Digital Vision announces GiGo – the VCR killer

gigoweb.gif

Digital Vision has launched the GiGo DV-DTR1 Digital Freeview recorder – the first USB stick based recorder on the market.

It’s basically a single tuner Freeview receiver, with the usual EPG you’d expect on a Freeview box, that has three USB ports on the front of it. Users can record programmes using the EPG direct to any storage device plugged in to one of the slots.

Programmes are recorded in MPEG-2 format with an hour’s worth of programming taking up about 2GB. The file name is taken directly from the EPG and programme synopsis is also copied.

Playback is via the GiGo or via any device that supports MPEG-2, meaning you can take your recorded programmes with you on the move.

Robert Musk told Tech Digest (well, me) that he sees the GiGo box as a direct replacement for people who were comfortable recording onto VHS but haven’t got to grips with Freeview recorders and personal planners yet although, to be honest, the GiGo doesn’t look any easier to use than a standard Freeview recorder.

The GiGo DV-DTR1 will be available in Tesco from September for £69.99 initially, although this will probably drop to £59.99. The cheapest Freeview reorder I could find on the Tesco website was £87.89 for a 250GB DigiHome model meaning the GiGo could be a good entry-level Freeview recorder.

Sony DVDirect DVD Burner – for PC-free burning of your blurry home videos

5px 5px 0;” />

The Sony DVDirect DVD Burner is a tool for enthusiasts. It’s something your dad would buy out of a catalogue. It has the appearance of being a labour-saving device, without really making much of a difference.

It connects via USB to your camcorder – or you can pop the memory card into one of its holes. From there, you can dump everything onto a dual-layer DVD, complete with auto-generated DVD menu screens…

Toshiba launching wide range of new DVD players and combos

toshiba_2008_dvd_players_recorders_hdd_vcr.jpg

Toshiba has announced ten new DVD models, including five standalone DVD players, three DVD recorders (two with hard drives), and even two with VCRs built-in, for those of you still attached to tape.

Three standard DVD players — the SD-180E, SD-185E, and SD-280E — offer usual functionality you’d expect, including JPEG viewing, DivX playback, and MP3 support.

Taking a step up, the SD-480E and SD-580E offer upscaling of standard DVDs to 1080p high definition, feature HDMI outputs to connect to a suitable TV, and have Toshiba’s REGZA-Link which synchronises compatible equipment using a single remote control unit.