Sydney, Australia – May 19, 2009 – WD\u00ae, the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today announced that WD ShareSpace\u2122 network storage systems now offer 8 TB (terabytes) of capacity, up to 30 percent faster transfer speeds, and DLNA(1)\u00a0 media streaming capabilities. Combined with its ease-of-use and small footprint, WD ShareSpace is now a more compelling solution for small offices and digital media enthusiasts who want to store, protect and share massive amounts of content.<\/p>\n
Responding to small-business customers’ needs for increased shared storage, WD incorporated its industry-first 2 terabyte WD Caviar\u00ae Green\u2122 drive into WD ShareSpace’s flexible four-bay design, creating a massive 8 TB’s of storage in a small footprint.<\/p>\n
The included WD Anywhere Backup\u2122 software provides automatic and continuous protection for the valuable data from every PC and Mac on the network.<\/p>\n
To speed up both backup and storage, WD improved WD ShareSpace’s read and write speeds up to 30 percent for large media files. Current WD ShareSpace owners may download the new firmware update (http:\/\/www.wdc.com\/en\/products\/wdsharespace\/<\/a>) to experience these performance improvements.<\/p>\n Twenty-six percent of broadband households worldwide find it very appealing to be able to play PC-stored content on their TV, and the majority of consumers buying network storage cite as important the ability to serve content to other devices (58 percent), according to a recent Parks Associates studies (Aug. 2008).<\/p>\n To meet the needs of digital media enthusiasts, WD added a DLNA Certified media server to the WD ShareSpace system, making it easy to stream music, photos and videos to popular DLNA-Certified devices including Windows\u00ae Vista\u00ae PCs, Playstation\u00ae3, and Xbox 360\u00ae. The previously included iTunes\u00ae Music Server lets anyone on the network stream the music collection on WD ShareSpace to any PC or Mac running iTunes.<\/p>\n “With its huge capacity and small footprint, WD ShareSpace has become a popular choice among small business owners. By doubling capacity and increasing transfer speeds, the new 8 TB WD ShareSpace offers more value to small business users,” said Jim Welsh, senior vice president and general manager of WD’s branded products and consumer electronics groups. “Digital media enthusiasts, on the other hand, will really appreciate the new streaming support which lets them easily stream to PCs, Macs and game consoles. With the new WD ShareSpace, we have made important improvements for all our customers.”<\/p>\n Features Product Summary Download High Resolution Images About WD WD was founded in 1970. The company’s storage products are marketed to leading systems manufacturers, selected resellers and retailers under the Western Digital\u00ae and WD brand names. Visit the Investor section of the company’s Web site (www.westerndigital.com<\/a>) to access a variety of financial and investor information.<\/p>\n 1 To allow streaming for music, photos and movies to any DLNA Certified multimedia device such as Playstation\u00ae3 and Xbox 360\u00ae. Western Digital, WD, the WD logo, My book and MioNet are registered trademarks; WD ShareSpace, My Passport, GreenPower, and WD Anywhere Backup are trademarks of Western Digital Technologies, Inc. in the US and other countries. Other marks may be mentioned herein that belong to other companies. All other brand and product names mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. One gigabyte (GB) = 1 billion bytes. One terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment and RAID configuration. RAID 0 (striped) accesses the full capacity of the drives. RAID 5 accesses three-fourths of the total capacity for data protection. RAID 1 (mirrored) accesses half of the total capacity for additional data protection. As used for transfer rate or interface, megabyte per second (MB\/s) = one million bytes per second, and gigabit per second (Gb\/s) = one billion bits per second.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sydney, Australia – May 19, 2009 – WD\u00ae, the world’s leader in external storage solutions, today announced that WD ShareSpace\u2122 network storage systems now offer 8 TB (terabytes) of capacity, up to 30 percent faster transfer speeds, and DLNA(1)\u00a0 media streaming capabilities. Combined with its ease-of-use and small footprint, WD ShareSpace is now a more<\/p>\n
\nThe new high-speed network storage systems feature:
\n\u2022A small-footprint, 4-bay storage system that takes up very little space and provides plenty of storage to go around;
\n\u2022GigE connectivity with data transfer rates up to one gigabit per second when used in a GigE network;
\n\u2022RAID 0\/1\/5 capabilities for data protection and speed;
\n\u2022E-mail alert system that monitors drive and system health and sends you an e-mail if a problem is detected;
\n\u2022UPnP\/DLNA 1.5 Certified Media Server;
\n\u2022iTunes server for centralized shared music;
\n\u2022Microsoft Active Directory\u00ae directory service support;
\n\u2022Plug a USB drive into the front-mounted USB 2.0 port and push a button to transfer automatically all the data on the drive to the WD ShareSpace system;
\n\u2022Automatic and continuous(2) network backup software including licenses to back up 3 computers;
\n\u2022WD’s unique MioNet remote Web access service (for PC and Mac) that lets users access the drive from anywhere;
\n\u2022Download manager that supports scheduled downloads through FTP and HTTP;
\n\u2022Windows Vista\u00ae operating system ready;
\n\u2022Built-in FTP server;
\n\u20223 USB 2.0 ports;
\n\u2022Equipped with WD drives using WD GreenPower technology, this system, with its efficient cooling architecture and power saving mode, consumes up to 33 percent less power3 and is reliably cool and quiet; and,
\n\u20223-year limited warranty.<\/p>\n
\nManufacturer: Western Digital
\nProduct Name: WD ShareSpace\u2122
\nRRP for 8 TB : AU$3799,99\u00a0 NZ$4499,99
\nWebsite: http:\/\/www.westerndigital.com<\/a>
\nProduct link and Photos: http:\/\/www.wdc.com\/en\/products\/products.asp?driveid=584<\/a>
\nAustralian Distributors: Synnex Australia and Simms International (for Apple Channel)
\nNew Zealand Distributors: Ingram Micro NZ
\nAvailability: All drives are available now at select retail stores and online retailers.<\/p>\n
\nWD ShareSpace LifeStyle Shot
\nWD ShareSpace Product Shot<\/p>\n
\nWD, one of the storage industry’s pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company produces reliable, high-performance hard drives that keep users’ data accessible and secure from loss. WD applies its storage expertise to consumer products for external, portable and shared storage applications.<\/p>\n
\n2 Users can select specific files or folders for backup during the set-up process. From then on changes or additions made to those files or folders will be immediately and automatically backed up on the WD ShareSpace device.
\n3 Tests based on comparison between a 1 TB dual-drive system using 7200 RPM drives and a 1 TB dual-drive system using WD’s GreenPower drives.<\/p>\n