Hitachi Global Storage Technologies today announced the CinemaStar C5K500, a 2.5-inch hard drive with up to 500GB of audio video storage capacity designed for digital video applications that require compact design and low power usage.

This fourth-generation small form factor CinemaStar drive delivers a balance of capacity and cool operation to provide manufacturers with more eco-friendly options for slim digital video recorders (DVRs), set-top boxes and surveillance systems. The CinemaStar drive is designed for use in continuous "24x7" applications and has a read/write power specification that is 22 percent lower than previous models.

The CinemaStar C5K500 is the latest Hitachi 5,400 RPM consumer electronics hard drive with support for mainstream capacities ranging from 160- to 500GB. The new drives include Hitachi SmoothStream technology to enhance streaming functionality in digital video applications. The CinemaStar C5K500 also includes technology to provide time-limited error recovery, enhanced thermal monitoring capabilities and silent-seek acoustics for quiet operation.

The drives feature a read/write power specification of 1.4W, which is 22 percent lower than previous models.

The CinemaStar C5K500 is expected to ship worldwide in the second quarter of 2009.