That market is still based ultimately on storage – thousands of tunes, videos and pictures require enormous amounts of space – but the storage companies have added innovative new twists to the humble hard disk and started producing new products that genuinely help people to manage their ever-growing library of media.

Take I-O Data, for example. At this year’s CEATEC 2008 exhibition in Japan, they’ve been showing off several hard disks that are entirely autonomous. An autonomous hard disk means you can do things such as plug any camcorder directly into it via USB and it’ll record directly to the hard disk without the need for a PC.

Like I say, it’s still all about storage underneath, but who’d have predicted hard disks would need to become autonomous just a few years ago?

Sticking with the storage theme, I-O Data have also released a new NAS, the I-O Data HVL4G. NAS stands for Network Attached Storage, meaning the unit acts as a central repository for all your data, which can then be accessed by any machine across your network. In I-O Data’s case, “all your data” quite literally means up 2TB’s worth!

Most impressive of all though, is the I-O Data Spider Zero. This intriguingly-named device is a hard disk TV recorder with built-in TV tuner that can record up to 8 different channels simultaneously.

Obviously, this requires a lot of space, and storage space is something that I-O Data specialize in. The spider Zero therefore comes in 1.3TB or 2.5TB versions.

This year seems to have been the year of the trillion, with “a trillion dollars” being bandied about quite readily on the news, and a trillion bytes (i.e. 1 TB) becoming increasingly popular as hard disk storage capacity. With all that space has come opportunities for gadgets that can create the content to fill it, and it’s refreshing to see the storage companies as much as the more traditional home entertainment companies rushing to fill it.

[Source: Akihabara News]

Why? Because the new Samsung STB you see here is actually a DVR, capable of storing HD programmes internally. Better still, it comes with DLNA, meaning it can browse the content from your DLNA-equipped phone and camera (and any other DLNA device) without any configuring; and it’ll also be able to access “Internet media”, which I’m guessing means the likes of YouTube and Flickr.

Put all this together and you have a low-cost alternative to the Sky+ box that will also help DLNA finally reach market penetration, as well as getting the masses used to seeing YouTube and Flickr on their TV. In other words, the Web is about to go mainstream as a major distributor of video content, and the process of it replacing traditional TV broadcasting is really gaining momentum.

Better still, with more and more companies supporting DLNA in increasingly-cheaper devices, the vision of all devices around the home being able to seamlessly share each other’s content is at last starting to become a reality.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this Samsung box to see exactly what lurks behind its impenetrable facade (i.e. more news as soon as we get it!)

[Source: AkihabaraNews]

Apparently, VHS is an old analogue tape format for recording TV programmes in the days before digital, and Sharp feel that there’s still enough life left in the format to warrant the release of a new media recorder supporting the technology.

Of course, simply releasing a video recorder wouldn’t be enough on its own, as that really is yesterday’s technology. But releasing a video recorder in a unit that also includes a DVD player and internal 250GB HDD means that the Sharp Aquos DV-ACV52 really can lay claim to being a complete media recorder as it’ll record and play your TV programs in nearly all of today’s (and yesterday’s) formats.

It even comes with HDMI and a digital TV tuner, too, so you can boast to your friends that you have the very latest and the very oldest technology, all in one box.

Furthermore, the Aquos DV-ACV52 isn’t like your dad’s old VHS recorder. From off to on takes just 0.8 seconds, for example, while attaching the DV-ACV52 to a Sharp Aquos TV will let you record two digital channels simultaneously (one on video, the other onto the 250GB HDD).

Makes you almost nostalgic for the good old days of video doesn’t it? Actually, with the thought of chewed up tapes, the limited life span of a video tape, and constantly having to find space on the tape, or else overwrite what you’d already taped – no, video was a technology long past its prime! The DV-ACV52, therefore, may represent the very last generation of VHS video recorder, so get one for its potential as a future museum exhibit, if nothing else!

The Sharp Aquos DV-ACV52 release date is May 21st 2007, priced at an eye-watering $925.

[Source: Akihabara News]

More details and pictures of Sharp’s new AQUOS media recorders after the jump.

You might think that 1TB is overkill for recording TV programmes, but not when you’re recording HD programmes. HD, by its very nature, requires a huge amount of data for all that detail, you obviously need a huge amount of storage if you’re going to be recording HD TV. With 1TB on tap, the DV-AC60 can store up to 127 hours of HD TV, which should be more than enough.

As well as the DV-AC60, Sharp also announced the DV-ACW55, with only 500GB of storage; the DV-ACW52, with 250GB; and DV-AC55 and DV-AC52, which come with 500Gb and 250GB respectively, b ut only one TV tuner.

Sharp’s new media recorders apparently provide stunning results, which is what you want if you’re recording HD TV, but it’s the IrSS system that intrigues me. No indication how many devices are compatible with it, but if it works with any standard InfraRed device, then any phone or Infra-Red-equipped camera should do.

Simply point the device at the media recorder, select your picture and press ‘Send’, and the picture will be beamed directly onto your TV via the media recorder. You can even record the pictures directly onto the media recorder’s hard disk or burn it onto DVD.

This is a great way of viewing your pics, and much easier than the current fiddly way that involves all manner of wires or even conversion via your PC. Showing off your pics to your mates or family can be a royal pain at the moment, as it relies on your camera or phone being able to connect to their TV, which must have the appropriate ports, and which are usually tucked away at the back of the TV.

Let’s hope this technology catches on and other manufacturers follow suit soon.

Just for good measure, the Sharp media recorders also offer DMI, Japanese D4, S-Video, composite video outputs, 2x analog, 1x optical, and 1x coaxial audio outputs, USB ports and Firewire ports.

The Sharp DV-AC60 is expected to retail for 1,270 Euros, with the other media players retailing for correspondingly less.

[Source: Akihabara News]