We’ve been speaking for a while about the logic of adding extra storage to home networks simply by attaching a stand alone networked drive – as music, photo or video collections grow. This type of device has had a number of names, such as Storage Area Network (SAN) or Network Direct Attached Storage (NDAS).
The prices of these devices have been a little limiting up to now, not significantly cheaper than the price of a slow/low-end PC with a big disk in it. XiMeta NetDisk is getting closer to the price point that they need to be, which is probably the reasons that the hallowed West coast retailer, Fry’s Electronics, have signed a deal to distribute them.
The NetDisk can be connected via an Ethernet adaptor or use USB2.0 and retail for $189 for 80 GB, $269 for 120 GB, and $289 for 160GB. It has a number of well thought our features, like the ability to carry out automatic backups, when a second NetDisk is added.
Expect plenty more of this type of device.
Can I upload video film strips directly to the stand alone hard drive
and then upload the film to iMovie without the film
taking up permanent space on my iMac. i.e.. After i am
finished editing the film and burning to a CD, can I
completely delete it from my Mac while leaving it on
the hard drive. Mac will not let you remove a film from
the Mac hard drive when you make an initial input
from the camera.
I want to use the hard drive to be able to use the film
in iMovie without it ever being loaded onto the Mac
hard drive. Thanks