Consumers will be able to store as many as 100 high-definition movies or 60 hours of HD recording on a stamp-sized memory card and retrieve them with devices such as mobile phones and digital cameras, according to the SD Association, a trade group that brings together more than 1,100 technology companies promoting the next-generation SD card technology and sets interoperable memory card standards.

The specification, called SDXC (eXtended Capacity), uses Microsoft's exFAT file system. SDXC accelerates SD interface read/write speeds to 104MB/sec. this year, with a road map to 300MB/sec., the SD Association stated.

The first of a new series of SDXC cards will be available towards the end of this year en route to an eventual 2 terabytes of onboard storage capacity in less than five years, James Taylor, president of the SD Association, said at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"SDXC is a large-capacity card that can store more than 4,000 RAW images, which is the uncompressed mode professionals use, and 17,000 of the fine-mode most consumers use," Shigeto Kanda, general manager at Canon, said in a statement. "That capacity, combined with the exFAT file system, increases movie recording time and reduces starting time to improve photo-capturing opportunities."

The SD Association, which sets standards for Secure Digital technology, was founded by Panasonic, SanDisk and Toshiba.

Story filed 12.01.09