Toshiba announced the StorE TV+ media drive that includes a 2TB hard drive with Wi-Fi support so owners can play stored media from a PC.
The device connects to a TV via HDMI port, and supports HD playback on all DLNA-compatible TVs. Since it has Wi-Fi, the new device can also wirelessly sync with a nearby PC or notebook.
Toshiba is including MPEG-1, 2 and 4 support, along with H.264, MOV, WMV, AVI, MP4, and MKV support. A small LCD located on the front of the media player will also give owners the chance to browse stored content even if the TV isn't on.
Subtitles in multiple languages will be supported from launch, Toshiba indicates, but an official list wasn't released.
The new Toshiba StorE TV+ will be available later this month for around $300.
I like that Toshiba included 2TB of storage space, but the $300 price tag and lack of DivX and XviD support makes me hesitant about this drive. Many consumers are more interested in streaming content than storing large amounts of data, although this could still be a great solution for those looking for higher storage.
There is increased competition among manufacturers to include storage solutions in the living room. Set-top boxes and DVRs are popular because owners have flexibility to store whatever content they like, which is unavailable for the Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 game consoles.
A recent Sony PlayStation 3 game console jailbreak offers support to an external HDD, opening the door for backed up video games and multimedia.
