Hitachi DZ-BD10H Records Direct To Blu Ray Disc Or Hard Drive

Despite winning the war of the next generation DVD format, Blu Ray technology has really only limped into existence and if it wasn’t for the PS3 and, more recently, laptops and desktops including the ability to play (and very occasionally record) in the blu ray format it would barely have even registered as being a new technology. Things are finally starting to progress though with a number of new players either just having been released or, at the very least, bing released soon.

Hitachi has also announced the DZ BD10H Blu Ray camcorder that can record in full HD and directly to a choice of blu ray disc, SDHC card, or its 30GB hard drive. However, if you’re really looking to record extensive footage in the full 1920 x 1080 HD format then you may be a little disappointed because the hard drive will only handle about 4 hours of this at the best framerates (you can double that time by reducing the framerate).

The DZ BD10H is actually the updated replacement model for the DZ-BD9H and is substantially smaller than its predecessor, but this is the main reason behind the dip in hard drive size from 60GB to 30GB.

Because of the numerous recording options, though, you can transfer the footage on your hard drive directly to SDHC card or to a recordable blu ray disc. It’s certainly a step in the right direction for the Blu Ray format.

The Panasonic G450 Mobile Broadband Modem

USB modems and mobile broadband is coming on in leaps and bounds in a very short space of time. Prices are already set respectably and by going on contract with any of the major providers you can bag yourself a free modem. If you want something completely different to the free dongles, then you might want to consider the Toshiba G450.

It’s actually a bit of a bizarre hybrid between crap mobile phone and good USB modem mixed with a seriously unusual design. The three round sections you can see are the screen and two halves of the numerical keypad. None of them are particularly user friendly as mobile phone accessories – the screen, while being OLED, is tiny and offers little more than the most basic information. Anything but standard phone keypads simply don’t work because we are creatures of habit after all.

The G450 modem includes WellPhone software that is actually pretty good, even if it isn’t the most attractive offering. Software tools that are installed as part of the software include contact and communication management functions, and this is where the combination of modem and mobile works well – in fact, it’s safe to assume that this is why the mobile phone side of things was stapled on in the first place.

As well as being able to browse emails and contacts, you can also send, receive, read, and store your SMS messages. The software works in much the same way as an email client and makes things a lot easier (although much less portable) than a normal mobile phone.

The Panasonic G450 can also be used as a mediocre MP3 player or as a standard USB flash drive depending on your preferences at the time.

If you go into this expecting the G450 to be a mobile phone you’ll be disappointed, because it is, when all’s said and done, a mobile broadband modem with mobile phone functionality built it. If you look at it like that then it’s a nice piece of kit that offers something very different to the usual fare.

<