DirecTV’s press conference isn’t until Thursday evening, but two manufacturers have already outted DirecTV 2Go. First was Humax with a generic looking PMC. Next up is RCA, with this sexy Lyra X3000. In addition to the DTV interface and content, these devices also handle a variety of multimedia. The Lyra is expected to hit stores this month at a competitive $399.
Details of the DTV 2Go service itself are still sketchy at this point, though it’s clear it will not be immediately available upon the Lyra’s release — a free software upgrade will be available later this year. It’s not clear what XM (XM2Go) and TiVo (TiVoToGo) have to say about their naming strategy. ;)
RCA says: Although compact in size, the LYRA X3000 by RCA boasts a 3.6-inch TFT ultra-bright color LCD screen with 320 x 240 resolution. The lightweight portable entertainment device weighs under eight ounces and is only 3/4 of an inch thick. The LYRA X3000 features a replaceable lithium ion battery providing for at least four hours of constant video playback on one charge.
While the X3000 is a great portable solution, it also features a Home Theater Docking Base that can be connected to a home entertainment system. The Docking Base enables easy time-shift recording of TV programs from a tuning source such as the video output of a television or cable/satellite set-top receiver. With a composite video output the X3000 is capable of displaying high-resolution photos as well as video with DVD picture quality. The X3000 is ideal for watching video content transferred from a PC, or any other source, on a television.
The DIRECTV2GO compatibility further expands the LYRA X3000’s capability for entertainment on the go. Digital quality content securely downloaded from compatible DIRECTV DVRs to the X3000 can be easily viewed on televisions located in other rooms. The device displays TV programs and program information in a format familiar to customers with these compatible DIRECTV DVRs. This will make it simple to navigate through the dozens of hours of DIRECTV programming that can be stored on the X3000’s 20GB hard drive. A free software download is all that is required for DIRECTV2GO compatibility with the X3000.