LaCie (http://www.lacie.com) has announced its LaCinema Rugged
multimedia hard drive is now available in high definition — in the
US$349.99 LaCinema Rugged HD model. With enhanced HD capability, the
LaCinema Rugged HD is the first multimedia player in its class, to
allow users to store and play High Definition content on any HDTV in
Full-HD 1080p resolution, according to Christelle Dexet, LaCie
multimedia product manager.

The LaCinema Rugged HD comes with 500GB of built-in storage capacity,
allowing users to store and watch their favorite television shows and
movies, listen to music, and display photo slideshows with their
family and friends. It’s compatible with any HDMI supported display
and is compatible with both Mac and Windows environments via USB 2.0
connectivity.

Once the media content is transferred to the LaCinema Rugged HD, it
is ready to be viewed on any display with an HDMI connection. The
HDMI cable is included. For optimized viewing, the LaCinema Rugged HD
supports most of standard and high-definition video codecs (H.264,
MKV, WMV9, MPEG-4) to ensure easy High Definition playback.

Modeled after the award-winning LaCie Rugged Hard Disk, design by
Neil Poulton, the LaCinema Rugged HD features a scratch-resistant
aluminum shell, internal anti-shock absorbers, and a shock-resistant
rubber bumper. It’s compatible with all common digital formats and
can store up to 700 movies, 165,000 songs, or 165,000 photos.