Panasonic aims to be the first consumer electronics manufacturer to release a high-end DVD recorder that offers network connectivity. Matsushita Electric Industrial, better known for its Panasonic brand, says it will soon start sales of its networked-enabled DMR-E500H.
The DMR-E500H--which will be shown at the CEDIA consumer electronics show in Indianapolis this week--is the first DVD recorder that can be remotely programmed from PCs or mobile phones; it's also the first to enable people in different rooms to watch the same recording, according to the company.
Panasonic hopes the DMR-E500H will help spark interest in the company's latest ideas on networked devices, says Ichiro Kawamura, general manager of Matsushita's Panasonic AVC Networks company.
Tons of Storage--and More
The DMR-E500H has a 400GB hard drive that can store up to 709 hours of recording in extended play (EP) mode (which is typically considered about VHS-quality). The DMR-E500H has a maximum effective speed of 64X when recording in EP mode from a hard drive to DVD-R, allowing it to record a 60-minute program in 56 seconds, which Panasonic claimed is the fastest in the industry. (Panasonic says that the speeds quoted are effective speeds, not data transfer speeds, since they're referring to how many hours you can record for a given amount of data.) The recorder has a maximum speed of 40X when recording in EP mode from hard drive to DVD-RAM.
The unit will go on sale in Japan on September 21 for $1715, and will be offered outside of Japan shortly thereafter, says the company. The product is geared towards higher-end users; Panasonic says it will initially produce only 3000 units per month.
The DMR-E500H has an Ethernet port that allows consumers to view MPEG4 video and JPEG photos stored on the recorder on their PCs. Multiple recorders can also be linked by LAN, so that a DVD playing on one machine can been viewed in more than one room. In Japan, people using Panasonic's online video recording service can program their recorder through their cell phone.
"The DMR-E500H means network convenience combined with a home server," says Shunzo Ushimaru, director of Panasonic's corporate marketing division.
More New Models
Panasonic also introduced four other new models in its Diga brand, of which the DMR-E500H is a part. The other models will go on sale in Japan starting October 1, and sport combinations of features that the company hopes will push its market share in DVD recorders in Japan from 35 percent in 2004 to over 40 percent in 2005, says Ushimaru.
But these new recorders won't be available outside of Japan. Since the high capacity of the hard drives, along with the other advanced features, makes all of the new recorders relatively expensive for the price-sensitive U.S. and European markets, Panasonic has no immediate plans to sell these models in international markets, says Ushimaru.
One of those other models, the DMR-E250V, has a 160GB hard drive, as well as a DVD recorder and VHS deck. Many people want a convenient way to digitalize their VHS tapes, according to Ushimaru. The DMR-E250V targets that audience, by allowing you to record VHS tapes to its hard drive or its DVD drive.
The DVD recorder is becoming a mainstream consumer electronics product in 2004, with prices expected to fall to an average of $200 per player, according to U.S. market research company.
Ad Choices