G-Tech unveils smaller 4-bay option for its popular G-SPEED Shuttle

 

 

G-Tech is one of the photo and video market's go-to brands for exceptional storage solutions, and one of their more popular products is the G-SPEED Shuttle. The Shuttle is a massive eight bay portable hard disk array that also can be modded to accept a group of different adapters from a host of different companies like RED or Atomos. Basically, if you were on the road and needed speed, storage and ruggedness, there are really few other options that really meet those criteria other than the Shuttle. Today they unveiled a smaller, cheaper option that's only 4 bay, designed to cater to teams who still want all three of those aforementioned things but just a little bit less big, a little less storage, and a lot easier to carry around. 

The new 4-bay G-SPEED Shuttle is a Thunderbolt 3 drive featuring both capacity and performance needed for professionals in the creative media and entertainment industry. It's designed to be fast and easy to use, but also easily transported to get data off set and into the hands of post-production teams without fuss. According to their press release, with the G-SPEED Shuttle, a professional can transfer one hour of 4K footage at 30 frames per second (fps) in just minutes at up to 1,000 MB/s (this is probably calculated with the array set to RAID 0).

The new 4-bay array comes in two main arrangements with various options within each:

• G-SPEED Shuttle with Thunderbolt 3: Able to handle demanding multi-stream workflows of 4K and beyond, both on location and in the studio, the G-SPEED Shuttle solution with dual Thunderbolt 3 ports offers content creators up to 48TB and hardware RAID 0, 1, 5, and 10 in a 4-bay transportable design. Equipped with transfer rates up to 1000MB/s** and removable 7200RPM enterprise class drives, creative professionals have the ultimate storage solution for demanding video and photography workflows and high-capacity storage. The G-SPEED Shuttle with Thunderbolt 3 is available in the U.S. now in 16TB ($1,799.95), 24TB ($2,299.95), 32TB ($2,799.95) and 48TB ($3,799.95).
• G-SPEED Shuttle with ev Series Bay Adapters: While similar in features with the G-SPEED Shuttle with Thunderbolt 3, this model’s integrated ev Series bay adapters improve workflow options and productivity by enabling cross-functionality with all ev Series drives and readers. Users can experience enhanced reliability coupled with fast transfer rates up to 500MB/s and up to 24TB. The G-SPEED Shuttle solution with ev Series bay adapters is available in the U.S. now in 20TB ($1,999.95) and 24TB ($2,299.95).

With my brief time with the drive in person, I can attest that this 4-bay Shuttle is considerably less awkard to heft than its 8-bay brother. It's actually rather compact and not particularly heavy, especially considering what it is and what it is capable of. Additionally, this is a Thunderbolt 3 solution and though there aren't many devices yet taking advantage of the incredible speeds Thunderbolt 3 can offer, it is a future-proof device that will grow with you as you transition. For example, for Apple users this is a boon. 

The price is not one to glance over, as even the lowest priced option is a staggaring $1800, but with G-Tech you generally get what you pay for. I've had a G-SPEED Studio for nearly four years and run it continuously without problem. Their stuff lasts a long time, works extremely well, and their warranty is great. The same can likely be expected of the Shuttle, if that helps allay any concerns over dropping that kind of money on a hard drive. 

 

 

 

 

What's more, this isn't a device that is for everyone. For mobile crews, it's a big deal. For the average photographer who works from his or her home office, it's far less useful. 

For more on the G-SPEED Shuttle, head over to G-Tech's blog.