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LG Electronics is planning to launch later this year a hard-drive-based handheld media player that plays both audio and video, the company says.

The MF-HE700 is one of a new generation of handheld devices that adds video playback functions to the audio playback function offered by devices such as Apple Computer's IPod or Sony's NW-HD1 Network Hard Disk Walkman.

The device is expected to cost around $500.

Technical Detail

It includes a 20GB hard drive and has a 2.2-inch TFT display that covers about half of the front of the handheld player. The device supports decoding of MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), and Ogg audio files, JPEG still images, and MPEG4 and DiVX videos, LG says.

In addition it includes an FM radio and supports recording of FM radio broadcasts in MP3 format. There is also a voice recorder function.

Users will be able to connect the player to a PC via a USB2.0 connection and it also has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, the company says.

The company is planning to launch the drive in South Korea, Australia, China, and other Asian markets from December this year, says Cecilia Lee, an LG spokesperson based in Seoul.

LG has yet to decide on a launch schedule for other markets such as the U.S. and Europe, Lee says.