Mike Wuerthele
Sonnet is teaming up with Archiware to demonstrate the first in a line of optical Thunderbolt 3 cables, allowing for high-speed data transfers across the protocol at long range.
Sonnet will be demonstrating the new cable connected to a Mac mini with Archiware software running in Sonnet's stand. The Mac mini will be controlled from Archiware's stand over 50 meters of as-yet unreleased Corning optical Thunderbolt 3 cable.
The computer will be running Archiware's P5 media asset management software suite, with P5 Backup, and P5 Archive. Archiware staff will control the system, mounted in a xMac mini Server Thunderbolt 3 enclosure from their stand with a keyboard, mouse, and display connected to a Sonnet Echo 11 Thunderbolt 3 dock.
Prior to the release of the Corning cable, Thunderbolt 3 cable lengths have been limited to about two meters. Sonnet says that varying lengths of the Corning cables will be available, with lengths up to that 50 meters that will be demonstrated at the IBC conference.
Pricing on the optical Thunderbolt 3 cables is not yet available. At present, a 18-foot optical Thunderbolt 2 cable retails for $215, and a 200-foot run retails for $999.
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13 Comments
Wondering if these cables could also be USB 4 compatible. Tech reports seem to indicate USB 4 is basically Thunderbolt 3 with USB 2, 3, and 3.1 backward compatibility.
Just curious.. why does it matter what kind of cable materials are used to transmit data as long as a protocol is used? Fiber optics has the advantage of transmitting data over longer ranges but is there a reason why we cannot use it for USB protocol? Can't the microchip be embedded in each receptable to do the real time translation?
Optical fibres for data transmission are very cheap. Their pricing for 200 feet is a joke. If the user could supply their own fibre - that’d be very interesting.