CFA Announces Availability of CF5.0 Specification

CompactFlash cards are generally used in such devices as digital cameras, heart monitors, data recorders, slot machines, defibrillators and single-board computers. These memory cards are also responsible for the rapid advancements in digital photography, a field that is set to only grow now that the CompactFlash Association has made the recently approved CF5.0 specification widely available.

The CF5.0 builds upon the feature set of the CF4.1 specification based on the Parallel ATA (PATA) interface. The CF5.0 group was formed in November 2008 and has since worked on adding key features to this specification, in order to improve CF cards and all the industry segments that rely on them. As such, the new standard boasts an improved efficiency, higher capacities, improved performance and enhanced usability.

The new specification brings with it a number of key features. One of the mandatory features is the 48-bit addressing, which enables capacity points beyond the current limitation of 137GB (up to 144PB). This new element also allows for a higher efficiency in data transfers, with 32MB per transfer instead of 128KB per transfer. A second mandatory addition to the standard is the Data Set Management Command/Trim. This feature more efficiently cleans up the unused space on the memory card. The CF5.0 specification also updates ATA references to ATA-6 and ATA-8/ACS-2.

The other two mandatory key features of the CF5.0 specification are the possibility of identifying device CFA specification version number, which allows host machines to determine card capabilities, and the changed interface Electrical Specification to better comply with the ATA standard. This last element enables an easier and better card design, compatible with advanced hosts. The new specification also has a number of optional elements, such as Performance Control and Video performance Guarantee (which makes sure that no frames are dropped during video-capture applications.

“The higher capacity and higher performance of CF cards enabled by the 48-bit addressing feature in the CF5.0 specification will further increase the value of DSLR cameras,” Mr. Shigeto Kanda of Canon and the CFA chairman of the board said. “The Video Performance Guarantee feature of the CF5.0 specification will help CF cards to expand into new markets such as high-speed movie equipment like professional video camcorders.”

The CompactFlash Association has also created an evolutionary CF5 compatibility mark, which allows manufacturers to differentiate the new CF5 cards, as well as a Video performance Guarantee compatibility mark, which helps host and card manufacturers assist users in choosing appropriate cards.