Audio Video News

TV addicts, rejoice. If scheduling conflicts prevent you from watching all the programs you want to see, Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company has help for what ails you. The consumer electronics giant has announced the PV-HS3000, its first 60-hour-capable "ShowStopper" hard disk recorder.

Due at dealers in October, the machine is said is to be the industry's largest single-drive hard disk video recorder using ReplayTV technology. The suggested retail price of $799.95 includes a lifetime subscription to the ReplayTV Service. The PV-HS3000 is the latest in Panasonic's ShowStopper line, which includes the PV-HS1000 and PV-HS2000, which offer up to 20 hours and 30 hours of recording time, respectively.

The hard disk recorders use MPEG 2 compression technology to record hours of high quality video. Three levels of recording quality (extended, medium, and high) let users scale their stored programs as they wish. Full remote control allows pause, rewind, slow motion, frame advance and 7-second instant replay. The QuickSkip feature moves programs ahead in 30-second jumps. Users can create personalized "channels" with the free ReplayTV Service, including an on-screen channel guide that is automatically updated every night with the next seven days of program listings.

The ShowStopper is "very easy to use and has quickly become the choice of the end user looking for the best hard disk recorder on the market." said Jason Gastman, product manager for Panasonic's Consumer Video Division. The "Find Shows" and "Replay Zones" features make recording according to your preferences for actors or genres easy. "There's no need to worry about whether you have programmed the machine with the correct times, or to depend upon the accuracy of printed TV listings in order to find or record programs," Gastman said. Every program matching a user's criteria can be recorded, no matter when it is aired.

ShowStopper hard disk recorders are compatible with cable, direct satellite and over-the- air broadcasting systems. Each machine comes packaged with all the necessary connectors, adapters and cables to plug it into any existing home entertainment system. Panasonic Consumer Electronics Company is a division of Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., of Japan.