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Sony updates PSX PVRs with PSP video support

But when will we see it here?

Once again reports of the demise of Sony's PSX PVR-meets-PS2 have proved premature. Last month's move to suspend production appears to have simply heralded the launch of a new version of the product.

Sony PSX DESR-7700Two new models will go on sale in Japan on 15 April, Sony announced today. The DESR-5700, like its predecessor, the 5500, sports a 160GB hard drive, while the DESR-7700 will provide the same 250GB storage capacity that the 7500 did.

What the new models do provide is the ability to interoperate with Sony's Portable PlayStation handheld console and media player. That comes through improved MemoryStick support, allowing recorded TV programming to be copied over to a MS Duo Pro card then transferred to the PSP. Using MPEG 4 encoded at a "high quality" rate of 768Kbps, around 60 minutes of video can be transferred to the MS - though it takes around 12 minutes to do the encoding.

The latest-generation PSXs also sport improved video, photo and music editing tools. The machines are able to record programmes automatically, based on keywords entered by the user, recording shows the user may not even know about. The new DJ-box feature appears to create custom music playlists based on the mood setting chosen by the user. x-Pict Story, meanwhile, allows users to create animated photo slide shows.

The new models also support DVD-R/-RW (8x/4x) and DVD+R/+RW (8x/4x), and add DVD+R dual-layer support. The 7700 also features improved TV reception technology. Both machines sport 10/100Mbps Ethernet connections for home networking.

The 7500 is set to retail for around ¥80,000 ($766/£401), the 5700 for ¥60,000 ($574/£300).

A Sony spokesman told The Register the company "has no plans" to launch PSX in Europe, "at this time". ®

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