What are SDHC Cards?
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SDHC (Secure Digital High-Capacity) cards are flash memory cards with a minimum capacity of 4GB (gigabytes). SDHC cards provide removable memory for compatible digital devices including cameras, camcorders, PDAs, MP3 players and more. Secure Digital refers to a specific format within the flash card market. SDHC cards are designed for devices that are compatible with the SDHC 2.00 specification. Products designed exclusively to support previous SD specifications 1.0 and 1.1 will not be able to utilize SDHC cards.
The growing demand for high-capacity flash memory springs partially from the increasing use of high-definition video and high-resolution digital photography. SDHC cards meet the challenge of these demanding products not only by providing ample storage but also by introducing a new feature: classifications of data transfer speed (DTS). Consumers can get the best performance value out of their digital products by using flash memory cards that support the device's highest standards for data transfer speed. The SDHC specification 2.00 calls for cards to be classified according to the minimal sustained DTS as follows:
- Class 2: minimum sustained DTS of 2MB/sec
- Class 4: minimum sustained DTS of 4MB/sec
- Class 6: minimum sustained DTS of 6MB/sec
SDHC cards are classified to guarantee a specific sustained DTS. This potentially saves consumers money, as flash cards are priced not only according to capacity, but also to speed. For example, if a product's maximum DTS is 2MB/sec, dishing out extra cash for Class 4 or Class 6 SDHC cards would be a waste of money. Conversely, devices that can utilize the 4MB/sec or 6MB/sec DTR will perform significantly better with Class 4 or Class 6 SDHC cards, respectively.
Secure Digital was forced to create a new specification for SDHC cards when the previous specification topped out at a capacity of 2GB. This occurred previously when SD cards hit the 512MB wall. The new 2.00 specification should last a bit longer, as it allows SDHC cards to reach a maximum capacity of 32GB. Secure Digital is so-named because of its ability to protect copyright content through digital rights management or DRM. Because of this, it is a favored flash memory format in the audiovisual industry.
SDHC cards are about the size of a postage stamp. Insiders expect them to be available through several different manufacturers by summer 2006, and prices will vary. Before purchasing, be sure your device is compatible. There are several card formats available on the market, and devices are proprietary. If a device manual does not list SDHC cards, or state it is "SD specification 2.00 compatible," the device cannot utilize these cards.
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57
When you purchase any SDHC card you should also invest in a SDHC card reader. Then XP will read your pics, movies, etc. - anon49673
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The card itself should have a little slide feature on the edge to protect from accidental deletion. Move the slide feature foward or backward whichever is the case to lock or unlock "write-protect." - anon45891
54
my camera is telling me "card locked!" with my sdhc. Help! I just spent a fortune on an 8GB card and they won't let me return it! - anon41865
53
I brought a SD card for my digital camera, It says card locked. What does this mean? - anon41505
52
I bought a Canon sx1is digital camera (not camcorder) and it takes HD movies. If I buy a HD-HCSD card will I be able to take both the videos and the still shots on that card and then will I be able to read it on my existing 3 year old computer? I understand that if I can read it on the computer it will not be shown in HD format unless I have an HD monitor but will I have difficulty with my computer reading a HDHC SD card at all? - anon39817
51
can I use my 32gb sdhc with ipaq hx1200. Do I need to download a driver for the pda - anon39342
50
i have an asus nova which has an internal SD reader, but as per above it cannot read SDHC.
