Memory stick
A Memory Stick ( Engl. For memory stick ) is a digital storage medium for data. It is a Sony standard and was introduced in 1998. The variants Memory Stick (MS) , Memory Stick Duo (MSD) , Memory Stick PRO (MSP) , Memory Stick PRO Duo (MSPD) - some of which also have the suffix Highspeed (HS) - and Memory Stick Micro (M2) distinguished. Some memory sticks are equipped with MagicGate copy protection; these memory cards are specially marked with a corresponding lettering.
Memory sticks are used in the Sony product range in the consumer electronics sector. Many Sony camcorders use memory sticks to store image and video files. The data can be transferred to the PC using a memory card reader . Furthermore, Memory Sticks in digital cameras , PDAs , MP3 players , Sony Ericsson - mobile phones , in Vaio laptops, the Sony Reader , the PlayStation Portable , and for the robot dog Aibo used. Memory sticks, however, are not widely used by other manufacturers. In addition to Sony, memory sticks are also produced by SanDisk and Lexar .
Type overview
- Memory Stick - storage capacity up to 128 MB.
- Memory Stick Select - like Memory Stick, but with a capacity of 2 × 128 MB.
- Memory Stick PRO - like Memory Stick, but with a capacity of 128 MB or more. Storage capacity up to 32 GB.
- Memory Stick Duo - smaller version of the classic memory stick.
- Memory Stick PRO Duo - smaller version of the Memory Stick PRO. Currently up to 32 GB.
- Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo - faster version of the Memory Stick PRO Duo. Currently up to 32 GB.
- Memory Stick Micro (M2) - the smallest version of the Memory Stick. Currently up to 16 GB.
Memory Stick and Memory Stick Select
A memory stick stores the data using flash storage . The maximum write speed is 14.4 Mbit / s (1.8 MB / s). The maximum read speed is 19.6 Mbit / s (2.5 MB / s). Memory sticks are 50.0 mm (W) × 21.5 mm (H) × 2.8 mm (D) in size. The stick has an integrated controller and a storage capacity between 4 and 128 MB.
To increase the memory size, the Memory Stick Select was introduced, which has a maximum size of 256 MB. It contains two 128 MB memory blocks, between which you can switch back and forth using a switch. Essentially, the Memory Stick Select is a combination of several separate Memory Sticks that are the same size as a normal Memory Stick. This variant is not very popular, but it allows older devices that support memory sticks to access a relatively large storage capacity. They are currently still being manufactured by Lexar .
Memory Stick PRO
The Memory Stick PRO is available with a storage capacity of up to 32 GB. A Memory Stick PRO has the same dimensions as a normal Memory Stick and also fits in its slot, but is not compatible with them. Readers and writers need different controllers in order to address the normal or the Pro version. Since older devices only have one controller, it is theoretically conceivable to make these devices suitable for the Pro version. However, it would then no longer be possible to address the normal version. For this reason, current devices have two controllers and can address both versions. For some older Vaio laptops, such as the GRX416, there are also (purely software-based) firmware updates for the built-in memory stick reader, which make the device Memory-Stick-Pro-capable without losing its memory-stick capabilities . The only thing that is not retrofitted is the higher speed of the Pro version.
A Memory Stick PRO has four lines, each of which is operated with a bus clock of 40 MHz. The theoretically achievable transfer rate is 160 Mbit / s (20 MB / s); this rate is rarely achieved in practice, 2 MB / s is probably realistic. The maximum writing speed is 15 Mbit / s.
The high-speed version of the MS PRO should achieve 10 MB / s and is to be expected with higher capacities. There is also an Extreme III version of SanDisk, which is specified with 18 MB / s and should therefore be even faster than the Sony high-speed version.
Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo
When the memory stick came out, its main competitors were CompactFlash and SmartMedia . Since the memory stick was smaller, the devices could also be made more compact. As the size of the competition's storage media continued to shrink, for example multimedia cards and SD memory cards , Sony launched a smaller version of its memory stick in 2002, the Memory Stick Duo. It is about two thirds the size of the normal memory stick and measures 31.0 mm (W) × 20.0 mm (H) × 1.6 mm (D). With an adapter it is possible to use Memory Stick Duos in slots for normal Memory Sticks. The adapter is often included with Sony Memory Stick Duo cards, even with cell phones and other devices. Only Sony's own Playstation Portable comes with a duo stick without an adapter. It is also supplied with the Memory Stick PRO Duo with SanDisk.
