WD AV-GP media hard drives hit 3TB

Western Digital on Monday upgraded its AV-GP hard drives to provide extra space for frequent media users. New 2.5TB and 3TB versions match the capacity of the best regular drives but are designed for always-on use and a relatively low power draw. Both of them are optimized for very heavy recording demands and can grab as many as 12 simultaneous HD video streams.

Each drive should have a million hours' mean time between failures, WD said. Like with earlier 2.2TB-plus drives, Windows XP can't properly the drive and will need either a Mac or a later Windows release to see the full capacity. Macs and 64-bit Windows PCs are also needed to boot from the drive.

Either capacity should be available today at prices of $160 and $180.

By Electronista Staff