Western Digital My DVR Expander External HDD Sports USB Connectivity, 500GB Storage [WDH1S5000]

Western Digital have announced the latest model in their Expander series in the form of the WDH1S5000 My DVR Expander USB external hard drive (the previous model being SATA based) which offers half a terabyte of storage capacity – enough to hold up to 60 hours of HD quality programming – and which has been designed specifically to work with and ‘expand’ the capacity of DISH Network ViP-series HD DVRs, though compatibility with a broader range of DVRs is envisaged in the future.

The new My DVR Expander is billed as being both cooler and quieter than the previous SATA based My Expander courtesy of passive cooling system and use of a WD AV-GP hard drive boasting GreenPower technology resulting in up to 30% reduced energy consumption and, apart from being capable of storing up to 60 hours of HD quality TV content, the new WD My DVR Expander can also store up to a considerable 300 hours of standard definition TV programming.

According to WD’s press release, Jessica Insalaco, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for DISH Network, cites the new My DVR Expander as providing ‘an ideal complement to the innovative archiving feature of DISH Network’s award-winning line of ViP HD DVRs…Combined with the already industry-leading storage capacity of our DVRs, DISH Network customers can create and control their own on-demand programming – reinforcing DISH Network’s leadership in digital entertainment.”

WD’s new My DVR Expander, which measures in at 166(H) x 137(L) x 54(W)mm and weighs in at 1.15kg has just been made available via Western Digital’s online store for just shy of $150 – though you’ll also have to factor in DSIH Network’s one time activation fee of $40 to allow for external HDD support.

Western Digital [via]