MEDIA CARD
About
A flash memory card capable of delivering any commercial digital media. Music, film, video games, or even non-commercial personal files. The card can be pre-loaded with media, have a printed label placed on it, and placed in a printable case for commercial distribution, similar to how CDs, DVDs, and game cartridges are distributed.
RESEARCH
With the rise of digital media through streaming services, ownership and access to such media has become significantly more restricted. With streaming services like Netflix, video and audio quality is significantly reduced thanks to lossy compression algorithms. “Buying” media like video games does not guarantee full ownership of the product. Today, companies are only licensing their products to customers. Customers may experience loss of access to their paid-for products.
These pain-points inspired me to revive physical media in a modern form that meets the high data rate demands of present and future media. Flash storage was the technology chosen for this, due to its high read speeds and compact form factor. A memory card similar to a game cartridge felt correct for this application as this was a prominent way that media is distributed physically with similar demands.
CARD
The front of the card prominently features a recessed surface for a printed label. Below the label, a triangle shape directs the user in inserting the card into a reader.
The connection method is similar to a traditional SD card, but with dot-shaped contacts that are flush with the rest of the card’s surface. This theoretically reduces friction and increases the longevity of the card. The size and shape of the contacts also carves out room for more contact points than an SD card, providing higher data speeds.
CASE
The case holds the card and closes magnetically. Unlike a traditional CD or DVD case, all surfaces of the case are designed to be printed on, including the interior. A recessed area in the case holds the card flush with the case’s surface. Retrieval of the card is made possible with spherical impressions on either side of the card storage cutout.
Album artwork taken from Sevdaliza’s Shabrang
SYMBIOSIS
While physical media without digital rights management (DRM) does give ownership to consumers, non-physical media access still can be freed from these restrictions. This project does not address that, nor does it aim to replace non-physical media. This solution is made to co-exist with non-physical media and serve as an option to consumers.