Memory to the fore
Posted on Jan 4, 2024 by Pro Moviemaker
If you need a powerful solution for filming the game of golf, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 scores a hole-in-one
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When it comes to putting equipment through its paces in seriously tough, pressurised environments, Howard Boylan is definitely an expert.
In a 38-year career, he has been an image maker for the British army, hanging out of helicopters in war zones. He has filmed the glamour of Formula One, fast-paced MotoGP and even high-profile Premier League football.
But one of his biggest loves has always been golf, and he’s now one of the top filmmakers in the industry.
Though it may seem a bit more sedate, there’s still lots of international travel with very early starts, often shooting in wind or hail and carting filmmaking kit over rough ground to capture footage for some of the biggest clients in the business.
Golf – from the professionals on tour to massive sales of equipment and incredible courses in stunning locations around the world – is big business. Clients expect nothing but the best, and failure of equipment is not an option.
“That’s why I have used Samsung portable drives for years, and they have never let me down,” explains Boylan. “I have seven and can’t imagine my work without them.”
Staying on course
Boylan has relied upon Samsung’s memory storage solutions for a long time. So he was keen to tee off with the Samsung Portable SSD T9 as it is not only rugged and fast, but safely stores 4TB of data.
“I need the space as I shoot on a 4K cinema camera, plus I’m now a licensed drone operator shooting on top-of-the-range drones to create cinematic footage in high quality,” he says.
For many shoots, it’ all about recording different angles as quickly as possible, so he always rigs up 4K action cameras and pocket cameras at various points to allow for a more dynamic edit.
“I also shoot FPV drones to give exciting and flowing footage, providing the viewer with a unique pilot’s eye view.”
That’s a lot of different cameras, each producing a lot of high-quality 4K footage on location. And all of it needs backing up as quickly and safely as possible.
High speed
“The first time I tried the new Samsung Portable SSD T9, I was transferring 70GB of files from a shoot and it downloaded in less than a minute! And that was to a computer that doesn’t have the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 capability offered. Due to the limitations of my laptop back at base, I don’t even get the full benefit. But I still love the speed!” Boylan beams.
The Samsung Portable SSD T9 comes with a choice of two different cables, one USB Type C to C and another USB Type C to A for legacy devices. The USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface allows up to 2000MB/s read and write speeds – and with the TurboWrite buffer size of up to 180GB, this ensures full performance for longer when transferring massive files.
For both file transmission and backup, the portable drive is the optimal device for every stage of work. It’s fast enough not only to be used to transfer data, but also to work for 4K editing projects on all the major non-linear editing programs.
“The Samsung portable drive is well up to the task of storing files and editing them on location or in the studio,” says Boylan. “Every time I use it, I still can’t get my head around how fast it is!”
Style and substance
It may be small, but the stylish rubber cover looks great while also preventing damage from bumps and knocks. “I love the grippy outer cover – and it gives protection too,” says Boylan. And at a mere 88x60x14mm, it fits neatly inside a camera case – or even a golf bag.
The Samsung Portable SSD T9 comes with Samsung Magician software pre-installed, which offers security functions, firmware updates and a health status check in real time. Version 8.0 also offers data migration and a card authentication tool, supporting Windows, Mac and Android.
As well as laptops, the portable drive is compatible with PCs, mobile phones, TVs and game consoles, largely because it was developed as a dedicated PCB design rather than an M.2 SSD.
Because both hardware and firmware are developed just for the Samsung Portable SSD T9, power usage is very low. It consumes 0.67W at idle and peak power up to 7.3W when connected by the USB-C, to ensure safe compatibility.
Samsung’s tests show that, when the T9 SSD is left to idle, battery life is extended by more than 30 minutes compared to rival products.* “That’s great news. There are no power sockets halfway round a golf course to keep your laptop running!” says Boylan.
Working with such large video files, heat management is also an important factor. A build up of temperature can lead to a drop in speed and, ultimately, cause a device to fail.
But with low power consumption, and use of thermal materials to keep things cool even in the most intense sessions, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 will not let you down. Coupled with its large capacity, compact size and super speed, that’s why it is Boylan’s cup of tee!
