Plextor Europe has launched its latest personal storage device – the PX-MPE500U - a PC-to-TV consumer multimedia player to enable PC files to be played back on your TV or hi-fi, including audio, video & photo files. With video upscaling to 720P (HD Ready) , it is a high performance drive with the ability to play a wide variety of file types.

Plextor, well known for manufacturing high quality/high reliability optical drives and portable hard disks, is extending its product range into this exciting and growing area of media transfer. Comprising a spacious 500GB hard disk, it comes with wide compatibility with all popular file types for every occasion - including DVD folder, DivX, Xvid, MPEG-1/2, MP3 and JPEG.

With the growth of broadband, many consumers are downloading and storing huge quantities of photos, music and video on their PCs – and now transferring them across to their large LCD TVs for comfortable viewing in the living area is easy.  Instead of watching content on their (relatively small) computer screens, or burning to DVD, or even using more complex wirelessly streaming technology, Plextor makes it much more simple and quick. Users can be up and running in just four simple steps:

   1. plug Plextor media player into computer USB slot (plug and play)
   2. drag and drop media files
   3. plug into family TV (or Hi-Fi) with Scart or audio/video plugs
   4. sit back and watch in comfort

Rudy de Meirsman, Sales & Marketing Manager of Plextor Europe, says: "We have spent a long time developing the product and user interface to be intuitive and easy to use for consumers – housed in a stylish and rugged case to withstand being moved from place to place.  Importantly it is compatible with virtually all media file types and has the useful ability to upscale to 720P (HD Ready)."

Key features include:

    * Video upscaling to 720P (HD Ready)
    * Hi-Definition JPEG display
    * Supports private folder
    * Creates playlists on your computer
    * Digital photo viewer with thumbnail preview
    * Supports NTFS and FAT32 file systems
    * Supports component video and digital audio outputs

Availability and warranty
The Plextor PX-MPE500U will be available from January 2007 at Plextor's network of dealers. It is covered by Plextor's Fast Warranty Service (2-year warranty in the EU, Norway and Switzerland (Collect & Return); other countries 1-year carry-in).

Specifications:
• Storage:
HDD: 3.5" SATA I/II
File System: FAT32 or NTFS
• PC Interface: USB 2.0
• Audio/Video Interface:
Audio/Video: Composite Video + Audio R/L (3.5 mm phone jack x 1)
Component Video: Y, Pb, Pr (3.5 mm phone jack x 1)
Digital Audio: Coaxial S/PDIF Output (RCA x1)
SCART: SCART connector x 1 (Europe)
• OS Support: Windows Vista / XP / 2000 / Me / 98SE
• Media Support:
Media Type: MPEG-1, MPEG-2, DivX, Xvid, MP3, WAV, JPEG
Media Files: dat, mpg, mpe, mpeg, vob, m2p, avi, divx, xvid, jpg, jpeg, mp3, wav
DivX Subtitle: IDX / SUB, SRT, ASS, SSA, SUB (type II), SMI, PSB
VOB on HDD: DVD Menu/Audio/Subtitle/Angle Selection
• Content Resolution:
Video: 720 X 576 pixels
JPEG: 5120 X 3840 pixels
MP3: 320 kbps
• Video Output:
TV: PAL / NTSC
Screen Ratio: 4:3 / 16:9
Component: 480i / 480p / 576i / 576p / HD-720p
• Audio Output:
Analog Audio: Stereo / Left mono / Right mono
Digital Audio Output
• Security:
Private Folder: Password protection in both TV / PC mode
• Power Supply:
Input: AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz
Output: DC 12 V, 2A
• General:
Dimensions: 196 (L) x 61 (W) x 122 (H) mm
Weight: 894 g (approx. with HDD)

Plextor Europe