Sony has released two new digital (HD) Personal Video Recorders in North America the DHG-HDD500 and the HDD250.  The model's nomenclature indicates the drive capacity the 500 model with 500Gigs and the 250 with only half capacity.

The 500 Gig model (DHG-HDD500) runs for a steep $1000, but 500 Gigs is simply massive.  That’s 60 hours of HD programming or 400 hours standard definition.  Just looking at those numbers gives you an idea of the difference between HD and standard definition TV in how much more information you’re viewing in HD.  250Gig model (DHG-HDD250) at $800 is no slouch either but I’d be tempted to put another $200 into the initial investment for double space.  But, you say you’ll never need more than 30 hours of recorded HD programming?  Yeah, and computers will never need more than 640K memory.

Since Sony’s new PVRs include an over the air HD tuner they make the perfect add-on for anyone with an HD-Ready set and no tuner.  If you live on continental US you can receive all the over the air networks in full digital from a rooftop antenna.  Both models also include a cable card slot, a new item on the set top box scene that allows cable companies to turn any STB armed with a cable card slot into a fully functional subscriber cable box for their perspective cable company.  I like the CableTV electronics programming guide, no subscription required.  Just setup the guide for your local area and away you go.  HDMI and optical outputs for digital video and 5.1 audio ensure compatibility with your digital home theater systems. 

The one weakness with these Sony’s new PVRs is that they only have one tuner, this means you have to watch what you record and cannot record one channel while watching another.  Many popular digital PVRs like the Scientific Atlanta HD8300 include the extra tuner.  However Sony’s over the air tuner is a compelling feature not commonly found on PVRs that double as a subscriber cable box like those by Scientific Atlanta and Motorola.