Panasonic has announced three new digital media recorders as an addition to their DIGA DVD recorder line-up. The Panasonic DMR-XW50 boasts a 500GB hard-drive, while the DMR-XW30 offers 400GB and the DMR-XP10 model has 200GB of HDD capacity.
We use the term “media" recorders as they all have, of course, a DVD recorder but also integrate a digital TV tuner. In addition, the DMR-XW50 and DMR-XW30 include a SD (secure digital) flash memory card slot so you can transfer music or photos from the hard disc directly to the SD card to play them back in portable devices.
Let’s concentrate on the additional features of high-end model. From the details in the Press Release (in Japanese), here are just a few highlights. The DMR-XW50 offers a hard disk that should allow you, if our calculations prove right…, about 25 hours of 1080p recording. That’s not bad unless you’re a real HDTVaholic. This model also gives you 1080p progressive video output. The DMR-XW50, as well as the DMR-XW30, feature an Ethernet port.
With all the models you can record two digital programs at the same time. They are also compatible with VIERA Link to simplify interconnecting other Panasonic equipment.
From what we understand, the Panasonic DMR-XW50 and DMR-XW30 should be available in certain markets starting early September, while the DMR-XP10 is projected to reach stores by mid-October. We’ll update you with prices and additional information as we learn more.
If you want to try you luck with the Press Release in Japanese, just click here.