzer Prize-winning director, producer and photographer Vincent Laforet; one of the world's leading adventure sports and travel photographers Lucas Gilman; and Vienna-based award-winning filmmaker, director of photography and film producer Nino Leitner, all advocates of G-Technology, will host in-booth workshops (G-Technology Booth #SL12105), showcasing and talking about their creative approaches, gear and workflows.
• NAB Session with G-TEAM member Alex Buono and Saturday Night Live's film unit: On Monday, April 8 from 3-4 pm in room S220, come hear how SNL produces commercial parodies and short films with some of the tightest turnaround times in television, using G-Technology storage solutions.
• Creative Pro User Group NAB SuperMeet – G-Technology is a sponsor of the 2013 NAB SuperMeet. Held on April 9 at the Rio Hotel Amazon Ballroom, the SuperMeet provides the post-production and broadcast community with an opportunity to learn about the latest technology trends, network with peers and share industry news and opportunities in a social setting that is educational, exciting and fun. To register, please visit http://www.supermeet.com/.

Stay connected with G-Technology:
G-Technology's roots are deeply ingrained in delivering premium storage solutions for audio/video production, photography and the professional digital content creation market. From storing, transferring, editing, distributing and storing content, G-Technology makes the workflow simpler, better and faster. G-Technology's high-performance portable and desktop drives, flexible transfer/edit solutions and fast RAID systems are all built for professional content creation environments where performance and reliability are paramount. Because G-Technology holds itself to the highest standards, its products can be found in premier post-production facilities worldwide.

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About HGST
HGST (formerly known as Hitachi Global Storage Technologies or Hitachi GST), a Western Digital company (NASDAQ: WDC), develops advanced hard disk drives, enterprise‐class solid state drives, innovative external storage solutions and services used to store, preserve and manage the world's most valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, HGST provides high‐value storage for a broad range of market segments, including Enterprise, Desktop, Mobile Computing, Consumer Electronics and Personal Storage. HGST was established in 2003 and maintains its U.S. headquarters in San Jose, California. For more information, please visit the company's website at http://www.hgst.com.

¹  Capacity and performance requirements to support 2K, 4K and other media formats vary by camera and supported media formats, as well as related pixel sizes, frame rates, compressed or uncompressed media, and color models and depths.

One GB is equal to one billion bytes, and one TB equals 1,000 GB (one trillion bytes). Actual capacity will vary depending on operating environment and formatting.

G‐Technology external hard drives serve as an element of an overall backup strategy. It is recommended that users keep two or more copies of their most important files backed up or stored on separate devices or online services.

G‐Technology, G-DOCK ev and G-DRIVE are trademarks of HGST, a Western Digital company. Western Digital, WD, and the WD logo are registered trademarks of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements relating to expected availability dates for HDD products.  These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements, including changes in markets, demand, uncertainties related to the development, introduction, and timing of products based on new technologies, and other risks and uncertainties listed in Western Digital's recent SEC filings to which your attention is directed.  Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak on as of the date hereof, and HGST/WD undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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SOURCE G-Technology