Japanese electronics makers are unveiling their new devices for the new year, and (much like last year) video is key. The line between the home computer and home entertainment continues to blur. Two new digital video devices feature ethernet connections, allowing you to transfer your video content to your PC. Other new products are for people on the go: Sharp has unveiled a lightweight notebook, while Hitachi is demonstrating a fuel cell that could lengthen the life of your portable device.
IO Data"s AVLP1/DVD looks like a conventional DVD player, but if you peer a little closer at the connectors on the rear, you"ll notice something different: an Ethernet socket. This allows the device to be connected to a home network and for users to watch or access content from PCs on the network. The player supports a host of formats: MPEG-1/2, Divx, and Xvid video; Windows Media, MP3, MP2, AAC, AC3, PCM, and OggVorbis audio; and BMP, JPEG, GIF, and PNG still images. Disc support is equally good, although the DVD-RAM cartridge media is not accepted. You"ll need a computer running Windows 98SE or later, or MacOS X 10.2 or later operating systems. The machine is on sale now in Japan and costs $277.