While some might say that the future of video production might eventually end up exclusively in the cloud, there’s something to be said about the good old-fashioned video-to-card-reader-to-computer workflow. It’s so simple and so direct.

Yet, as cameras continue to grow faster and push even higher with new specs and recording capabilities, the need for faster and larger storage capacity cards has never been more dire. (I remember when the world’s first 1TB SD card was released and how insane—but very much needed—that felt.) 

So, if you’re shooting 8K video and looking to get the most storage and the fastest clip out there, then we have some exciting news for you coming from the team at ProGrade with their new next-generation Type B CF Express Gold card which can now max out at 2 TB of storage capacity, while still promising the same performance of their previous 2nd gen cards (which peaked at 256GBs).

Prograde_nextgen_cf_express_cardProGrade Type B CF Express Gold cardCredit: ProGrade

ProGrade NextGen CF Express Card

Fully compliant with all of the new CompactFlash Association 2.0 specifications, this new line of ProGrade NextGen CF Express cards should be one of the new best options for PCI_express data transfer which allows for the writing and transferring of 8K original camera files at some pretty crazy speeds.

“The introduction of our 3rd generation CF Express 2 TB Gold cards provides the extra-large capacity and performance needed for a very broad range of video capture needs. Our introduction of a 2 TB capacity point, ensures that nearly all video capture modes can be utilized while also meeting traditional read speeds for quick offloading.” — Wes Brewer, Founder, and CEO, of ProGrade Digital.

In particular, these ProGrade Gold cards have been designed and refined specifically to provide improved performance when being used for professional-grade cinema and video cameras, along with a photo or other digital transfer needs with read speeds up to 1700 MB/s and write speeds of up to 1500 MB/s.

2 Terabytes of Storage

Along with the flagship TB version, the ProGrade Gold cards will also be available in a 1 TB option and a 512 GB option as well which were announced back in January. Also, along with the fast read and write speeds, these new Gold cards have some high minimum write speeds as well which should not drop below 1300 MB/s, which should allow for secure, uninterrupted recording of various codecs including RAW 4K video, 4K and 6K ProRes 4444, and 4K, 6K, and 8K ProRes 422 HQ.

Here are some of the main features and selling points for this 2 TB card:

  • Fully compliant with CompactFlash Association CFexpress Type B 1.0 and 2.0 specifications
  • XQD host interoperable with firmware support from the device manufacturer
  • Metal enclosure/encasement to endure high temperatures while providing better thermal conductivity
  • Built-in thermal throttling to protect your card and its content in the event of overheating
  • Designed to provide improved performance for flagship cinema, video, and photography cameras
  • Optimized controllers specifically designed for use in professional-grade cameras
  • Rigorous full card testing with serialized tracking of key components and manufacturing data for high-quality control
  • Component-level testing down to individual memory chips for greater reliability
  • Refresh Pro enabled to quickly refresh card performance and monitor card health

All to say, if you’re looking to shoot 8K (or just a lot of 4K or 6K video), having this amount of storage coupled with some of the better read and write speeds out there. This card might represent the highest end of CFExpress cards currently on the market for any high-end video workflows.

Pricing and Availability

Even if you are shooting directly camera-to-cloud or experimenting with any other cloud-based storage flows, it never hurts to have cards and backups these days. While the price might be a bit high when compared to some slower and smaller cards, it’s up to you to decide what that extra storage (and less lost time on set) is truly worth to you and your production.

Here are the full specs and price points:

  • 2TB Storage Capacity
  • NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 Bus
  • Max Read Speed: 1700 MB/s
  • Max Write Speed: 1500 MB/s
  • Min Write Speed: 1300 MB/s
  • Records Raw 4K Video
  • Compatible with Select XQD Devices
  • Metal Enclosure for Temperature Control
  • Built-In Thermal Throttling
  • Shock / Vibration / X-Ray Proof

Price: $799.99 (or $1,439 for a two-card bundle)

The 2 TB Type B CF Express Gold Card is set to release soon and should be shipping here in the next couple of weeks.

How do you feel about this new card and its 8K video possibilities? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

ProGrade8K video2TBCFexpressProGrade Gold cards
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