A Spark of Genius
Posted on Nov 13, 2024 by Samara Husbands
Opting for the rugged Samsung Portable SSD T9 proved the perfect choice for a white-hot shoot
Advertisement feature
The never-ending popularity of TV cooking shows and interest in celebrity chefs has fuelled a whole cottage industry to create the sets and build even more impressive cooking stations. Each show wants to be that little bit different, and when a chef wants an artisan-made set-up to produce their gastronomic treats, their first port of call is often the company We Are Blok.
Set up by a metalworker who began making handmade knives for his wife – who was a cook – the company now produces bespoke ovens and custom kitchen fabrications. Filmmaker Gary Freeman was brought in to capture how the products are made; some metalwork magic that’s performed in old-fashioned workshops. Freeman shoots on a variety of cinema cameras, and his current cam of choice can write directly to an external SSD via USB-C.
“It really speeds up the process, not having to make backups during the shoot. That just creates chances for data to get lost or broken. Samsung is my fully approved and recommended supplier with its Portable SSD T5 and T7 Touch models, which I always use.”
With the Samsung Portable SSD T9 offering even faster speeds, Freeman jumped at the chance to add it to his growing collection, especially since it’s so robust and comes in models hosting up to 4TB of data.
“I was immediately impressed by the rubberised exterior – and not just because it looks so stylish. Compared to the bare metal bodies of other brands’ products, it’s easy to see this is made by people who understand that, on real-world shoots, kit can easily be dropped or damaged. The Samsung Portable SSD T9 lives up to the challenges of professional work, even shooting in an engineering shop filled with heavy machinery.” And a five-year limited warranty means total peace of mind when taking the portable drive out to any location.
We Are Blok’s Derbyshire headquarters are where the company manufactures its products by hand. As with all things cooking, the company has now found its products in starring roles in front of the camera on some prominent TV shows –
and even a TEDx Talk.
“The factory is about as far away as you could get from a modern, high-tech one,” claims Freeman. “Sparks are flying from the welding and grinding, traditional heavy presses and machines are there bending and forming the metal. It’s the sort of place where it’s extremely easy to have your kit get damaged by accident, so I wanted all the equipment to be as robust as possible – right down to the external portable drive used to store the footage. I always do research to ensure I make the right choices for the shoot.”
With a 3m drop resistance, the capability to withstand temperatures as low as -40ºC and as high as 85ºC, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 is suitable for even the toughest jobs. It also maintains skin temperatures below 60ºC at all times, complying with the IEC 62368-1 heat management and safety standard.
Weighing just 122g, the compact unit is also blazing fast thanks to Samsung’s very latest technology. The drive contains the best innovations the company has to offer, such as its Intelligent TurboWrite 2.0 that enables a buffer size of up to 180GB.
This is greater than previous series, so maximum performance is maintained for longer when large video files are being transferred or encoded and decoded. It’s especially useful for dealing with data-rich Raw files on newer cameras, which are incredibly quick to transfer thanks to the 2000MB/s read speed of the Samsung Portable SSD T9.
The portable drive boasts the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 interface and a choice of two cables – one to connect to a USB-C and a second for legacy USB-A devices. It’s easy to link to any computer and will be recognised instantly, while USB-C connectivity to cameras is immediate and hassle-free.
“In fact, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 offers speeds that are faster than many cameras are actually capable of,” says Freeman. “So you’ll never be left waiting around for files to download. If, in the future, cameras can eventually achieve that faster output rate, it’s rewarding to know this will still be up to the job.”
With such huge files, managing heat is crucial, as the drive getting too hot can slow down performance. Luckily, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 is built for the task, with low power consumption and a design featuring thermal materials to keep it cool, like silicon and aluminium.
It’s the pinnacle of SSD technology, as the hardware and firmware has been developed exclusively by Samsung to handle everything an external SSD could face during use in hardcore, professional videography environments.
For example, it only consumes 0.67W idle power and peak power up to 7.3W when connected via USB-C. This reduces heat build-up and – when using it with a laptop – extends battery life by over 30 minutes compared to rival products.*
For extra security, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 comes with Samsung Magician. This software offers security functions, performance benchmarking, firmware updates and real-time health status checks, as well as data migration, portable SSD software and a card authentication tool that supports Windows, Mac and Android. Compatibility spans a range of devices – including PCs, mobile phones, TVs, game consoles and cameras – thanks to its dedicated PCB design instead of being an M.2 SSD.
Last but not least, the Samsung Portable SSD T9 even allows you to set up an AES-256 encrypted password to prevent anyone else from stealing your recipes for fantastic filmmaking!
This feature was first published in the December 2024 issue of Definition.
