Hitachi to introduce Terabyte DVD Recorder

Hitachi claims it's got the world's first DVD recorder with a one terabyte hard disk.

If you have a serious TV addition and need to record everything that's broadcast, Hitachi's got you in its sights with its Terabyte DVD recorder, a device with enough space to store up to 128 hours of high-definition digital broadcasting or up to 1700 hours of standard television.

Don't rush out in hopes of recording the entire FIFA World Cup 2006 tournament though, as the recorder is currently only available in Japan, where Hitachi claims it has captured a 23 per cent market share since its launch last year. Maybe by the time it's expected to hit Australian shelves in early 2007, there will be more HD content available locally to make the investment worthwhile.

If you don't want to wait that long, in August Hitachi will be launching 160GB and 250GB HDD/DVD models. Both will feature HDMI, 1080i upscaling, multi-format recording including DVD-RAM, a DV input terminal, plus JPEG and MP3 playback. Pricing has yet to be confirmed, but is expected to be close to AU$699 for the 160GB unit and AU$799 for the higher capacity 250GB recorder.