SanDisk Pushes Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo Performance to 30MB/s

Hinting at Sony's plans concerning professional photographers or extremely serious amateurs, SanDisk has announced today the fastest card in its Memory Stick lineup, namely the new Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo available in 4-gigabyte and 8-gigabyte capacities. Given the capacities and the performance, the two models are also aimed at videographers using Sony camcorders.

Speaking of performance, SandDisk is touting impressive read and write speeds of 30 megabytes per second, albeit the actual values might be a bit lower than what is quoted by the manufacturer.

"The SanDisk Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo continues our tradition of delivering best-in-class performance in the SanDisk Extreme product line," said Susan Park, director of consumer product marketing for SanDisk's performance cards.

The Extreme III are renowned for their resilience to the elements and the Memory Stick cards are no different as they can function in temperatures ranging -13 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit or -25 to 85 degrees Celsius.

"Our customers know SanDisk Extreme cards not only deliver cutting-edge read and write speeds, but are designed for durability - even under harsh conditions," the SanDisk official added.

Stemming from the classic Memory Stick PRO format, the Memory Stick PRO-HG offers increased performance, including an 8-bit parallel interface in addition to a conventional serial and 4-bit parallel interface and an interface clock frequency upped from 40MHz to 60MHz. In theory, this means that the maximum data transfer speed increases up to 480Mbps, or 60MB/s, three times as fast as that of "Memory Stick PRO" media. However, since the Extreme III cards only go as fast as 30 megabytes per second, it's obvious that the above figures are purely theoretical.

Showcased at the PMA Australia 2008 Imaging Technology Show, where the company is exhibiting at Stand 401 in the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre from May 30 to June 1, the Extreme III Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo cards will be available worldwide in June with manufacturer suggested retail prices of $89.99 and $149.99, respectively.