Sony readies PSP-friendly MemoryStick video recorder
A VCR for the solid-state storage era?
Sony is gearing up to help Japanese PlayStation Portable owners get more video content onto their handheld gadgets. The consumer electronics giant has announced a digital video recorder that stores programmes on MemoryStick in a PSP-friendly format.
If all this sounds familiar, it's because US-based Neuros Audio has been offering just such a unit since late 2005 - we reviewed it here - an upgrade from an earlier version of its MPEG Video Recorder tweaked to provide MemoryStick support and better video quality.
Sony's alternative, the MSVR-A10, appears to have fewer recording options: according to an Akihabara News story, it does 320 x 240 video using the MPEG 4 AVC - ie. H.264 - codec. Neuros' product encodes for the PSP's widescreen and can do 640 x 480 for better playback on a TV.
Sony's machine, by contrast, provides a wealth of video and audio I/O ports, allowing users to connect an array of devices as source systems. Interestingly, the MSVR-A10 isn't specifically branded to favour the PSP, suggesting the company is offering the unit as a VCR alternative rather than a PSP source or a PVR - store you favourite shows on memory card rather than tape or disc. There's no hard drive on board, and no support for HD, apparently.
The MSVR-A10 costs around ¥25,500 ($215/£124). ®
