Sony PCVA-HVP20 - The Pulse 2

Japan, Inc., Jan, 2004

The charmingly monikered PCVA-HVP20 is a very sleek-looking portable video player with a 20GB internal hard drive. To get the most out of it, Sony says, you'll need a Vaio laptop (also, coincidentally, made by Sony) running Windows ME, XP or 2000. But then they would require that, eh?

[right arrow] Anyhow, the little player has a bright, 3.5-inch TFT LCD color display on which proud new owners will be able to view the movies and TV programs they've just recorded using their trusty Vaios, simply by transferring them across via speedy USB2.0. The machine handles both MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 formats in addition to Sony's proprietary "Giga Pocket" files, and will also cope with AVI and WMA stuff. Its 20-gig hard disk will squeeze 31 minutes of 1.41Mpbs of MPEG-1 data, its lithium ion battery will go for four hours before needing a recharge, and its vital statistics are 84 x 120 x 28mm and 300g. Sony wants you to want it.

More info: www.ecat.sony.co.jp/vaio/acc/acc.cfm?pd=15849