e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[Tenderloin]

New RCA Lyra Video Device Released
Tuesday, September 28 @ 07:00:00 PDT
http://news.designtechnica.com/article5510.html

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 TV junkies 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 easily connects 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 files and 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.

Smart Tagging™ allows users to "tag" songs, videos, or photos in order to add them to favorites lists, programmable playlists, or for creating folders. Video time stamping eliminates the need to start the viewing over each time the RD2780 is turned on, and video bookmarking allows movie buffs to access favorite scenes at the touch of a button. Video indexing adds further convenience by enabling quick access to skipping forward or backwards for 30-seconds or 15 minutes at a time.

Acting as a convenient storage device for digital images, the RD2780 has a "move all" function that enables users to quickly transfer the entire contents of a compact flash card to the hard drive. Vacationers can quickly "dump" their photos from a digital camera onto the device and free up the camera's memory for more picture-taking. Tile display mode (thumbnails) makes it easier to manage photos on the device, by viewing them all at a glance. JPEG photos can be rotated, zoomed (up to 8X) and panned on the display for optimal viewing. These features can all be accessed from a convenient menu banner displayed on the device. In addition, creative consumers can organize their JPEG images into a personal slideshow, accompanied by background music stored on the RD2780.

About the size of a small picture frame, the RD2780 measures 5.31 x 3.15 x .98 inches, and weighs only 10.5 ounces. It contains a built-in MPEG-4 encoder and decoder, enabling consumers to store up to 80 hours of pre-recorded television shows, feature films, or home videos (when content is loaded directly from the PC), and more than 20 movies (up to 50 hours) when content is directly recorded into the device from a video source. The RD2780 respects analog copy protection signals from pre-recorded media. With built-in separate audio and video recording modes, recording on the device is quick and easy.

Adding to the overall value of the RD2780 are the included AC/DC adapter, "ear bud" style stereo headphones, two audio/video patch cables (for line-in and line-out) and a carrying pouch. The RD2780's car kit provides hours of audio entertainment through a cassette adapter, while the included lithium ion rechargeable battery provides portable video and audio playback. The RD2780 has a suggested retail price of $449.