BFV's Big Interview: G-Technology

G-Technology design high performing and reliable storage solutions, empowering creative professionals to capture their dreams, enhance their storytelling, and bring to life their moments of inspired creativity.

At every point of the creative process, G-Technology helps to keep things moving forward, from capture and ingest to editing and final production. This month, Darragh O'Toole, Product Marketing Manager, answers our questions...

BFV: G-Technology delivers storage solutions for end-to-end creative workflows. Today, we are creating larger amounts of content – and of much higher quality, such as 4K and now HDR. Trying to tackle and streamline the data involved is therefore more challenging – how does the company react to and address these issues?
Darragh: G-Technology has always been focused on optimising the workflow and making life easier for the independent creator or DIT! The G-SPEED Shuttle XL was specifically designed for high resolution content management in the field. Small features like the built in handle and choice of Pelican cases for shipping or carry-on are part of the built for purpose ethos that means you can get on with the process of content creation while we provide solutions that become the cornerstone of your workflow. Higher resolution means more data, so we have addressed this on two fronts. Firstly, we have upgraded our key products to Thunderbolt 3.0, delivering up to 2000 MB/s so you can move your data quicker, saving time and money. Secondly, we have introduced our new high capacity 12TB Enterprise drives so you can now pack up to 96TB of highly reliable storage into a single portable RAID.

When it comes to data on the go, whether you're offloading GoPro or Drone footage, the move to SSD is inevitable, as it's lightweight, shockproof and incredibly fast allowing you to back up your footage safely in extreme temperature conditions and get back to work. The G-DRIVE slim SSD USB-C is becoming the default choice for the backpack moviemaker.

When developing solutions, how much input do your customers have when it comes to suggesting improvements or features they would like to see integrated?
We have very close relationships with our customers, and take all of their feedback via social media, shows and channel feedback which, combined with our G-TEAM of working professionals, allows us to match the best available technology to the real pain points of data management, so they can focus on getting back to being creative.

You recently launched a new USB-C drive, can you tell us about more this interface?
USB-C is a new connectivity standard featuring a neat reversible connector and cable. It saves space and provides several functions and, depending on the host and device controller, the physical ports and cables, can carry either USB 3.1 (Gen 1 and 2) or Thunderbolt 3.0 which include support for power and display. Sticking with USB for now, USB 3.1 Gen 2 @ 10 Gbps doubles the speeds of previous generation USB that used the rectangular Type A connector (USB 3.0 @ 5 Gbps aka USB 3.1 Gen 1). Our new G-DRIVE USB-C is the ideal solution for new MacBooks with limited ports as when it's connected it not only bumps up your storage capacity over a speedy interface, but it actually powers your MacBook over the USB-C cable leaving you one less cable to worry about.

At NAB, the company announced Thunderbolt 3.0 upgrades to its product lines. Can you tell us about more this?
Our biggest news was the move to Thunderbolt 3.0, which makes use of the new USB-C connector and doubles the available bandwidth to 40 Gbps vs Thunderbolt 2.0 @ 20 Gbps. Additional advantages include the ability to daisy chain up to 6 devices to allow you to manage your desktop effectively by simply docking to the first device and chaining multiple storage or dual 4K displays.
In our product range, all of the Thunderbolt 3.0 enabled products now feature an extended 5 year warranty as well as our 7200rpm Enterprise Class drives for maximum performance and peace of mind. Our new G-DRIVE not only features 2 X Thunderbolt 3.0 ports for daisy chaining, but an additional USB-C port and a USB-C to USB-A cable to ensure backwards compatibility and cover all bases.

Our new G-RAID with Thunderbolt 3.0 features an HDMI port allowing you to connect to the likes of the new ATOMOS Sumo high res monitor recorder so you have full pass through of your HDR signal to a display capable of true colour grading and recording. Last but no means least, Thunderbolt 3.0 on our G-SPEED Shuttle XL takes us to a whopping 2000 MB/s transfer rate with 96TB of transportable disk space.

Next month, G-Technology is set to feature at the Media Production Show in London. What can visitors expect to see from the company?
We will be showcasing the full range of new Thunderbolt 3.0 solutions and looking forward to introducing the potential to new and existing customers and talking about integration of USB-C, Thunderbolt 2.0 and Thunderbolt 3.0 and why it makes sense to consider futureproofing your investment by making the move to Thunderbolt 3.0 now.

How is the rest of 2017 looking for G-Technology?
With all of the new products in the range, Thunderbolt transitions, SSD and a continued push for bigger, faster storage, all I can say is that it's going to be very busy!

www.g-technology.com

This article is also available to read in the latest edition of Broadcast Film & Video here, page 5.

(JP/LM)