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LaCie LaCinema Classic 500GB 301395KUJ: Review

Posted to Hard Drives 2009-04-01

Review: LaCie LaCinema Classic 500GB 301395KUJ

If you are looking for a storage device that can hold all your prized movies, music and photos and is small enough to take with you, then you may want to check out the LaCie LaCinema Classic 500GB 301395KUJ. With a compact design that is compatible with both PC and Mac, the LaCinema Classic 500GB multi-media functionality at a price that won't put a major dent in your wallet.

As yet another model in the Lacie line that has a case that was designed by Neil Poulton, the LaCinema Classic 500GB measures only 4.6" x 7.6" x 1.8" with a total weight of about 2 lbs, which is small and light enough to bring with you when you visit family. This drive allows you more than enough space to store the newest picture of the kids so you can easily share the newest memories on your next visit.

Rating:

3.8 out of 5

Features

Although this drive offers user a large amount of storage space, the LaCinema Classic 500GB only offers USB 2.0 connectivity. No Firewire is available on this model. Given the other functionality that this drive contains, the missing connectivity options will most likely not be missed by the average user.

If you had ever hoped that your external drive could function as more than just extra storage space, then you will be impressed with the features the LaCinema Classic 500GB has to offer. It can be connected to your PC so you can copy all your favorite movies over to it and the best part is that it can then be connected directly to your TV for instant playback. Burning CD's or DVD's are a thing of the past with this drive. Just connect it via the HDMI port or Composite video port and with the included remote you are ready to watch your favorite DivX or any other video on your TV.

This drive also has the ability to act as more than just your average external hard drive. This drive also includes the functionality that can upscale your movies or photos to near 1080p HD quality. This is accomplished via the included HDMI port and when combined with the SPDIF digital coaxial audio out, you can enjoy your favorite movies in near HD quality without spending the extra money to upgrade your entire movie library to the newest high def technology.

Performance

Those who may be concerned about the functionally of the drive will be impressed by all the formats that the drive can handle. It supports MPEG-4, Xvid and DivX 3.11, 4.x, and 5.x, and 6.x video formats. It supports MP3 and WMA audio, JPEG, and HD-JPEG for photos. The drive also supports SRT, SSA, ASS, SUB, PSB and SMI subtitle formats so you are sure to not miss out on any movies functionality when saved to your drive.

Summary

In conclusion, the LaCinema Classic 500GB is great for anyone who never seems to have enough storage space for all their prized movies or photos. There's no need to send or print the newest photos out for everyone to see, just take it with you and you have access to your entire media collection with just a touch of a button.

Pros

USB 2.0 connectivity
Can be connected directly to your TV to play movies
Up-convert to near HD
Portable, go anywhere functionality
Supports many media formats

Cons

There are no cons for this product