Sonnet Launches New SF3™ Series — SxS™ Pro Card Reader

Sonnet Technologies has launched its new SF3™ Series — SxS™ Pro Card Reader, the second in a new family of professional media readers that feature a 40Gbps Thunderbolt™ 3 interface.

The Sonnet reader employs dual card slots to take advantage of the tremendous 2,750 MB/s bandwidth Thunderbolt 3 offers. Sonnet's latest Pro Card Reader, the industry's first SxS card reader with Thunderbolt 3, can ingest files simultaneously from two cards at their maximum speeds, and is also compatible with SD™ and XQD™ media cards when used with Sonnet SDHC Adapters and Sony XQD ExpressCard® Adapters, respectively. Compatible with Mac® and Windows® computers with Thunderbolt 3 ports, the Sonnet reader is also compatible with Mac computers with Thunderbolt 2 or Thunderbolt ports when used with the Apple® Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) to Thunderbolt 2 Adapter.

"Our new SxS Pro Card Reader was designed to meet the time-sensitive demands digital imaging technicians (DITs) and post professionals face on location and in edit suites as they ingest footage," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. "With the move to shooting in 4K, combined with ever-shrinking production deadlines, cutting the time necessary to offload footage is critical. The SF3 Series — SxS Pro Card Reader gives users the ability to ingest content from two SxS cards at once at the fastest speeds the cards will support, and, with additional readers daisy-chained, the ability to ingest four or more cards concurrently."

Measuring just 5.75 inches (14.5 centimeters) wide by 5.1 inches (13 centimeters) deep by 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) tall, the compact SxS Pro Card Reader's shell is made from extruded aluminum, making it lightweight, rugged, and easily able to withstand heavy use. The Sonnet card reader features two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports — one port is reserved for connection to the computer, while the second supports daisy-chaining of up to five additional Thunderbolt peripheral devices plus two 4K monitors or one 5K display, or a single USB 3.1 device. The package includes a 0.5-meter Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps) cable, plus a Sonnet-exclusive ThunderLok™ 3 Thunderbolt Connector Retainer Clip to secure the cable to the reader and prevent accidental cable disconnects.

As part of the SF3 Series family of products, the SxS Pro Card Reader's resemblance to Sonnet's CFast 2.0 Pro Card Reader is clear. Sharing the same case profile, SF3 Series Pro Card Readers are designed to be stacked and daisy-chained. The SxS card reader also provides up to 15 watts of power to accepting peripherals or hosts. These features allow multiple SF3 Series card readers to occupy the same footprint and connect to a computer through a single Thunderbolt 3 cable, enabling users to ingest four, six or more cards simultaneously to take advantage of the Thunderbolt 3 2,750 MB/s bandwidth.

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