We discussed the iodyne Pro Data firmware update 1.5 with Jeff Bonwick and Mike Shapiro from iodyne during the 2024 NAB show. This update further improves the fast Thunderbolt storage with multi-OS support, a further 20% speed increase, multi-reader sharing, and more.
In case you are not familiar with this product yet, the iodyne Pro Data is a very fast SSD-based Thunderbolt 3 external storage (in fact, iodyne claims it is the fastest Thunderbolt storage in the industry). Released back in January 2022, Pro Data also found its way to our office and we reviewed the 48TB version back in December 2022.
Last year in September, we met with the iodyne team at the IBC 2023 show in Amsterdam and found out how they partnered up with Hedge and incorporated Mimiq in Pro Data. This time, during the 2024 NAB show, iodyne walked us through the upcoming firmware update version 1.5 for Pro Data which adds a few interesting new features. Let’s take a quick look.
Pro Data Firmware 1.5
As Jeff Bonwick told us, the recent 1.4 firmware update made Pro Data (available in 12, 24, or 48TB versions) around 20% faster through optimization. The current maximum speeds of Pro Data are already only about 10% below the theoretical maximum throughput speed of Thunderbolt 3 (40Gbps), so the level of performance optimization seems to be quite high.
As the industry begins adopting the next Thunderbolt standard with up to 80Gbps speed standard, we might see another performance increase of Pro Data in the future, according to iodyne.
Furthermore, Pro Data will soon be available for multiple OS platforms. Previously, iodyne’s fast storage device was only available for macOS devices, but with the new update both Windows and Linux machines (Linux currently still in Beta) will be supported. It is worth noting that Pro Data will support devices with different OS simultaneously, so connected user groups can have mixed operating systems.
Another new feature is Multi-Reader Sharing. This focuses on the containers used in read-only mode (typically raw footage from a camera). These containers can now be shared among multiple users (computers) simultaneously across mixed operating systems.
Last but not least, a new DC power converter from iodyne features both USB-C and XLR connections. This also allows powering Pro Data from a battery or via a suitable USB-C power bank.
Price and availability
The pricing of iodyne Pro Data storage units remained the same since their launch. They are currently being sold for $4,450 (12TB version), $7,500 (24TB version), and $17,500 (48TB version). For more information, visit their website here.
Do you use any of the iodyne Pro Data models for your post-production workflow? What do you think about the newly added features? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section underneath the article.
