Thunderbolt is the new name for Light Peak connector from Intel

It is available on the New Apple MAC Pro books announced today.

Uncompressed HD editing with a Laptop!

 

Avid

 

"We are very excited by the capabilities of Thunderbolt technology. To have two 10Gbps, bi-directional, multi-protocol channels in a single cable is a great step forward for high performance audio and video solutions." 
– Max Gutnik, Sr. Director, Product Management, Avid Technology

And a comment from Blackmagic design "Thunderbolt technology will revolutionize mobile media creation. It's a game-changer and will accelerate our ability to build the highest quality video creation products that are affordable to everyone."
– Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic . .. . . More about it here http://www.intel.com/technology/io/thunderbolt/index.htm

 

I am truly excited about this option.  Very cool implementation and let's see how this plays out with external devices.  Having that bandwidth to a BOB or external RAID - lots of potential!

This is a BIG deal. I was looking at purchasing a new Mac Pro in the next few weeks, but I think I might just hold off until this is implemented into the Mac Pro range. 

Has anyone heard any rumours about when it might make the cross from the laptop range? I know I could have used this sort of technology over the last year. Or is this going to be a laptop only technology?

Geoffs:

I know I could have used this sort of technology over the last year. Or is this going to be a laptop only technology?

I very much doubt it.  I also doubt that it will even be a Mac-only technology.

Intel have already demonstrated Light Peak (the name for their technology marketed by Apple as Thunderbolt) on a prototype PC.  They plan on having it available for general use "soon" - whatever that may mean.

It seems that way, the more I read. Holding off on upgrades for now then.

yeah, ecxiting technology! Lacie already announced an external SSD-Raid-disk

http://www.lacie.com/us/technologies/technology.htm?id=10039

can't wait for the first "real" experiences and forthcoming products by BMD, Aja, Avid...

doc.phibes:

yeah, ecxiting technology! Lacie already announced an external SSD-Raid-disk

http://www.lacie.com/us/technologies/technology.htm?id=10039

can't wait for the first "real" experiences and forthcoming products by BMD, Aja, Avid...

Hi doc.phibes: This technology combined with Avid MC would really benefit our little boutique. We run everything off of laptops and one 24 inch iMAC, so this should equal a future release of MC, which could run two streams of 10 bit uncompressed video off of a PC based laptop (I hope). You could have a simple, light weight laptop with just one or two of these thunderbolt interfaces, and run all your Raids, HD Monitors, PCIe devices and live happily ever after. (If the speed claims are more than salesman's bluster !)

Mark Job

 

The claimed 10Gbps performance seems to be a good ole theoretical maximum. And it is only the protocol, so will need any drives or other devices on the chain connected to it to perform similarly fast to get the benefit. Very exciting nonetheless, and great that Avid is involved from the start for a change.

fiendish:

The claimed 10Gbps performance seems to be a good ole theoretical maximum. And it is only the protocol

Yes; at the moment there aren't that many hard drives out there that can do that - even in reasonable RAID configurations!

jwrl:

at the moment there aren't that many hard drives out there that can do that

Seems to me the technology may have been better released for fast networking solutions (including NAS's)