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Memory Stick

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The Memory Stick is a removable flashmemory card format, originally launched by Sony in late 1998.[1] In addition to the original Memory Stick, this family includes the Memory Stick PRO, a revision that allows greater maximum storage capacity and faster file transfer speeds; Memory Stick Duo, a small-form-factor version of the Memory Stick (including the PRO Duo); the even smaller Memory Stick Micro (M2), and the Memory Stick PRO-HG, a high speed variant of the PRO to be used in high-definition video and still cameras.

As a proprietary format, Sony exclusively used Memory Stick on its products in the 2000s such as Cyber-shot digital cameras, Handycam digital camcorders, Sony Ericsson mobile phones, WEGA and Bravia TV sets, VAIO PCs, digital audio players, and the PlayStation Portable game console,[2] with the format being licensed to a few other companies early in its lifetime. With the increasing popularity of Secure Digital around 2010, Sony started to include SD in their devices, marking a surrender by Sony of its format war in the memory card business and the end to further serious development of the format.[3] Despite this, Sony continues to support Memory Stick on certain newer devices through the use of adaptors.[4]

History

The original Memory Stick was launched in October 1998 and was available in capacities up to 128 MB.[a]

In October 1999, Sony licensed the technology to Fujitsu, Aiwa, Sanyo, Sharp, Pioneer and Kenwood, in a bid to avoid a repetition of the Betamax failure.[5] Other companies were also licensees to the format. Some early examples of Memory Stick usage by third-party companies include Sharp's MP3 players, Alpine's in-dash players, and Epson's printers.[6]

The format initially had an indifferent reception, but it soon increased in popularity, especially after the licensing deal. In spring 2001, Memory Stick attained 25% market share (against CompactFlash's 40% and SmartMedia's 32%), up from 7% a year earlier. By May 2001, total shipment of Memory Stick units surpassed 10 million.[6]

However, the SD card, jointly developed by Toshiba, Panasonic and SanDisk, became widely popular among companies and was soon the most used flash format. By November 2003, it held 42% market share in the United States, ahead of CompactFlash's 26% and Memory Stick with 16%.[7] Sony itself eventually became the only company to support the format. Sony was often criticized for the Memory Stick, as they were deemed to be expensive compared to other formats.[8]

As of January 2010, it appeared that Sony had begun to combine support for SD/SDHC and Memory Stick formats in their products. All digital cameras and camcorders announced by Sony at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show could use SD and SDHC cards as well as Memory Sticks.[9][10][11][12][13] Furthermore, Sony announced the release of its own line of SD cards.[14] Many claimed this development as the end of the format war between Memory Stick and SD card. However, Sony did not abandon the format at this time, and indicated that it would continue development of the format for the foreseeable future. A prime example was the development of WiFi transfers through a special Memory Stick PRO-Duo which was still in development as of 2011.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]

Sony's first significant migration away from Memory Stick did not come until 2019, when it introduced the α7R IVfull-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera without Memory Stick support, opting instead for dual SDXC slots.[22]

Applications

Memory Sticks are typically used as storage media for a portable device, in a form which can easily be removed for access by a personal computer. For example, Sony digital compact cameras use Memory Stick for storing image files. With a Memory Stick-capable memory card reader, a user can copy the pictures taken with the Sony digital camera to a computer. Sony typically included Memory Stick reader hardware in its first-party consumer electronics, such as digital cameras, digital music players, PDAs, cellular phones, the VAIO line of laptop computers, TV sets under the WEGA and Bravia names, and Sony's handheld gaming device, the PlayStation Portable.

A special Memory Stick can be inserted in the hindquarters[23] of Sony's AIBO robot pet, to enable the use of Aiboware—software intended for use on AIBOs. The Sticks include a copy protection mechanism used by the robot, allowing users to write programs. These are referred to as programmable or programming. Only 8 MB and 16 MB versions are available.

An adapter was made[24] for the original Memory Stick that allowed them to be used in later Sony Mavica models. This adapter, which took CR2016 cells for power, served a dual purpose of expanding storage capacity of the Mavica and giving those who did not have an existing Memory Stick drive a means of computer interfacing. With the Mavica FD92 and FD97, dedicated Memory Stick slots were added.

Formats and form factors

Memory Sticks include a wide range of actual formats, including three different form factors.

