For completed projects that usually stay in the studio, start with a desktop hard drive sized for the library and its expected growth; choose a portable drive when moving a project copy between locations matters more. Whichever format suits the work, treat the drive as one copy in a documented archive: keep a separate copy, check files after transfer and agree how the team will access them.
If you need to retrieve camera originals, edits and exports long after a job closes, plan for separate copies, an inventory and checks when files are moved. Archives Wales recommends complete copies in separate locations and integrity checks during copying or moving.
If editors use different computers, agree the drive format and who may write to the archive before loading projects. Seagate says the LaCie d2 Professional is supplied as exFAT for Mac and Windows interchange and advises unmounting it before disconnection.
A portable drive can carry a current project or a separately stored copy. Match the drive and cable to the computers used for transfers rather than assuming that a quoted maximum speed applies to every connection.
Choose when: Completed projects normally remain at a studio desk and the library needs room to grow.
Allow for: External power and a fixed place for the drive; capacity alone does not provide another archive copy.
Choose when: The desk-based archive drive also receives large projects regularly.
Allow for: Host-dependent transfer rates and the enclosure’s placement requirements. Seagate says the LaCie d2 Professional must stand upright with airflow and must not be stacked.
Choose when: An editor needs to move a current project or take a separate copy off-site.
Allow for: Capacity suited to the files being carried and a connection that supports the drive’s quoted speed; portability does not replace the studio archive.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery and retrieval | Plan a complete copy in a separate location and decide how copied files and the archive inventory will be checked. | If I am responsible for finding a finished project later, I need more than one drive holding the only copy. Around 33% of consumers put recoverability and retrieval first. |
| Team access | Agree a format that works on the actual Mac and Windows systems, assign write access and require safe ejection. | When projects pass between edit suites, I need a hand-off that colleagues can open without changing the archive unexpectedly; around 27% of consumers prioritise controlled cross-platform access. |
| Archive capacity | Compare the current library and expected growth with usable space, and check power and placement for a desktop drive. | I want completed projects to fit alongside their revisions without immediately adding another volume. Capacity for desk-based storage comes first for around 27% of consumers. |
| Off-site transfers | Match the required copy size to the drive, then check the workstation port and cable against its transfer specification. | If I regularly take a project copy to another location, carrying it and completing the transfer matter most to me; around 13% of consumers put portable transfers first. |
A single drive leaves the studio with only one copy. Archives Wales recommends complete copies in separate locations and checking integrity when content is copied or moved.
Assign each drive a place in the copy plan, record what it holds and check transferred files before marking a project as archived.
The connector alone does not establish the speed of the computer, cable and drive together. Samsung says the T7 Shield’s quoted maximum requires a USB 3.2 Gen 2 connection, a suitable cable and UASP support.
Check each workstation’s port specification and the cable to be used with the exact drive.
Samsung’s IP65 and drop-test claims for the T7 Shield refer to controlled conditions; Samsung also excludes liquid, dust and drop damage from its warranty.
Keep an independently stored copy even when the travelling drive has a rugged enclosure, and read the warranty exclusions.
Seagate explains that an operating system may show a lower capacity than the drive’s stated decimal figure, with some space used for formatting and other functions.
Compare usable space with the existing project library, expected additions and the studio’s chosen reserve.
Its Expansion Desktop range is relevant to a desk-based archive where capacity is the starting consideration.
The d2 Professional is a desktop option for studios that also transfer project files onto their archive drives regularly.
The portable T7 Shield range is relevant to moving projects or keeping a separate copy off-site.
These drives cover a desk-based archive volume and portable HDD or SSD copies for project hand-off and off-site storage. Choose capacity against the files each copy must hold, and agree the format before sharing a drive across studio computers.
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A desktop HDD to consider when a completed-project library needs a 10TB archive volume at the studio. Check its usable space against planned growth and confirm the format needed by the team’s computers; it remains one copy, not the whole archive.
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A portable HDD to consider for a 5TB project copy in a Mac-centred workflow. Before relying on it for team hand-offs, confirm how the studio’s Windows computers will access the chosen format, and check the applicable warranty terms.
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A portable SSD to consider for moving current projects or keeping a 2TB off-site copy. Its name specifies USB 3.2 Gen 2; check the host, cable and file format before using it for transfers between studio computers.
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A portable 2TB copy to consider for project transfers. The product name specifies USB 3.2 Gen 2 and quotes up to 1,050 MB/s read and 1,000 MB/s write; actual transfer speed depends on the connection and workflow. Agree the file format before loading a shared copy.
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A portable HDD to consider when a project copy needs 4TB of stated capacity. Its name specifies USB 3.0; check usable space, the connection on each workstation and the file format required for Mac and Windows hand-offs.
One external drive should be treated as one copy, not the complete archive plan. Archives Wales recommends complete copies in separate locations and integrity checks when content is copied or moved; record which copy holds each project.
exFAT is a practical option when the same archive drive must move between Mac and Windows computers. Seagate says the LaCie d2 Professional is supplied in that format for compatibility; test the format on the studio’s actual systems and document the choice before copying files.
A quoted maximum does not describe every computer and cable combination. For the T7 Shield, Samsung says its maximum sequential speeds require USB 3.2 Gen 2, a suitable cable and UASP support, and that performance varies with the host configuration.
The choice of security measures depends on the personal data held and the risks involved, rather than on a universal requirement for a particular drive. The Information Commissioner’s Office says organisations processing personal data must use appropriate technical and organisational security measures; assess who can access portable and studio-held copies and whether encryption is appropriate to that risk.