Hitachi has announced the newest member of its CinemaStar product line. With an upper capacity of 160 GB (gigabytes), the new 2.5-inch hard disk drive is tailor made for the next iteration of slim digital video recorders (DVR) by incorporating features that optimize the storing, retrieving, streaming and editing of digital video.
The new product, called CinemaStar C5K160, is based on the Travelstar 5K160 notebook hard drive, Hitachi's debut perpendicular recording product. Perpendicular recording technology allows for increased platter capacity thanks to a higher data density.
The CinemaStar C5K160 offers a number of benefits to both manufacturers and end users. Using the 2.5-inch form factor, manufacturers can create slimmer DVR models that give consumers another option in the design, styling and space-consumption of their DVR devices.
In addition to the drive's compact size, it offers lower power utilization and heat emission. The combination of these features means the drive requires less cooling, which may help extend the life of the hard drive, the host product, as well as surrounding devices in a typical entertainment cabinet.
The C5K160 also permits manufacturers to utilize simpler, lower-cost power supplies due to its 5V-only requirement, compared to the 5V and 12V designs utilized for 3.5-inch hard disk drives.
This new model is expected to be available in the first half of 2007.
