The Sony PDW-U4 XDCAM Professional Disc Drive is an external drive for XDCAM Professional Discs, whether recording in SD or HD. The drive supports single-, dual-, triple-, and quad-layer disc media. In addition to using 128GB write-once disc media, the drive also supports legacy 23, 50, and 100GB rewritable media.

The PDW-U4 features a significant increase in speed over its predecessor, the PODW-U2, which translates to 2x faster read seed and 1.7x faster write speed. Files on the drive can be accessed by both Mac and Windows computers via a USB-C connection.

External USB 3.2 Media Drive    Dual-Channel Head for Fast Read & Write    Up to 666 Mb/s Read Speed    Supports XDCAM File Format    Supports XDCAM Professional Discs    For Editing & Logging Operations    Backward Compatible with USB 2.0

Supports XDCAM HD422, XDCAM HD, XDCAM SD, DVCAM, MPEG IMX, MPEG HD (4:2:0), and MPEG HD422

Direct access to files on Sony XDCAM Professional Disc media from a USB-connected PC

SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface, backward compatible with high-speed USB 2.0 interface

Supports 128GB write-once XDCAM Professional Disc, backward compatible with 23/50/10GB rewritable single-, dual-, three-, and four-layer XDCAM Professional Disc media

Supports Windows and Mac via VFAM (virtual file access mode) driver

Related Questions and Answers

Q: 1. Is the drive Raid 0?

A: No, there is no RAID as this SanDisk Professional 22TB G-DRIVE is a single drive.

Q: 2. OK, at one point you're talking about 40Gb/s, and then 250 Mb/s r/w speeds. I don't get how they reconcile?

A: The SanDisk Professional 6TB G-DRIVE PROJECT Thunderbolt 3 External Hard Drive is a traditional hard drive with a Thunderbolt 3 interface. Thunderbolt 3 has a maximum speed of 40 Gbps, and the hard drive has a maximum write speed of 240 MB/s (read speed is a maximum of 250 MB/s).

Q: 3. Can the triangular corner door be closed while the cable is out, connected to my laptop?

A: No, the triangular corner on the ASUS ZenDrive V1M External DVD Drive and Writer with M-Disc Support has a door to conceal the USB-C cable that cannot be closed while the drive is connected to a computer.

Q: 4. What is the maximum distance of transmission?

A: This is a very specialized product that may require direct contact with Sony regarding. Here is their Professional Support Contact Information. Phone: 800-883-6817, 8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday Email: bis.product.support@am.sony.com

Q: 5. Can this be used at the mobile base station to send back to studio?

A: This is a very specialized product that may require direct contact with Sony regarding. Here is their Professional Support Contact Information. Phone: 800-883-6817, 8:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. ET, Monday - Friday Email: bis.product.support@am.sony.com

Q: 6. Can this be connected to a network?

A: External hard drives like this SanDisk Professional 22TB G-DRIVE PROJECT Thunderbolt 3 model will not be able to connect to a network directly. They will need to be connected to a computer directly, using a Thunderbolt 3 cable in this case. For a similar solution that allows for connection to a network, I would recommend considering an NAS like this one: https://bhpho.to/3YyqwFt

Q: 7. Does this interface enable the recording from the SDI input directly to the SxS card (no XDCAM disc)?Thanks

A: This updates the older version of the PDW-HR1 so that it can record FROM the SxS cards, However, it does not allow it to record TO the SxS cards.

Q: 8. dose this work with windows 11 ?

A: Yes, this ASUS ZenDrive V1M External DVD Drive and Writer with M-Disc Support works with Windows 11.

Q: 9. How long is the cord? It looks too short for my iMac.

A: Asus has not provided a spec on the length of the ASUS ZenDrive V1M's included cable. However, USB-C extension cables are available, such as BH #OWCTCCBLEX05.

Q: 10. Anyone have a review of this new design? The recent review is from the beginning of the year & has pictures of the old design.

A: The SanDisk Professional 12TB G-DRIVE PROJECT Thunderbolt 3 External Hard Drive is a reliable large capacity storage unit for Mac and Windows computers. If you have specific product questions you can reach out to our product specialists via email, live chat, or phone call to 800.606.6969.