Memory Stick

The original Memory Stick
Sony Memory Stick with MagicGate

Introduced in July 1998, the original Memory Stick is approximately the size and thickness of a stick of chewing gum. It was available in capacities from 4 MB to 128 MB (1 MB = one million bytes). It was available both with and without MagicGate support. The MagicGate-capable memory sticks were white, while the standard version was purple. The original Memory Stick is no longer manufactured.

Memory Stick Select

Lexar 256 MB Memory Stick Select with memory switch

In response to the storage limitations of the original Memory Stick, Sony introduced the Memory Stick Select at CES 2003 on January 9.[25] The Memory Stick Select contained two separate 128 MB partitions which the user could switch between using a physical switch on the card. This solution was fairly unpopular, but it did give users of older Memory Stick devices more capacity. Its physical size remained the same as the original Memory Stick.

Memory Stick PRO

The Memory Stick PRO, introduced on January 9, 2003, as a joint effort between Sony and SanDisk,[26] would be the longer-lasting solution to the space problem. Most devices that use the original Memory Sticks support the original and PRO sticks since both formats have identical form factors. Some readers that were not compatible could be upgraded to Memory Stick PRO support via a firmware update. Memory Stick PROs have a marginally higher transfer speed and a maximum theoretical capacity of 32 GB,[b] although GB-sized capacities of more than 2GB are only available in the PRO Duo form factor.[27]High Speed Memory Stick PROs are available, and newer devices support this high-speed mode, allowing for faster file transfers. All Memory Stick PROs larger than 1 GB support this high-speed mode, and High Speed Memory Stick PROs are backwards-compatible with devices that do not support the high-speed mode. High-capacity Memory Sticks such as the 4 GB versions are expensive compared to other types of flash memory like SD cards and CompactFlash. As of 2020, 512 MB Memory Stick PRO can be bought.

Memory Stick Duo

Introduced in July 2002, the Memory Stick Duo was developed in response to Sony's need for a smaller flash memory card for pocket-sized digital cameras, cell phones and the PlayStation Portable (the latter of which supported the Memory Stick PRO Duo variant). It is slightly smaller than the competing Secure Digital (SD) format and roughly two thirds the length of the standard Memory Stick form factor, but costs more. Memory Stick Duos are available with the same features as the larger standard Memory Stick, obtainable with and without high speed mode, and with and without MagicGate support. The Memory Stick PRO Duo has replaced the Memory Stick Duo due to its 128 MB size limitation, but has kept the same form factor as the Duo.

Memory Stick Duo Adaptor and Memory Stick PRO Duo

A simple adapter allows Memory Stick Duo to be used in devices designed to accept the original Memory Stick form factor.

Memory Stick PRO Duo

A Sony Memory Stick PRO Duo (2 GB)

The Memory Stick PRO Duo (MSPD) quickly replaced the Memory Stick Duo due to the size limitation of 128 MB and slow transfer speed. Memory Stick PRO Duos are available in all the same variants as the larger Memory Stick PRO, with and without High Speed mode, and with and without MagicGate support.

Sony has released different versions of Memory Stick PRO Duo. A Memory Stick PRO Duo with MagicGate was released as a 512 MB stick. Additionally, a 16 GB version in March 2008 and another a 32 GB version on August 21, 2009.[28] In 2009, Sony and SanDisk also announced the joint development of an expanded Memory Stick PRO format tentatively named "Memory Stick PRO Format for Extended High Capacity".[29] Sony has since finalized the format and released its specification under the new name, Memory Stick XC (see below).[30]

There exist adapters for those who want to use microSD cards, on devices which only support Memory Stick PRO Duo cards, that allows usage of the storage on a microSD for files on the device in question.

Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo

PRO-HG Duo (8 GB)

On December 11, 2006, Sony, together with SanDisk, announced the Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo. While only serial and 4-bit parallel interfaces are supported in the Memory Stick PRO format, an 8-bit parallel interface was added to the Memory Stick PRO-HG format. The maximum interface clock frequency was also increased from 40 MHz to 60 MHz. With these enhancements, a theoretical transfer rate of 480 Mbit/s (60 MB/s) is achieved, which is three times faster than the Memory Stick PRO format.

