Panasonic Launches Replay PVRs

<%=company1%> has launched its ShowStopper PVR for retail sale in the US, featuring personal video recording (PVR) technology from ReplayTV (Mountain View, CA).

Marking the US debut of Panasonic's PVR consumer devices, the ShowStopper features two models – the PV-HS1000 has a hard disc recording capacity of up to 20 hours and will sell for a $599.99 suggested retail price. The ShowStopper PV-HS2000 offers up to 30 hours of recording time and will carry a $699.95 suggested retail price.

Like the TiVo PVR service, which is being sold on set-tops from Philips and Sony, ReplayTV automatically records video in MPEG-2 onto hard disk drives. Viewers can pause, rewind, fast-forward, instant replay, frame advance and slow-motion "live" and recorded shows without videotape. Unlike TiVo, ReplayTV does not charge a subscription fee. Entry-level TiVo-enhanced PVRs are now retailing for around $400.

Edited by Tom Butts