SanDisk V-Mate Records Video to Flash Media

SanDisk's new V-Mate enables users to record video to flash media from any conventional source, then watch it on phones, media players, game devices, and more.

Ever wished you could record your favorite show off DVD, satellite, cable, broadcast television, or whatever, then just pop the video into a portable device you already own so you can watch the show later, away from home, when you get some time? Media maker SanDisk has announced the new V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder aims to offer just that, enabling users to record standard video to an astounding variety of flash based media so they can play it back later using phones, PDAs, game devices, portable media players, or whatever other devices they might have handy.

“Today’s increasingly mobile consumer wants to be able to watch their favorite shows and videos, whenever and wherever they want,” said Wes Brewer, SanDisk’s vice president of consumer product marketing, in a release. “The V-Mate is an easy-to-use, affordable way for millions of people to use their mobile phones or other mobile devices to watch video content that resides primarily in the living room when they are away from home.”

The SanDisk V-Mate enables users pack up to 2.5 hours of video into each gigabyte of storage capacity on their flash media, compressing the video into MPEG-4 at up to 640 by 480 resolution. Users connect the V-Mate to the AV output put their set-top box, VCR, DVR, DVD player, their television, or other device, then use the V-Mate’s remove control and TV-based interface to configure the device, plus record and access content. Users can schedule several recordings on different channels; users also configure settings for their playback device—whether a phone, handheld game system, or something else—to ensure the recorded videois compatible. The V-Mate includes an infrared emitter, so it can automatically turn on your TV tuner box and select the appropriate channel for recording; it also includes a mini-USB connector for transferring data from your flash media to a computer.

And speaking of media, the V-Mate supports an armload of acronyms: SD, MMC, MMCplys, MMCmobile, SDHC, MiniSDHC, MicroSDHC, MemoryStick, Memory Stick Pro, Memory Stick Duo, and Memory Stick Pro Duo? What’s missing? Most notably CompactFlash, but that’s probably fine since most portable media devices don’t support it either.

“The SanDisk V-Mate provides consumers with a convenient way of place-shifting content from a largely stationary—living room-bound environment—to a high mobile environment comprised of mobile phones, portable game consoles and even notebook PCs,” said market analyst Will Strauss, president of Forward Concepts, in a statement from SanDisk. “The ability to re-purpose consumer owned content is a great compliment to many of the newer pay-per-view services rolling out now with many mobile operators and service providers around the world.”

The SanDisk V-Mate should hit shelves in October with a suggested price of $129.99.