Western Digital (http://www.wdc.com) has announced the addition of 2.5TB and 3TB versions to its family of WD AV-GP SATA hard drives, serving the audio-video (AV) market.

The WD AV-GP family of drives delivers 24X7 reliability along with power-saving WD GreenPower Technology. The WD AV-GP drives are field tested to have a 1.0 million hour MTBF rating, says Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager, of WD’s branded products and CE business units. Drives with capacities in excess of 2.19TB currently present barriers for certain computer hardware, firmware and software.

For example, drives larger than 2.19 TB are not supported by systems running Windows XP; and systems with 32-bit versions of Windows Vista or Windows 7 relegate drives larger than 2.19TB to be used as secondary drives. So it’s important to review existing computer specs prior to installation of either the 2.5TB or 3TB WD AV-GP drives, Welsh says.

The WD AV-GP 2.5TB and 3TB hard drives are available now in the U.S. at select resellers and distributors. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the WD AV-GP 2.5TB hard drive is US$159.99 and the 3TB hard drive is $179.99 USD. WD AV-GP hard drives are covered by a three-year limited warranty. More information about hard drives may be found at http://wdc.com/en/products/internal/av/ .