Can i download a driver for the internal reader of my asus nova to read the SDHC card or i just to buy a reader that reads SDHC to save all the fuss? - anon38355
49
how can i download music on my sdhc card for my nintendo dsi? - anon35488
48
Class 6 just means it is 6mb/s or faster, or 40x or faster. So I could buy one card that is actually 150x, or another that is 40x, and they'll both be class 6, but I won't know which one is faster or better. How can I tell what the actual speed of the card is? - anon31465
47
If you are having trouble *seeing* your SDHC card *make sure your device can handle* SDHC. Any PDS MFG is going to list what it can take on it's spec page. If it takes SDHC, it will generally accept *most* SDHC unless otherwise noted with a restriction (i.e. up to 8gb only). Your PC does not need to "have" SDHC compatibility -- the *device reading* the SDHC card needs it. So *yes* your PC can see it *if* you are using a compatible device. If you have an SDHC card, *always* make sure your device can support SDHC! - anon30223
46
I recently purchased a Dane-Elec microSDHC 4GB flash card. It came with a full-size SD adapter and a USB adapter. I cannot get the USB adapter to function with the microSDHC card, but it does work with a microSD card. Is there a driver update I need? - wd9fyf
44
I am thinking of buying a canon ixus 110 with HD movie capture. Do I need to get a 32 sdhc card to store the movies and how much movie footage would I get on say a 4gb card? - anon28946
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Class 6 offers 6MB(Megabyte)/s transfer rate that is 6x8=48Mb(Megabit)/s, right? So it handles HD video well that requires 17Mbs or 24Mbs like Sony CX11 or Canon HF100.Many times and in many places, they keep messing up with MB/s and Mb/s. - anon28602
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Is a class 6 sdhc the same as high-speed a sdhc card? - anon25910
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Is an sdhc memory card compatible with a sd memory card? - anon25721
40
I bought a verbatim SDHC card.. But when I inserted it on my iPAQ hw 6500.. The PDA can't read it.. Is the SD card incompatible with my PDA or what? Pls.. I really need help.. - shukriyah
39
I bought an 8GB Lexar SDHC card but when I formatted it to the SD 2.0 standard it created one primary partition of 4 GB with the rest as unallocated space. So I can use only 4 GB on any of my computers. I am still looking for a fix for this. Does anyone have any ideas? - tiktin
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Umm Hello, My I Ask What Does The HC Part Stands For? Is The Exact Same As Just Normal SD - anon24975
Editor's reply: HC = High Capacity
37
RE: Posted by: anon2018Can a SDHC card be utilized in a Sony DSLE Alpha-100, please? Um... you know that the Alpha 100 uses Compact Flash right? Not SDHC or any other variant. Have you read your manual? You can buy extremely fast Compact Flash Cards, I use them with my Alpha. - anon24814
35
Regarding the 'locked' card from anon13425, I expect his is referring to the 'write-protect' slider on the side of the card, which you can use to suggest to devices that they do not to write to it. - anon24486
34
Hello.. Ive got SDHC card in my device (creative zen) and when I connect it with my computer with USB port, the PC doesnt recognize the card, but only the device (zen).. Can you help me with it ? - anon23481
33
I ordered a 16GB class 6 SDHC card for my Canon HG20 HD camcorder. I already know it won't work on my SD card reader on my PC. And I know I can get a USB SDHC adapter reader that will work. Is there a firewire SDHC adapter that will work?
- anon23110
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You need a freakin compatible sdhc reader for pc!!!!! To use a sdhc card all devices including your pc must be compatible! - anon22888
31
I just bought a 4GB Ultra II SDHC card made by SanDisk. The picture on the website showed Class 4. However, when I received it, it is Class 2. Strangely, the product number (SDSDRH-004G-A11) and bar code (19659 02900) are exactly the same as the one that I bought from BestBuy (Class 4). I also checked SanDisk's website and did not see any Class 2 SDHC with 4GB capacity. Is the one I just bought a fake product or a good one, but old version? - anon22695
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I realize that an SDHC card will not read on an older SD reader, but does anyone know if you can upgrade drivers or firmware to make it work? - anon19654
29
If you have a SDHC card and you are trying to use it on "legacy" SD card readers or devices, it will NOT work. You need to acquire a new reader or device or, just plain return it. If you have a 4gb+ card, you can bet it won't work on the old hardware. - anon18283
28
Hello: I need to know the DTS (data transfer speed) of a Fujifilm S1000 fd digital camera. I have seach for specifications and I can find everything but its DTS. Could you please help me? Thanks in advance. - anon17193
27
I just purchased a 16gb SDHC card online, when i try to format it freezes my laptop completely. my laptop reads the card because it shows 15.6gbs of space on it but needs to be formatted but when i try it freezes my laptop anyway to fix or is there away format it with out having my laptop freeze on me trying to format? - GokuSSJ2k5
26
I'm thinking about getting a Canon HF100 Camcorder. I think it can record at 17Mbps. I'm guessing that is megabits per second and that is a little over 2MB (Mega Bytes per second - Is that correct?If so then according to the article the DTS class 2 is a little under and a DTS class 4 would be plenty of speed - am I interpreting this correctly? - anon17150
25
Will a SDHC Card hold more data than a SD Card? - anon17063
24
I have a microsdhc 8GB card and no adapter. I have an older microsd adapter. Are the microsd adapters good for microsdhc cards? Yes, I know I will need a microsdhc compatible reader to plug the adapter into. Thanks in advance. - anon14003
23
"if you have to ask...the answer is 'no'". Absolutely the stupidest computer advice I've ever read. Why do you even bother posting? If the answer to every computer problem was no you wouldn't even have one at your desk to use.
