LaCie today hardened its media storage and released the LaCinema Rugged. The 2.5-inch hard drive is now covered in a rubber shell around an aluminum case and contains internal shockproofing, all of which let users take the disk on trips without damaging the content inside. It can reportedly be loaded quickly through USB from a Mac or Windows PC and works as its own media server: common audio, photo and video formats (including XviD) can play at up to 1080i without a set-top box or PC. A bundled remote handles usual navigation tasks.

All lower-resolution video is automatically upscaled to match the native output format, LaCie notes.

Appearing first in Europe, the drive comes with the international HDMI standard but also supports UK-native SCART video and RCA through adapters. It ships only in black but with 250GB, 320GB and 500GB capacities priced at £139, £159 and £219 ($226, $258 and $356) respectively. A North American version of the LaCinema Rugged hasn't been announced at this time. [via Pocket-lint]