As hard drives continue to enable rapid consumer adoption of richer entertainment recording and storage capabilities, Seagate Technology announced that leading consumer electronics manufacturer LG Electronics has integrated Seagate hard drives into the world’s first plasma integrated High-Definition televisions (HDTVs) with a built-in high-definition digital video recorder (HD-DVR). Seagate’s DB35 Series consumer electronics (CE) hard drive lets LG Electronics combine high-quality large-screen plasma HDTV viewing with unsurpassed flexibility to capture, time-shift and archive storage-intensive HDTV programming.

Available in 50- and 60-inch models, LG’s PY2DR series features all the benefits of plasma HDTV combined with a powerful 160-gigabyte HD-DVR built into the ultra-thin cabinet. The new Digital Cable Ready plasma HDTVs can store up to 14 hours of digital high-definition programming or 62 hours of digital standard-definition programming. The new widescreen plasma-DVRs incorporate an automatic time-shift feature, which continuously records in one-hour intervals. Other features include slow motion rewind and forward capabilities and instant replay. The user-friendly sets also enable viewers to easily organize recorded programs and set up repeat recordings of their favorite show.

Seagate’s 160-Gbyte DB35 Series drives deliver the best combination of storage capacity, video performance, high reliability and quiet acoustics. The Seagate DB35 Series hard drive with DynaPlay technology delivers up to 10 simultaneous streams of TV, and lets manufacturers custom-tune the drive for optimal DVR performance. This breakthrough feature set optimizes the drive for video performance, power consumption control and content security. And because it’s from Seagate, the drive provides long-haul reliability for worry-free DVR operation, year after year.

“LG Electronics and Seagate have worked closely to incorporate the
best-in-class Seagate hard drives into this innovative product through Seagate’s unique design processes and services, meeting LG’s requirements for DVR convergence into HDTV,” said Mr. Kwan-Seung Baek, chief research engineer of DTV Development Group of LG Electronics. “LG is pleased to expand the award-winning PY2DR product line with the 60PY2DR and 50PY2DR 60- and 50-inch plasma HDTVs with an integrated 160-gigabyte DVR, following its high-profile entry into the U.S. market a year ago that reshaped the U.S. digital display landscape.”

“Seagate CE hard drives deliver the features CE manufacturers like LG Electronics need — quiet acoustics, efficient power use, high reliability and top video streaming performance,” said Pat O’Malley, senior vice president of Consumer Electronics Business Development, Seagate Technology. “LG’s new
product is the result of a successful technology and engineering collaboration, and is a clear reflection that through such collaboration, we continue to deliver leading-edge technologies that advance the world of digital home entertainment. Seagate works closely with innovators like LG Electronics to strengthen our position as the leader in CE storage with the industry’s broadest set of hard drive solutions as well as comprehensive partner supports through Seagate Design Service Centers.”