Creating a new product category for the home entertainment industry, LG Electronics introduced the world’s first dedicated “digital media recorder” with the Microsoft Program Guide service.
The LG LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder is a combination digital video recorder (DVR) and DVD recorder powered by Windows Media Center Technologies with a 160-gigabyte hard drive for unparalleled recording flexibility. Taking home theater digital convergence to the next level, the LG LRM-519 is being demonstrated to high-end retailers for the first time this weekend at the 2005 Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association (CEDIA) Expo.
“LG strives to bring to market groundbreaking, innovative products and services that address evolving consumers’ needs and improve their daily lives. With the launch of the digital media recorder category, we believe we have done just that, and in turn, we are changing the landscape of the consumer electronics industry,” said Robert A. Perry, vice president, consumer electronics sales and channel marketing, LG Electronics USA, Inc. “This product clearly demonstrates LG’s expertise in transforming the home entertainment experience, delivering innovative, easy-to-use technology to the living rooms and home theaters of America.”
Rick Thompson, corporate vice president of the Windows Client Extended Platforms Division at Microsoft Corp, said, “Microsoft is committed to delivering new innovation for the living room to help consumers have more fun and stay connected with experiences that are easy to use. Through our relationship with LG, we are re-defining what best-in-class digital media recording means to consumers.
“Microsoft and LG have created an exceptional digital TV entertainment experience with the LG LRM-519,” Thompson said. “By combining the power of software like the Microsoft Program Guide, and Windows Media Connect Technology with great hardware from LG, consumers can start sharing their music, memories and more between their Windows XP-based PC and TV within minutes, giving them the flexibility to access their entire digital entertainment library when and where they want it throughout the home.”
For home theater enthusiasts who aren’t always at home when their favorite TV program airs, the LRM-519 can record and store cable, satellite or over- the-air programs for enjoyment anytime. In addition, the LG Digital Media Recorder’s two USB ports make it easy to plug in a compatible external hard drive of any size to instantly expand storage capacity to however many hours the customer desires.
The Microsoft Program Guide service makes it easy to search up to 14 days of programs by title, keyword, actor, director or category; allowing new programs and old favorites to be discovered and automatically recorded at the touch of a button. Any scheduled recording can be configured to record only once or for an entire season of shows, making it easy for users to decide exactly what will be recorded. The Microsoft Program Guide also provides the engine for the “parental controls” features that allow parents to monitor the programs their families can access.
The LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder’s TV control ability doesn’t end there. With up to 90 minutes of “live” TV pause, stopping to take a TV break or going back to review an earlier scene or program is no problem. And for those less- interesting TV moments, one press of the remote control’s skip button automatically jumps forward 30 seconds in time.
Of course, even home theater enthusiasts sometimes need to leave the living room. For those times, the LRM-519’s ability to quickly save stored programs to DVD will allow TV shows to be played back on the go, wherever there is a DVD player. With support for the widest variety of major DVD recording formats, including the latest DVD+R Dual Layer recordable discs, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R and DVD+RW, DVD recording and playback compatibility are not a concern.
In addition, the LG LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder can be easily added to the home network via wired Ethernet or an 802.11a/b/g wireless connection. Using a high-speed connection through the home network or even through a standard analog telephone modem connection, access to the Microsoft Program Guide service data is fast and easy.
With a connection to the home network, TV shows can quickly be sent to the home office for viewing or archiving on Windows XP or Windows XP Media Center Edition -based PCs. Further, JPEG photo files, MP3 and WMA music files stored on the PC — or even on a variety of portable devices such as portable digital music players, digital cameras and USB thumb drives that had previously been confined to the PC’s small screen and tiny speakers — can now be accessed through the LRM-519 for slideshow playback and enjoyment by the whole family in the home theater environment.
Available nationwide in October, the LG LRM-519 Digital Media Recorder has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $599. The Microsoft Program Guide service subscription is available for a $249 one-time fee, $99.99 for a one-year subscription, or for $9.99 for a one-month subscription.
