At first glance, the all new Sony HD-PG5U portable storage device may not seem all that special. While yes this drive is sleek and stylish, and while yes, it is
USB 3.0, both of these features are not exactly groundbreaking. What makes the Sony HD-PG5U so interesting is when the drive is connected to certain BRAVIA HDTV's. Plug this little 180g device into a new Sony HDTV and you can instantly record TV to it without the need for a TV tuner card, a HTPC or anything else for that matter.
As an added bonus, if you plug this 500GB portable hard drive to Sony Handycam camcorders with Direct Copy function (such as the DCR-SX21E and DCR-SR21), you can seamlessly transfer any and all video to the portable device from the Hanycam without needing a PC. This is great for extended trips. If neither of these features interest you, maybe the fact that when you connect it to a PlayStation 3, you can view any (AVCHD only) videos on it; thus turning your PlayStation 3 into a mini HTPC. If you live in the UK, France or Germany, you will be able to purchase on of these devices mid July. No word on pricing or availability for other countries at this time.
Toshiba USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drives Named by Scrabble-powered Marketing Robots
By Ian Chiu on July 13th, 2011
