Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi) introduced the newest member of its CinemaStar product line With an upper capacity of 160 gigabytes (GB), 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 reliability-focused, debut perpendicular recording product.

Earlier this year, Hitachi introduced the 3.5-inch CinemaStar 7K500 and 7K160 hard drives for standard DVR applications. The new more compact CinemaStar C5K160 announced today continues Hitachi's focus in supporting its Era of Digital Video initiative, which positions digital video as the next "killer application" for hard drives in consumer devices. Industry analyst TrendFOCUS predicts an 80-percent growth for digital video applications that rely on hard drive storage in 2006.

With a slighter profile than standard DVR hard drives, 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 best-in-class 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.

"Consumers are looking for options from DVR manufacturers, because they want the flexibility, sleek design and space-saving attributes that a smaller device offers," said Marcia Bencala, vice president, product strategy and planning, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "Hitachi's CinemaStar products -- now in both 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch models -- give manufacturers the key component to meet consumers' varying requirements while adding a new product segment and opportunity for a new revenue stream."

The CinemaStar C5K160, which is expected to be available in the first half of 2007, is designed for DVRs, portable video players, DVR-enabled televisions, PVRs and high-end audio devices among others.

Hitachi's new video-tuned, compact hard drive brings together a number of consumer electronics-specific features and benefits:

-- Perpendicular recording technology allows for increased platter capacity, which enables the drive to meet 3.5-inch entry-level capacity points with a smaller footprint;

-- SmoothStream(TM) is Hitachi-developed technology that allows hard drives to be optimized for audio/video applications requiring reliable storage for audio and video files;

-- Silent-seek acoustics for bedroom-quiet operation;

-- SMART Command Transport and adaptive error recovery for optimized video streaming and picture quality;

-- Advanced power management features enable the drive to run cooler and use less power;

-- Fast spin up time of approximately 2.3 seconds allows the C5K160 to be read quickly;

-- Standard interface connection support is SATA.

With a top capacity of 160 GB, the CinemaStar C5K160 could hold up to 57 movies, 40,000 four-minute songs and 80 video games.