Thunderbolt technology could revolutionize field editing

Broadcast Engineering by Michael Grotticelli

The arrival of Thunderbolt, a new data transfer and HD personal computer connection that runs at 10Gb/s brings new possibilities for ENG crews editing video with Apple’s Final Cut Pro in the field.

Developed in Intel’s labs with the help of Apple, under the name Light Peak, the technology was instantly available in Apple’s updated lineup of MacBook Pros. The 10Gb/s speeds, outperforming even USB 3.0 speeds, is a boon to video editors working with Apple laptops in the field.

Intel’s vision is to have Thunderbolt replace the myriad specialty ports on laptops and desktop machines with one that can do just about everything while scaling its bandwidth potential to support future computing needs.

In its line of 13in, 15in and 17in MacBook Pros recently introduced, Apple said Thunderbolt is 12 times faster than FireWire 800 and up to 20 times faster than USB 2.0. “It offers unprecedented expansion capabilities,” according to Apple. “It changes what you can do with a notebook.” read more...