Topic: IO Data
Category: Peripherals
Technorati: Linking Blogs

New products in IO Data's Challenger line will be on display at the IO AVeL Fair in IO Plaza Akiba. The Movie Tank is a USB2.0 external hard drive enclosure that can play video files encoded with MPEG1/2/4 (including DivX/XviD) codecs directly to your TV. Read more for detailed info and other models.

Movie Tank (model SOTO-3.5U/M), a 3.5" USB2.0 external hard drive case, is able to play video files encoded in MPEG1/2/4 (DivX/XviD) codecs and output directly to your TV. MP3 files can also be played, with both analog and S/PDIF audio output. A remote control will also be included. The price is not yet determined and expected release date is end of June/July.
 

Movie LAN Tank (model SOTO-3.5L/M), while having the same video and audio playing features of Movie Tank, adds a Mini PCI slot for a wireless LAN card. The casing is not finished and only its internal board and HDD are on display. It is expected to be released some time this summer.
 

Also on display are: AC Tank (PT-ACADP), an adapter unit that supplies power to 3 Challenger drive cases simultaneously; SOTO-DVPUE (nickname TBA), a USB2.0/IEEE1394 optical drive enclosure; LAN Tank (SOTO-3.5XU/LX), an Ethernet-ready hard drive case and printer server; and Change Tank (NAKA-HDRC), an adapter that enables hard drive hot-swapping. Release dates for these units are not yet announced.
  

Inspired by:
http://akiba.ascii24.com/akiba/news/2004/05/15/649617-000.html

IO Data's "Challenger" line:
http://supertank.iodata.jp/

This is my first post, I hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know of any errors in the article, such as translation inaccuracy :)