Memory Stick Micro (M2)

Memory Stick Micro

In a joint venture with SanDisk, Sony released a new Memory Stick format on February 6, 2006. The Memory Stick Micro (M2) measures 15 × 12.5 × 1.2 mm (roughly one-quarter the size of the Duo) with 64 MB, 128 MB, 256 MB, 512 MB, 1 GB, 2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB capacities available. The format has a theoretical limit of 32 GB and maximum transfer speed of 160 Mbit/s. However, as with the PRO Duo format, it has been expanded through the XC series as Memory Stick XC Micro and Memory Stick XC-HG Micro, both with the theoretical maximum capacity of 2 TB.[30][c]

La M2 viene con un adaptador, al igual que las Duo Sticks, para garantizar la compatibilidad física con los dispositivos Memory Stick PRO. Sin embargo, no todos los dispositivos con ranura PRO son compatibles con la combinación M2/Adaptador, ya que el firmware de los dispositivos más antiguos no admite la mayor capacidad de algunas tarjetas M2. Un ejemplo son ciertas PDA Sony CLIÉ que no admiten tarjetas de más de 2 GB. [ 31 ] 

Sony anunció el 1 de junio de 2009 que se eliminaría la compatibilidad con M2 en los teléfonos Sony Ericsson en favor de microSD . [ 32 ]

La Sony DSC-RX0 Mark II recuperó el uso de las ranuras M2.

Memory Stick XC

El 7 de enero de 2009, SanDisk y Sony anunciaron el formato Memory Stick XC (denominado provisionalmente en ese momento "Memory Stick Format Series for Extended High Capacity"). [ 33 ] [ 34 ] El Memory Stick XC tiene una capacidad teórica máxima de 2  TB, 64 veces mayor que la del Memory Stick PRO Duo, que está limitado a 32  GB. La serie XC tiene los mismos factores de forma que la serie PRO y admite la tecnología de protección de contenido MagicGate, así como la función de control de acceso, al igual que la serie PRO. En línea con el resto de la industria, la serie XC utiliza el sistema de archivos exFAT más reciente debido a las limitaciones de tamaño y formato de los sistemas de archivos FAT/FAT16/FAT32 utilizados en la serie PRO. [ 35 ] [ 36 ] Se logra una velocidad de transferencia máxima de 480  Mbit/s (60  Mbyte/s) a través de la transferencia de datos paralela de 8 bits. [ 37 ] No se lanzaron al mercado tarjetas Memory Stick XC, probablemente debido al dominio de las tarjetas SD . Su equivalente se llama SDXC y finalmente tuvo más éxito que cualquier otro formato de tarjeta de memoria basado en exFAT.

Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX

Sony anunció el lanzamiento de la Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX el 17 de mayo de 2011, considerada la tarjeta más rápida jamás fabricada por el fabricante. Sus dimensiones son 20 × 31 × 1,6  mm y está disponible en versiones de 8  GB, 16  GB o 32  GB. Este formato también ofrece una velocidad de transferencia máxima de 50  MB/s. [ 38 ]

Certificación Mark 2

A principios de 2008, se lanzaron las versiones con certificación Mark 2 de la Memory Stick PRO Duo. La designación Mark 2 indica que la Memory Stick es apta para su uso con productos de grabación AVCHD u otros dispositivos más rápidos compatibles con Memory Stick, al proporcionar un rendimiento de escritura mínimo adecuado. [ 39 ]

Véase también

Notes

  1. ↑In this article the unit symbol 'MB' is used to mean 1000^2 bytes (1 megabyte)
  2. ↑In this article the unit symbol 'GB' is used to mean 1000^3 bytes (1 gigabyte)
  3. ↑In this article the unit symbol 'TB' is used to mean 1000^4 bytes (1 terabyte)

