CUPERTINO, Calif. -- (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The CompactFlash Association (CFA) today announced the formation of a new working group to develop a next-generation memory card. Nikon, SanDisk and Sony proposed the new format in order to meet the needs of professional type digital single lens reflex camera (DSLR) and professional video markets over the coming years. CFA members can join the new workgroup for considering the ratification of the new specification.

Sophisticated imaging applications such as High Definition video and professional photography require a new generation of memory cards with cutting-edge speeds and capacities capable of processing the larger file sizes. The development of the new card is designed to meet the future demands of professional imaging and video markets.

“Future professional photography and video applications will require memory cards with faster read/write speeds,” said Mr. Shigeto Kanda of Canon and the CFA chairman of the board. “The development of a new high-performance card standard with a serial interface will meet the needs of the professional imaging industry for years to come and open the door for exciting new applications.”

The current CF5.0 Specification’s PATA (parallel ATA) interface delivers up to 133MB/second speeds. Although the PATA interface still has room to increase performance, the serial interface can meet the long-term speed requirements of professional DSLR and video markets. The CompactFlash Association recently approved and announced the CF6.0 specification with a maximum speed of 167MB/second.

The CFA’s new working group will attempt to establish a roadmap for a card format standard that includes a high-speed serial interface that exceeds the PATA interface speed.

CompactFlash is the memory card format of choice for high-end imaging applications, and can be found in many other electronic platforms, including embedded systems, single board computers, data recorders, medical equipment and more. The most recently published CF Specifications, Revision 5.0 (PATA interface) and Revision 6.0, are available for download from the CFA web site at http://www.compactflash.org.

The CFA (logo), CF (logo), CF+, VPG, and CFast are trademarks of the CFA and are licensed royalty free to its members. The CFA is a licensee of the CompactFlash® trademark and in turn will license it royalty-free to its members.