GadgetReview

J&R, via Amazon has the best deal online for the Apricorn ADVRE-1000 1TB DVR Expander.  They’ve got this DVR hard drive for $149.99 + free shipping = $149.99 shipped! Features include a 1TB hard drive, 7200 rpm spinner, whisper quiet operation, fans, eSATA and USB connectivity.

Newegg has a killer price on the Western Digtal WDAVN00BN TV HD Media Player.  The features for this device include playback of 1080 recorded TV, HDMI output and remote.  They’ve got it for …Continue reading: Western Digtal WDAVN00BN TV HD Media Player – $90 Shipped

Amazon has a combo bundle deal on the Archos 5 120GB Internet Media Tablet which includes a FREE Archos DVR Station. It’s $390 + free shipping = $390 shipped! Features of the player include 120GB hard drive, 4.8-inch touchscreen, WFi, video, music and photo playback + DVR records TV and lets you play it back on your Archos 5.

Last week we saw the launch of Lacie’s D2 Blu-ray burner with an 8x write speed.  Keeping things rolling along, Lacie launched the LaCinema Black MAX, which appears to be a direct competitor to Western Digital’s TV HD Media Player.  It’s basically a NAS storage device with a proprietary UI that can connect to your HDTV (HDMI and component) and output a 1080p signal. Much like may of today’s DVR, you can record shows and rewind live TV.  The LaCinema Black MAX comes standard with either a 500GB or 1TB hard drive, but Lacie is quick to point out that this capacity can be expanded courtesy of its USB 2.0 inputs.  Yes, there is an EPG (electronic programming guide), although I’m not sure of the source, and the Blackmax will require an HD tuner of some sort to get up and running.  The Blackmax can even upscale your home movies (or any other video content) and pull movies, music and photos over WiFi or Ethernet from networked computers.

Expansys-usa currently sells the Lacie Blackmax with a 1TB drive for $650, but makes no mention of an actual ship date. Lacie on the other hand, sells the 500GB version for 479,00€ ($617 US) and is presumably shipping now.

[Lacie]

The rumor world, well more like investment bank Piper Jaffray, thinks Apple will release networked televisions and an updated Apple TV with DVR functionally in the next 2-years.  Notably, this isn’t the first time we’ve heard about an Apple DVR.

Although Apple has publicly denied interest in such markets, investment bank Piper Jaffray said Thursday it expects the company to introduce a networked television in the next two years and update its Apple TV set-top-box with DVR capabilities by year’s end.

Ok, I can totally see the DVR thing panning out.  It’s the only way Apple will truly reach critical mass with their Apple TV, but actual TVs branded by Apple, I think that’s a bit of a stretch.  Yes, they do produce their own LCD monitors via LG, but I think that strays too far from their core offering, which is computing and more importantly media delivery.  Displays have always been an up sell for Apple and not a mainstay.  Would I love to see an Apple TV with DVR?  You bet your bottom dollar I would.  I’d snag me one right now if it did that kind of stuff out the box.  Hacking the Apple TV to work with services like Boxee or any number of things is too much work for me, although I’m growing more and more interested in Jailbreaking my iPhone.

[AppleInsider]

Amazon has the Web’s lowest price on the IOGEAR [GMD2025U120] External Hard Drive.  It’s $350 – $220 instant savings + free shipping = $130 shipped!

Features:

• 120GB of storage
• 720p upscaling, store up to 50 hours of HD content
• Built-in controls for your media

Sony seems to be constantly adding new components to their line of Bravia televisions.  Today they announced the BRX-A320, a DVR with a 320GB hard drive.  It can be mounted to the rear of the compatible TV and record up to 27 hours of HD video or 55 hours in SD mode.  No word on the EPG, but the BRX-A320 DVR is compatible with the following TVs:  X7000, X5050, X5000, W5000, V5000, V3000, J5000, J3000, XR1, X1, W1, F1, V1, J1, V5 and J5-series.

The BRX-A320 will go on sale in Japan on February 20th for about $550.

[Electronista]

If you routinely poke around dark areas and need to take pictures of what you see (such as a home inspector peeking underneath a house), you could use a camera and carry a flashlight. However, carrying two items can be clumsy, so as a simpler alternative, you could carry Swann Surveillance’s unique flashlight that combines a digital camera with a video camcorder.

The flashlight requires three C batteries and weights 520 grams (without the weight of the batteries). It’s rather large for a flashlight with dimensions of 3.11 inches at its widest point, which is its front, 3.85 inches high, and 12.83 inches long. The head of the flashlight contains the bulb and the built-in camera and microphone. If you’re used to ordinary household flashlights, this unit will seem monstrous in comparison. However, if you’re used to typical police style flashlights, this item simply sports a larger head for its lens.
There are three levels of illumination that you can choose. Just turn on the flashlight, aim it, and now you have the option of taking still pictures or video. If you choose video, you can capture audio as well. The camera captures images at 640 by 480 resolution, which is acceptable but definitely grainier than typical digital cameras or video camcorders.

The flashlight captures video in MPEG-4 format at 30 frames per second (fps) and can a maximum of 18 minutes stored on its built-in 128Mb memory. If you plug in an optional SD card, you can store up to 1.5 hours of video on a 1Gb SD card.

After capturing pictures, video, or audio, you can download the data to your computer through an included USB cable, which plugs into any USB 1.1 port.

Despite the limited camera resolution, this flashlight can be especially handy for taking pictures wherever you can point the flashlight, such as inside a car engine or in an attic. For security purposes, the flashlight can help you record events without another person’s knowledge.

Since the camera and microphone are hidden in the flashlight’s lens, you could point the flashlight at anyone and record video and audio without their knowledge, which could be handy for storing crucial visual and audio evidence. The built-in microphone captures adequate sound, but don’t expect crystal clear fidelity. Overall, the built-in microphone and cameras are sufficient for typical uses for this flashlight.
The Swann Surveillance Flashlight DVR may be a bit expensive for ordinary use. However, if you need a hidden camera and microphone tucked inside what appears to be an ordinary flashlight, this product is truly one of a kind.

Pros:

• Built-in and hidden digital camera, video camcorder, and microphone
• Sturdy construction
• Built-in memory with optional expansion with separate SD card
• Includes USB cable for transferring data to a computer

Cons:

• Photograph and video quality lower than an ordinary camera
• Audio quality of the built-in microphone is sufficient, but could be better
• Expensive compared to buying a separate camera and flashlight

The Swann Surveillance Flashlight DVR is currently available here for $238

Abe’s is offering the TIVO [TCD658000 HD XL] Black Digital Recorder for a great deal. They’ve got it for $549 – $10 coupon (LOYALTY10) + free shipping = $539 shipped!

Features:

• Record up to 150 hours of HD shows on the 1TB of storage
• THX certified, Tivo patented EPG, and more

J&R has the best deal online for the Neuros OSD Multimedia Hub Video Capture Device [6011000]. It’s $130 + $7 S&H = $137 shipped!

Features:

• Archive all your DVD and CDs
• Simple setup, works with VHS as well, MPEG4 encoding, USB input and more