Come to Papa! Hitachi has just unveiled the industry’s first 500GB hard drive, its also the first to include support for SATA II. According to PCWorld, the Hitachi 500GB Deskstar drive “will be available in two versions: a $500 drive featuring the older parallel ATA interface and an 8MB data buffer, and a $520 model with a 16MB buffer that uses the 3-gigabits-per-second Serial ATA II interface (which is backward-compatible with the 1.5-gbps SATA interface). Test units were not available at press time, but shipping versions should be ready in the second quarter of this year. Hitachi estimates that the five-platter 500GB drives will be able to store up to 56 hours of HDTV depending on compression rates.” MORE »

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So what looks like a quiet launch for a video on demand product, Microsoft’s MSN Video Download apparently is going live today. The service allows you to download video content from places like MSNBC, CNBC, Fox Sports, HGTV, The Food Network, Fine Living and DIY. Although you may not be watching Desperate Housewives or the Sopranos any time soon, it’s an interesting first attempt foray into the world of video on demand for Microsoft. MORE »

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Personal RANT: What the heck is HP thinking? First they worked a deal with Apple to sell a co-branded iPod (a bit odd, but I guess they saw a profit potential there). Now they’re releasing a whole line of Pavillion desktops, including a Windows Media Center PC version (Media Center m7000 Series PhotoSmart PC), in silver and white – a la Mac mini – that will even include a custom-fitted dock for an Apple iPod. Where’s HP going with this? It seems like the next logical step for the company would be to introduce a new line of co-branded Mac OS X desktops. MORE »

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True home media networking – the ability to access the same audiovisual content on any suitable media device in your home – scarcely exists today, although many homes in wealthy nations contain multiple home entertainment products. What will unlock the potential of true home networking? MORE »

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While home networking vendors have enjoyed a few years of robust consumer demand, especially via retail channels, new research from The Diffusion Group suggests that manifest or overt consumer demand for home networks is at an all-time low, having declined for each of the last three years. MORE »

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Gamespot has more noise on the expanding role the Playstation Portable may have in the future. According to the article, when the PSP is released in South Korea in May, it will include a new piece of bundled software called the Network Utility UMD. With that running, users of the PSP will be able to: MORE »

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GoVideo has finally released the GoVideo D2740 Wireless Media Receiver + DVD Player, which we reported on back in September 2004. The D270 will sell for around $225 and will be UPnP enabled (supports UPnP-certified music services like Rhapsody and others) and provides on-board 802.11g connectivity. Other than those two features, it’s pretty much the same as its predecessor, the D2730 with limited media format support. MORE »

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Orb Networks, Inc., a developer of streaming media software and services, today announced the company’s groundbreaking streaming media software, Orb Media, will now be FREE to all users. Orb’s software and service gives consumers the ability to spontaneously access their live TV, music, photos, videos, and other digital content located on their home PC from virtually any Internet-enabled device, from anywhere in the world, and now provides that service without adding any new monthly fees for new and current customers. Additionally, Orb has added a new Photo Sharing service to its solution allowing customers to share all of their selected photos with friends and family at any time. MORE »

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Pure Networks, Inc., the leading provider of home networking software and services, with software already in more than 2 million homes nationwide, today released Network Magic, the first all-in-one home networking software solution. Network Magic is software for consumers that resides on each computer within a home network, connecting and unifying the many different PCs, routers, gateways, and networked devices found in today’s home into a seamless home network that is easy for consumers to use, manage and enjoy. MORE »

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Forbes has an interesting piece on the developers behind PyMusique, including information on the lesser known Linux enthusiast, Cody Brocious, a 17-year old 11th grader from Chamberburg, PA, who came up with the idea of creating an iTunes Music Store (iTMS) application to run on Linux. The funny part of the story – which is kind of unbelievable – is that FairPlay DRM circumvention was unintentional… something they stumbled upon while creating the program (Hmmmmm). MORE »

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