Western Digital expands DVRs with 500GB drive

Western Digital this afternoon launched a third external drive beyond its desktop and notebook models: the My Library Video Edition DVR Expander (not shown) is one of the few drives explicitly made to boost the capacity of video recorders for recording more shows or keeping longer archives. Currently tested for Scientific Atlanta's near-ubiquitous 8300-series HD systems, the drive plugs into any functional external SATA port on a compatible DVR and adds an extra 500GB of space beyond whatever is included inside the recorder itself. This level of space adds about 300 hours of standard NTSC video or 60 hours of typical HD footage, by Western Digital's count.

Launched as of today, the My Library ships independently of the DVRs themselves and sells for $200. An 8300 HD, 8300 MR, or 8300 HD-MR recorder rented from a cable or satellite provider is officially required, but support is set to expand beyond Scientific Atlanta hardware as more providers switch on eSATA support. No mention has yet been made of running the drive in conjunction with a TiVo Series 3 or other non-bundled DVRs.