The Sonnet Qio answers one of the most significant questions posed by editors dealing with solid-state media: how do I copy the contents of the cards to my computer? And the Qio answers the question without any uncertainty.

Solid-state removable media primarily includes SxS, P2, CF and SDHC cards. Panasonic offers P2 solutions from a USB single-card reader to more sophisticated P2 editing gear. Sony markets a USB SxS reader, and SxS cards can be read by the Express34 slot of any current notebook computer. There are a wide range of CF and SD card readers, from bus to FireWire to USB. But until the Qio, there was no universal solution that could accept any media.

Qio (pronounced que-eye-oh) is a compact device that interfaces to computer via either a PCIe card and cable or ExpressCard|34 card and cable. Sonnet does not include both interfaces, so choose your unit based on your computer. Or buy extra interfaces so that you can transport the device between machines. The front panel sports two each of SxS (ExpressCard|34), P2 (PC Card) and CF slots. An included ExpressCard|34 adapter allows use of SDHC cards in the SxS slots.

Installation is straightforward. Just install the PCIe card in a free slot or plug the ExpressCard|34 adapter into the slot on the notebook. Install the Qio drivers from included CD. (I always check a manufacturer’s Web site before installing drivers in case an upgrade is available.) Install whatever drivers are appropriate to your media—Panasonic P2 or Sony SxS. You’re then ready to roll.

	Qio supports the connection of two Fusion F2 portable storage systems or up to 20 SATA drives in port multiplier or hardware RAID controller-equipped enclosures for quick drive-to-drive and memory card-to-drive file transfers.

Note that at this time Sonnet has drivers only for Mac OS, including OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard. I have tested the unit under both 10.5.8 and 10.6.3 and have found no compatibility problems. Windows drivers will follow. So Windows users wanting to take advantage of the Qio need to watch Sonnet’s site for the announcement.

The Qio is much more than just a card reader. The back panel has four eSATA ports. Internal to the device is Sonnet’s E4P SATA host controller. The device also then performs yet another function of extending the computer bus to provide expanded eSATA storage. Each port-multiplied SATA port can support up to five drives, allowing a maximum of 20 drives to be connected to the Qio. The controller supports virtually any SATA interface except for those based on the Oxford OXU931DS chip. These include the WD MyBook Premium ES Edition and Seagate FreeAgent Pro.

I have tested the device with Sonnet’s F2 Fusion RAID as well as with an EZQuest five-drive eSATA RAID, two WiebeTech eSATA enclosures and a few other generic SATA boxes I had sitting around. All drives mount perfectly on the Mac, and I experienced no transfer issues. What is most impressive is that this devices recognizes software RAIDs such as that on the Fusion F2 or enclosure controller-based RAIDs such as the EZQuest or devices from Sonnet or other vendors. It was really a major boost to productivity to be able to plug a single eSATA cable into a five-drive RAID 5 all connected to the MacBook Pro via Express34 from the Qio.

Inasmuch as the device is also a bus extender, those front ports are not just for reading solid-state cards. The SxS (Express34) or P2 (PC Card) slots will also accept most card-based device controllers or expansion cards such as FireWire or SATA cards.

Sonnet has tested and I have confirmed independently that the AJA Io Express capture/display card works. So now imagine this editing scenario on your MacBook Pro. Plug the Qio into the Express34 slot. Plug the Io Express Express34 controller into one of the SxS slots. Hang a bunch of drives or even a SATA RAID off the Qio’s eSATA ports. You have a complete tape or tapeless ingest system with the output capability offered by the Io Express. And you have access to large, fast storage.

In my testing, I was unable to get the Matrox MXO2 Mini to work via the Qio. That is most unfortunate since Avid Media Composer 5 will support Matrox MXO2 Mini for display, so this is a most important product for Avid editors. Both Matrox and Sonnet are aware, and I do hope that a fix is in sight. The Mac will recognize the presence of the MXO2 interface card in the Qio, but it won’t see the device. I’m presuming this would be a relatively easy firmware or software fix.

And one more thing. Sonnet has designed the Qio to work with the Fusion F2 RAID, a unique flat design in which two 2.5” drives are positioned side by side rather than on top of one another. The F2 enclosure fits perfectly atop the Qio (or you can reverse the order). The Qio ships with short eSATA jumpers, so you’re not dealing with long cable lengths (it ships in addition, of course, with a more standard length 1 meter eSATA cable). The F2 takes power either from external AC adapter, external DC power or even a powered FireWire port. The Qio has a pass-through power port that supplies the necessary 7.2V for the F2, or for any other externally-powered drive for that matter.

But back to its main purpose. Once installed with all drivers, simply insert a solid-state card of your choice and it mounts immediately. Copy or ingest to your hard drive or directly to your NLE. Personally, I think the combination of the Qio and ShotPut Pro v3 from Imagine Products represents the optimal approach to the transfer of solid-state media. You can always drag-copy files to your Mac drives (and soon to your PC drives). ShotPut Pro bypasses the finder for faster transfer with error correction.

Regardless of what method you utilize for copy or ingest, transfer takes place at the speed of your connection of the Qio to the host computer. Note that the internal bus of the Mac Pro could be some 25 percent faster (or greater) than the transfer rate of the Express34 slot on a MacBook Pro. This will affect your transfer time, of course.

In my testing, primarily on the MacBook Pro with ShotPut Pro, P2 media transferred at the rate of about 1gb/minute, while CF and SxS cards could transfer between 2.5 and three times faster. I consider these transfer rates more than acceptable for professional use.

Who needs the Qio? Any editor who deals with a variety of solid-state media. Nothing is worse than having a client drop off a P2 card and you have no way to read it. “Er, can I plug your camera into my computer so I can copy the contents of the card?” Or, “I know I have that little USB CF card reader somewhere around here…” And it’s not just for editors needing multiple formats. A solid piece of equipment to me is far preferable to an inexpensive card reader that might be slow and much more subject to failure when you need it most. The Qio is most useful to anyone who needs to extend the bus capability of his computer to additional storage and other compatible card-based devices.

Qio can be a useful device to any shop from individual to multiple users. It represents the only product of its kind on the market and I am pleased to recommend it with great enthusiasm.