Softening the distinction between computer hard drive and home media server, TrekStor GmbH & Co. KG has introduced a high-capacity USB hard drive that can connect directly to a TV or stereo system to play stored movies, music, and photos without
use of a computer.

The new MovieStation maxi t.u, an external drive available in sizes up to 500GB, comes with a remote control for operating the drive as a media player. The new multi-media drive works with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, and uses a high-speed USB 2.0 connection when linking to a PC. It can be used to play HDTV and multi-channel audio content as well content from popular movie and music download services, such as CinemaNow, MovieLink, and Napster. Officials for TrekStor, Germany’s top-selling brand of portable media players and USB memory products said the MovieStation is now available.

“Now you don’t have to turn on the computer to enjoy the movies or music stored on the hard drive,” said Hana Arad, president of Data Station, the U.S. marketing arm TrekStor GmbH. “The MovieStation is another example of TrekStor’s innovation and quality engineering.”

In addition to playing back content from movie and music download sites; MovieStation will play files created with digital cameras and camcorders. When connected to a TV, MovieStation offers an onscreen menu for playing for all content located on the drive. The menu can be accessed and controlled via the remote or with controls button located on the hard drive.

When watching a movie that has been downloaded, MovieStation’s built-in zoom function allows users to eliminate any black bars that appear above and below on some movies. The MovieStation plays high definition (720p/1080i) formatted videos to be watched on a suitable TV set. Stored music can be replayed from play lists compiled by the user.

Housed in a stylish, black anodized aluminum case, the MovieStation is right at home in any AV rack system or setting next to a TV. Its’ design allows for optimum cooling, without the need for a fan, its whisper quite operation important when watching video where there is silence or minimal audio. Its high-capacity storage allows users to keep their content on the MovieStation, freeing up space on the PC, camera or video camera.

The MovieStation supports all the most popular video formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (DVD) and MPEG-4 (AVI, DivX3/5, XviD) files. Music and audio books in MP3, WMA, WAV and OGG format and images in JPEG format are also supported. Data and multimedia content can be transmitted to the device via a high speed USB 2.0 interface from any popular computer operating
system. Video pass through is accomplished via high-quality component video connection (YUV/Y/Pb/Pr), or using the composite video connection. Audio signals make their way to the TV set or home stereo system via an optical digital (Toslink) or analog stereo (chinch) connector.

The MovieStation incorporates the Nero BackItUp 2 software for simple, and hassle free content backup. The hard drive comes packaged with an infrared remote control unit, a power supply, AV and YUV adapter cables, a driver CD and multi-lingual operating instructions.

Availability and Price
The MovieStation maxi t.u is available online and in stores at J&R Music and Computer World (www.jr.com), as well as Amazon.com and TheStorStore.com. Backed by a one-year warranty, the MSRP for the MovieStation maxi t.u is:

MovieStation maxi t.u 250GB: $299.99
MovieStation maxi t.u 320GB: $339.99
MovieStation maxi t.u 400GB: $349.99
MovieStation maxi t.u 500GB: $399.99

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