24-Bit Dailies in a 16-Bit World
Why the broadcast industry prefers compact flash
- Category: Fred's Blog
- December 22 2011
- Dan Montecalvo and Tom Duffy
Ever wonder why so many of our high end recorders use compact flash, while most consumer products use the popular SD cards that are so much smaller and less expensive?
Dan Montecalvo and Tom Duffy, both with Tascam (Broadcast Audio Products) sent me this brief explanation of why compact flash media is preferred by many (professional) manufacturers over the smaller and thinner SD cards.
"Much faster write speeds, easier data recovery in case of failure and the CF connector is rated for 10k+ insertions (SD is rated around 1k). The SD card has its connection metal area exposed (scratches/grime) where the CF connection area is enclosed and kinda self-cleaning. The SD connector in the device can lose its 'springiness' and wear-out (gotta replace the device)...with CF, you simply replace the card because the spring contact part is in the card - not the device. All these reasons and more is why CF is preferred in the broadcast industry."
Fred Ginsburg CAS, Ph.D., MBKS is a highly experienced professional sound mixer, professor, workshop instructor, and corporate consultant. Published and written in many trade magazines, he is also president of the EQE Media & Consulting Group.