And also, everything in technological advancement has started with a question. - anon13478
22
I have a canon powershot A610 digital camera. I bought a SDHC 4GB memory card, but once i put it in the camera, it reads that the card is 'locked'. I have tried everything to 'unlock' it, but nothing. Can you help? - anon13425
21
i found that one kodak camera i have will read the hc card and the other camera and the computer with xp will not. the camera that will read the card will also let the computer download the pictures as long as i go through the camera. if i put the card in the computer its no go. - anon12618
20
SDHC cards are best for fast and high-quality digital cameras. - anon11506
19
jhh4328 - what i've seen is that 2048GB is the theoretical maximum capacity for a SDHC card. but i think the most they've actually produced so far is a card with 32GB. but, technology advances so quickly so i'm sure bigger capacity cards will be coming quickly. - malena
18
I recently read in a product review for a MicroSDHC memory card that allows for cards all the way up to 2048GB (that's two terabytes!).
Anyone know if the SDHC can be made to hold 2048GB? - jhh4328
17
You can purchase a SDHC adapter made by SanDisk. You plug the SDHC card into the adapter, then plug the adapter into your USB port. The system recognizes it as a removable hard disk drive. Compatible with up to 8GB cards. - anon8141
16
just got a sd-hc for my canon camera, the camera reads it fine but my computer doesnt, but it will if i connect the usb cable. still looking for solutions, thanks - anon7978
15
SDHC cards usually won't read in devices that were designed for SD only. Make sure the device or card reader says SDHC on it. My newer Canon camera reads and writes SDHC, but I had to buy a new card reader for my computer because my old one only did SD. - anon7725
14
The rule seems to be: if you have to ask, then the answer is no. SD HC is not the only catch in shopping for memory cards; I have a device (digital radio) with a 1 Gbyte limit. SD cards work in SD HC sockets - and mini SD and micro Scards with a suitable adapter - but never the other way around. If your device doesn't have the SD HC mark then that's that - unless you have another interface such as USB to which an SD HC slot can be connected.
I found online an assertion that SD HC cards emulate the FAT32 data format for hard discs, whereas SD is FAT16, so that would stump you as well, if it's true. It's also stated that FAT16 only functions for size up to 2 gigabytes, but I'm even less sure about that. - anon7694
13
I have a older hp, it has windows xp with a hundred sixty GB Hard Drive and one GB of ram. I recently purchased a Canon digital camera and a Panasonic four GB SDHC card. After installing the software that came with the package I put my SDHC card in the computer and it will not even recognize that it's in. When I go to my computer the computer freezes up until I remove the card. Can any one help me? - anon7493
12
Hi! I purchased a SDHC 4GB purportedly for use in my dvd-camcorder, but to no avail it does not work with it..please help me, is there any driver to be installed so my dvd-camcorder would recognize it? thanks! - anon6552
11
Bobbend - As long as the device you are trying to read the SDHC card is SDHC compatible then you should be able to read it without any extra drivers. I purchased a 4GB SDHC card from Costco, and it came with a little black reader device (just a little bit larger than the SDHC card itself). I plugged the card into the reader then plugged the reader into a free USB port and it read the files and photos without any extra drivers. -Kevin - anon6433
10
My computer won't recognize my 4.0GB SDHC card. I'm running win XP - SP2. Do I need to install a new driver? Any suggestions? - bobbend
9
Yes - an SDHC compatible reader will allow your computer to see the SDHC card. - anon5961
6
Will a new card reader make my computer see the SDHC card I just bought? - anon5545
5
Is there a software upgrade for products that utilize SD specification 1.0 or 1.1, to 2.0??? - coastal
4
My computer won't recognize my 4.0GB SDHC card. I'm running win XP - SP2. Also tried with a USB / SD adapter, still no luck. Any suggestions?
- anon4748
2
Can a SDHC card be utilized in a Sony DSLE Alpha-100, please? - anon2018
1
Is the detailed SDHC specification available somewhere? Specifically, I'm looking for the exact differences between SD and SDHC. - anon856
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Written by
R. Kayne
Last Modified: 22 October 2009
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