Hitachi today announced a new addition in its CinemaStar line up, the C5K500. Its a 2.5-inch hard drive with up to 500GB storage capacity, designed for digital video applications that require compact design and low power usage. According to Hitachi, this fourth-generation small form factor CinemaStar drive delivers a balance of capacity, cool operation and ruggedness to provide manufacturers with more eco-friendly options for slim digital video recorders (DVRs), set-top boxes and surveillance systems. The CinemaStar drive is designed for use in continuous “24x7” applications and has a read/write power specification that is 22 percent lower than previous models.

“The explosion of digital music and photos, combined with widespread access to high-definition television content, is driving DVR capacity requirements to new levels,” said Brendan Collins, vice president, Product Marketing, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. “Home theater systems are becoming increasingly compact, as users seek out space-saving and power-efficient component designs. The new CinemaStar drive will allow DVR manufacturers to deliver compact DVRs with all the capacity and features of larger form factor products.”

The CinemaStar C5K500 is expected to ship in the second quarter of 2009.