Hitachi CinemaStar 500GB

Hitachi today slipped out a pair of hard drives destined to ship for DVRs and other media-centric devices. The 3.5-inch wide CinemaStar P7500K is one of the most capacious at 500GB and has enough room for as many as 178 full-length movies but runs safely in the tight space of a media hub: the disk consumes about a third less power than earlier models which themselves are better than typical desktop drives, Hitachi claims

In turn, the CinemaStar C5K250 adopts a notebook-sized 2.5-inch width and is made for both extra-compact DVRs and large handhelds like the Wolverine ESP; it spins at a slower 5,400RPM and consumes just 0.55 watts of power at idle to extend battery life and cut down on heat.

Both upgrades implement a unique AV Zoning feature that can ensure important files on the drive are safely restored in the event of a loss without placing the same demand on less essential functions such as videos; they also optimize data fetching to prevent hitches and other interruptions during playback. Hitachi does not list prices but notes that the CinemaStars should integrate with home electronics in the near future.

By Electronista Staff