References

  1. ↑"Sony Global – Press Release – Sony Announces 'Memory Stick' Recordable IC Memory Card Products New Format Supports Recording and Playback of Audio/Video Content". Sony.net (Press release). Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  2. ↑"The worst storage mediums of all time – Page 3 of 4 – ExtremeTech". extremetech.com. May 15, 2014.
  3. ↑"The Beginning of the End of Memory Stick? Hope So!". technologizer.com. January 6, 2010.
  4. ↑"MS-A16G - Accessories Compatibility Information". support.d-imaging.sony.co.jp. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  5. ↑"Sony To License Memory Stick to 6 Firms". dpreview.com.
  6. 12"News-Latest publications from CST". www.simmtester.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2001. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  7. ↑Taub, Eric A. (February 2, 2004). "TECHNOLOGY; Memory Evolution: Survival of the Smallest". The New York Times.
  8. ↑"Behind the smiles at Sony". The Economist. March 10, 2005. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  9. ↑"Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  10. ↑"Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Archived from the original on April 15, 2012. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  11. ↑"Sony.com". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2010. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Sony.com" . News.sel.sony.com . 6 de enero de 2010. Archivado del original el 11 de enero de 2010. Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  13. ↑ "Sony.com" . News.sel.sony.com . 6 de enero de 2010. Archivado del original el 10 de enero de 2010. Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  14. ↑ "Sony.com" . News.sel.sony.com . 6 de enero de 2010. Archivado del original el 9 de enero de 2010. Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  15. ↑ Taub, Eric A. (7 de enero de 2010). "Memory Stick de Sony: Inclinándose ante la realidad" . The New York Times . Consultado el 12 de mayo de 2010 .
  16. ↑ Velocidad. "Forbes.com" . Forbes . Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  17. ↑ "FT.com" . Blogs.ft.com . 7 de enero de 2010. Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  18. ↑ "Endgadget.com" . Engadget.com . 6 de enero de 2010. Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  19. ↑ "IEEE.org" . IEEE . 7 de enero de 2010. Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  20. ↑ McCracken, Harry (7 de enero de 2010). "PCworld.com" . PCworld.com . Archivado del original el 14 de enero de 2010. Recuperado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  21. ↑ "APCMAG.com" . APCMAG.com . Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  22. ↑ "Sony presenta la a7R IV con sensor de fotograma completo de 61 megapíxeles" . Digital Photography Review. 16 de julio de 2019. Consultado el 16 de julio de 2019 .
  23. ↑ "CBS News, 48 ​​Horas – AIBO, el perro prodigio digital: Sony gasta millones en un canino robótico" . Cbsnews.com . 11 de febrero de 2009. Archivado del original el 23 de marzo de 2009. Consultado el 13 de noviembre de 2011 .
  24. ↑ "Adaptador de disquete para Memory Stick – MSAC-FD2M" (PDF) . Sony . Archivado (PDF) del original el 23 de noviembre de 2020. Consultado el 20 de abril de 2024 .
  25. ↑"Sony Memory Stick Pro and Select". dpreview.com.
  26. ↑"Sony.net". Sony.net. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  27. ↑"Sony Compatibility Chart – Digital Still Camera". Sony-asia.com. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  28. ↑"Crunchgear.com". Crunchgear.com. August 21, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  29. ↑"SanDisk, Sony to Expand Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Micro Formats". Nikkei Business Publications. January 8, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  30. 12MacManus, Christopher (August 5, 2009). "Sony Finalizes Backwards Compatible Memory Stick XC With 2TB Maximum Capacity". Sonyinsider.com. Retrieved January 5, 2010.
  31. ↑"Sony Compatibility Chart – Clie Handhelds". Sony-asia.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  32. ↑"Trusted Review – Sony Ericsson Dropping Memory Stick Micro". Trustedreviews.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  33. ↑"Sandisk and Sony to expand "Memory stick pro" and "Memory stick micro" formats". SanDisk. January 7, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
  34. ↑Christopher MacManus (August 5, 2009). "Sonyinsider.com". Sonyinsider.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  35. ↑"Windows FAT32 Formatting". Microsoft. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  36. ↑"SanDisk exFAT KB". Kb.sandisk.com. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  37. ↑"Oss-formats.org". Oss-formats.org. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  38. ↑"Sony UK – Press Centre". Presscentre.sony.co.uk. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  39. ↑"Sony's new 16GB Memory Stick Pro Duo media [...] Mark2 Certification". News.sel.sony.com. January 6, 2008. Archived from the original on January 10, 2008. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  • Sony's official One Stop Site for Formats, with some specifications of the electrical interface.
  • Memory Stick products at Sony Singapore.
  • SanDisk and Sony develop “Memory Stick Micro” (M2) format – SanDisk/Sony press release, September 30, 2005.
  • SanDisk and Sony announce "Memory Stick Pro-HG" (HG) format – December 1, 2006.
  • Complete Memory Stick® Media Compatibility Information for Sony® Digital Cameras Sony eSupport July 2011.