When it comes to the issue of data storage, there are many options available to you. But chances are that you want to be able to store data as efficiently as possible, using as little space as possible. You could store information on CDs or DVDs, but this medium typically doesn’t hold much for the space it takes up. You could also store that information to jump drives or flash drives, but if you have a lot of information that needs storing, you still can’t store enough onto one jump drive to make that method space-efficient. For video professionals, an external hard drive system has been the most popular medium for archive and general access. Consider a solid-state drive, or SSD, as a solution that is also relatively new to the broadcast market.
SSD works by using solid-state memory for the storage of persistent data. A flash drive is actually a type of solid-state drive, but on a smaller scale. If you use a large solid-state drive, then you can store a lot more information. Since it uses persistent data, recall is usually quick, efficient, and accurate, making solid-state drives an excellent choice for data storage.
HDD can and will fail over time and constant use; there is also the issue of access time and general wear on the drives. SSD is superior for several reasons. First, since no spin up is required to start it, it can access the information much more quickly. You have faster random access to data because there’s no read/write head involved. It operates silently because it has no moving parts. This also gives it less of a likelihood of mechanical failure. It consumes far less power than a HDD and generates little heat. It is very rugged and can endure shock, vibration, high altitudes, and extreme temperature. This makes it an ideal choice for transporting data from one place to another.
The longevity of an SSD card is dramatic – the life span of a typical SSD drive MTBF (mean time between failures) is 1,000,000 – 1,500,000 hours for MLC (multi-layer cell) with 1,000 – 10,000 program/erase cycles per cell). Design of the firmware and file system also mitigates wear and tear by spreading the writes over the entire device (wear-leveling).
But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any disadvantages to using an SSD. It tends to be more expensive than a HDD. It can’t hold as much as an entire HDD. With its portability and the speed with which it can recall data, solid-state drives are an excellent choice for storing data, especially if you need to store it in order to transfer it to another location.