The Memory Stick Duo is also available in the standard and the pro version. Both have the same transfer rates as their big brothers. The Pro version is usually only used with a capacity of 256 MB or more, but Sony Ericsson also includes a 64 MB version with certain cell phones. Duo memory cards can also be used in the PlayStation Portable (PSP) game console.
The variant of the Memory Stick PRO Duo with the suffix "High Speed" had a theoretical data transfer rate of 20 MB / s (160 Mbit / s) and should achieve a maximum write speed of 10 MB / s (80 Mbit / s), while only 1.875 MB / s (15Mbit / s) have been guaranteed for continuous writing as required for video recording. Capacities from 256 MB to 2 GB were sold.
Memory Stick PRO-HG
With the introduction of the Memory Stick PRO HG product range, Sony expanded the Memory Stick PRO format to include models with particularly high data throughput rates (maximum 30 megabytes per second (240 Mbit / s)). Memory Stick PRO HG memory cards have the same dimensions as “Memory Stick Duo” and “PRO Duo”. They are fully downward compatible with devices that were developed for the Duo devices, but behave - when operated in them - like normal Duo models. Read and write speeds are a maximum of 13 megabytes per second (104 MBit / s). The PRO-HG model series was developed primarily to enable smooth writing when used in HD video cameras.
Memory Stick Micro (M2)
In cooperation with SanDisk, Sony introduced a new member of the Memory Stick family in 2006 , the Memory Stick Micro . With dimensions of 12.5 mm (W) × 15 mm (L) × 1.2 mm (D), it is around a quarter the size of the Memory Stick Duo . In contrast to its big brothers, there is only one variant of it whose electrical specifications correspond to those of the Memory Stick PRO . It can also manage up to 32 GB of memory. It has an 11-pin connector and can be operated with 1.8 volts and 3.3 volts. As with the Memory Stick Duo , it is also possible to use the Memory Stick Micro via an adapter in slots for Memory Stick PRO and Memory Stick PRO Duo . Currently (December 2009) the maximum available storage capacity is 32 GB. The Memory Stick Micro is mainly used in the cell phones produced by Sony Ericsson from 2006 to 2009 (e.g. C902, C905, F305, G900 , K550i, K610i, K800i , K810i, W660i, W890i, Z550i).
Mark2 certification
Memory sticks with the Mark2 logo have been available since 2008. This states that the Memory Stick is suitable for high-speed recording devices ( AVCHD ).
Counterfeit
As with numerous electronic products, memory sticks are heavily targeted by counterfeit products . The counterfeit memory cards are often imitated so well that only experts can identify them as counterfeits. However, they are often considerably slower and do not support certain functions such as MagicGate .
brand
The name “Memory Stick” is a not yet fully registered community trademark number 004021598, which was filed on September 1, 2004 by Sony .
The future
Sony announced the end of the Memory Stick at CES 2010 in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, Sony offers its own SD cards , which are always significantly cheaper than memory sticks with the same capacity, which, among other things, further hampered the success of the Sony format.
Despite the announcement of 2010, Memory Sticks are still produced and supported by devices (as of November 2018).
Web links
- One Stop Site for Formats (English, Japanese)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2GB Memory Stick PRO Duo High Speed. Sony South Africa, archived from the original on April 4, 2014 ; accessed on April 3, 2014 .
- ↑ Sony Memory Stick Compatibility Chart. Sony, accessed April 3, 2014 .
- ↑ Sony's new 16 GB Memory Stick Pro Duo media […] Mark2Certification. News.sel.sony.com, January 6, 2008; archived from the original on January 15, 2008 ; accessed on November 13, 2011 (English, advance information on CES 2008 in Las Vegas via a memory stick with Mark2 certification).
- ↑ Sony rings the end of the Memory Stick. golem.de, accessed on April 8, 2014 (information from the Sony press conference at CES 2010 in Las Vegas).