RCA has announced a new Lyra audio/video personal media player that allows recording of TV directly onto the unit for $449.
The RCA LYRA Audio/Video Jukebox lets TVjunkies record their favorite programs directly onto a pocket-sized device – without the need to use a PC. The 20 GB RCA RD2780 is a “virtual VCR” in your pocket, featuring a 3.5″ screen that easilyconnects to a television set via an analog composite video output and can record up to 50 hours of video content directly from an analog video source. The RD2780 also plays back digital audio filesand JPEG photos.
“A recent consumer survey of RD2780 owners found that 65 percent of users are primarily obtaining their video content by recording programs directly from their television or other A/V devices such as set top boxes,” said Mark Redmond, Vice President, Worldwide Audio and Video, Thomson. “Additionally, 52 percent have used the device to transfer video from their camcorders – which can also be accomplished without the use of a PC.
“One of the advantages of being a leader in this product category is that we can survey our own customers to really understand how they use the product, what they like about it, and where we can make improvements. This valuable data is used to provide enhancements to our current products via software updates on the web and in planning future generations of devices,” Redmond added.
To directly record a TV show, the consumer simply connects the RD2780 to a television set via the enclosed line-in / line-out cables, highlights the “video” mode and presses the “record” and “select” button to begin recording. A recording menu lets consumers automatically select recording times ranging from 30 minutes to three hours, and automatically shuts off the unit when the recording is completed. When in record mode, the RD2780 displays status, recording time, elapsed time, recording quality and file name.
Featuring a 3.5-inch Thin Film Transistor (TFT) LCD screen, the versatile RD2780 is compatible with multiple audio and video codecs including MPEG-4, MPEG-1, mp3 and Windows Media Audio. The RD2780 doubles as a portable (or desktop) pocket photo album, since JPEG images can be displayed and stored by directly transferring them from the PC or by inserting a CompactFlash memory card. The robust 20GB hard drive in the RCA LYRA Audio/Video Jukebox accommodates up to 100,000 JPEG photo images which can be easily displayed with a convenient, built-in leg stand.
Providing RCA LYRA Jukebox owners with peace of mind, the RD2780 will now be shipped with a label from StuffBak – a loss protection and recovery service. Owners simply attach a StuffBak label, which contains a unique identification number, to the player and register it online, or via a toll-free phone number. Users pay a small service fee to have the item returned, plus the cost of shipping and handling, and have the option of offering a cash reward for the return of the item. The label instructs people who find the lost device how to return the product.
Using the RD2780′s onscreen keyboard, consumers can rename files, folders and playlists, providing a quick and convenient solution for organizing the thousands of audio, video and JPEG images stored on the device. In addition to audio playlists, the product has the unique ability to provide playlists for video and photos, also away from the PC. The RD2780 is compatible with Thomson’s exclusive LYRA DJ smart playlist generator, which uses the PC to analyze acoustical material, and automatically groups similar songs together.
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