LAS VEGAS, January 4 /PRNewswire/ --
- Specification to Allow Development of
Higher-Capacity Memory Cards for Next Generation A/V and Telecommunications
Devices -
At the 2006 International CES held here this
week, the SD Card Association (SDA) announced it expects to finalize
specifications for a new, high-capacity SD Memory Card -- the SDHC Memory Card
-- in early 2006. The new specification will expand SD card capacity beyond 2GB,
to meet the memory-hungry requirements of a new generation of audio/video and
telecommunications devices -- from camcorders to cell phones and computers,
digital still cameras to plasma televisions and PDAs, among others.
"Consumers are demanding new capabilities of
their digital devices," said Paul Reinhart, Executive Director of the SD Card
Association, "and the SDA is working to help deliver on the entertainment and
productivity-enhancing promise of such products. The new SDHC card specification
will allow manufacturers to develop a new world of digital devices with the
advanced features and functions consumers are clamoring for."
Today's digital devices require expanded memory
capacities to accommodate large video, audio and database files. The new
specification will expand SD Memory Card capacities to meet the memory needs of
these products, including those which use the memory-intensive FAT 32 file
system. The new specification also guarantees a minimum SD Speed Class Rating,
which for video products, is equivalent to MPEG-2 video. Manufacturers can now
design new high-speed SDHC Memory Cards products, confident their memory needs
will be met by the new memory card.
The new SDHC Memory Card will also offer the
expanded capacity needed to help deliver new applications made possible by three
other SD specifications: SD-Audio, SD-Video and SD-Binding.
SD-Audio will allow users to easily move music
libraries between a variety of SD-enabled devices, to include cell phones,
portable audio players, computers, car stereos and other mobile devices. The
SD-Audio specification provides content protection via CPRM which is built into
each SD card, to prevent theft of data.
Similarly, the SD-Video specification allows
consumers to capture video, even MPEG-2 quality, and move it to an SD-Video
enabled product securely. SD-Video will soon allow users to record and watch
h.264 digital TV programs from their SD-Video enabled cell phones.
And finally, the SD-Binding specification
allows carriers/cell phone operators to provide security for content downloaded
to their specific network mobile phones. The content is bound to the cell phone
device and prevents unauthorized copying to other devices or computers.
About SD Memory Card:
The SD Memory Card is the premier semiconductor
memory card in use around the world today. The card's high transfer speed
enables smooth exchange of data between a wide array of SD-enabled devices such
as digital cameras and camcorders, printers, laptop computers, digital audio
products, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and many other products. In total,
5,037 models in 31 product categories by 321 brands supporting the SD standard
have been shipped globally as of December 2005.
The SD Memory Card is the memory format of
choice for the wireless communications industry. The format is supported by SDA
members, such as Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp, Toshiba, and
other leading marketers of SD, miniSD and microSD-enabled mobile phones around
the world.
About the SDA
The SD Card Association (SDA) is an open
industry standards organization established in January 2000 by Matsushita
Electric (Panasonic), SanDisk and Toshiba, and is supported by a consortium of
828 companies. The SDA's mission is to set industry standards and promote SD
Memory Card's acceptance in a variety of applications. SD Memory Card standards
are currently being built into a wide range of digital products such as cellular
phones, audio players, automotive multimedia systems, handheld PCs and digital
video and still cameras. For more information about SDA, please visit the
association's Web site,
http://www.sdcard.org . Parties interested in joining SDA are encouraged to
visit the Web site or contact membership@sdcard.org. Another SDA Web site,
http://www.sdcard.com,
showcases available SD products worldwide and SD interoperability between
devices.
Link to: SanDisk 4gb Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card
Current SD Cards
Peak SD
Secure Digital High Speed (Best Value) Cards
SanDisk
Secure SD Digital Cards
SanDisk
Ultra High Speed Secure Digital Cards
Secure
Digital (SD) Card Cases
SanDisk Extreme Conditions Secure Digital Card