Palm-sized video recorders arrive

WHEN I saw the Magnetox V120 mini recorder at Computex, I was impressed. It's a complete digital video recorder in a box far smaller than one of those ridiculously clunky VHS video tapes that your grandparents used last century. But then I walked around the corner and, as often happens at Computex, saw a similar product which was half its size. That's this one:

First, the Magnetox V120. This looks remarkably like a half-size replica of the Mac Mini, except there's an SD card slot where the optical drive would be. You plug a card in there or attach a USB hard disk drive, and it plays the video and audio files stored on them. According to the spec sheet, the V120 can handle Mpeg4, Divx, Xvid, Mp3, AAC, WMA and AC3. It also does photo slide shows.

Recording is through an AV or tuner input. There's a basic scheduling application built in which lets you use the included remote control to set time, date, channel and recording resolution through a graphical on-screen display. Video recording is in Mpeg4 format. Here's a picture of the V120 in black and silver-white:

Magnetox staff also told me that the V120 can optionally be fitted with an internal notebook hard drive, though this isn't mentioned on the product spec sheet. Power is from an external wall-plug DC adaptor.

Exact pricing depends on local distributors, who will probably pay at least $149 for the V120. At a guess, the V120 could retail for around $199, and will be available from August in Taiwan, and in time for the Xmas season elsewhere, according to Frank Chang of Magnetox.

What about that smaller competitor? That's the accurately-named 'Slim Video Recorder' from Vosonic, pictured at the top of this story. This is only a prototype, but what Vosonic would reveal of the specifications makes it sound comparable to the Magnetox V120, with the notable exception of the USB external disk drive. There is a USB socket, but, according to Vosonic's deputy manager, Nancy Lin, it's currently for connection to a PC only. Most important features are the miniscule size, low weight, and the Mpeg4 recording ability.

Vosonic, which also makes portable battery powered media players with built-in screens, is aiming this product at a slightly different market. By doing away with the screen and batteries, the cost can be brought down dramatically, Lin said.

"We want to develop an affordable personal media recorder and player that you can take anywhere and connect to a screen," said Lin, "for example if your traveling, you can use it in hotels, or take it with your media collection when you visit friends."

Lin wouldn't comment on pricing, but said the product should be on the market in time for Christmas.