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Next-gen SD cards are ready for 4K, 2K video recording, even if you aren’t

sd cards to support 4k 2k video recording sdxc u3
Image used with permission by copyright holder

You might not be in any hurry to upgrade your gear for 4K content, but the industry is – from TVs to camcorders and content providers. In preparation for the latest 4K- and 2K-capable cameras and camcorders down the pipeline, the SD Association (the governing body over the SD format) has unveiled a new SDXC/SDHC card spec, the Ultra High Speed Class 3 (U3), that’s fast enough to handle the high-resolution data.

To qualify as a U3 card, the specification states that it must have a minimum write performance of at least 30 MB/sec, which is enough to handle 4K recording and definitely for 2K. “This means 4K2K video, live broadcasts and content can be recorded on high-performance cameras such as Digital Single Lens Reflex (D-SLR), Digital Single Lens Mirrorless (D- SLM), camcorders and video cameras and then played back smoothly,” the SD Association says. “Consumers will benefit from a single card that is capable of meeting all of their video, photo, music, document and data storage needs.”

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One such new capture device is Sony’s FDR-AX1, which supports the rival XQD format for 4K recording; although it can also support SD cards for Full HD, there’s no indication yet if the camcorder will support the new U3 format via a firmware upgarde. Like all new card formats, U3 will probably be pricey in the beginning, as will the first-gen 4K products.

(Via SD Association via Pop Photo)

Les Shu
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I am formerly a senior editor at Digital Trends. I bring with me more than a decade of tech and lifestyle journalism…
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