Las Vegas (NV) - Another iPod accessory? Yes, another iPod accessory has indeed arrived. We've seen our share of iPod accessories at CES, from different speakers and docking stations to a marvelously designed yet obscure EGO waterproof case from Atlantic. Some of these add-on products are just plain silly and appear to have no relevance beyond a lower case "I" and a desire to cash in on Apple's wonder product. Well, along comes iRecord from Streaming Networks. The deceptively simple looking white box, which can fit in the palm of your hand, allows users to record digital media from DVD/CD players, DVRs, and even a VCR and transfer it to the user's iPod, PlayStation Portable or USB storage device without having to connect to a computer. The iRecord features a one-touch record button, S-video cable, RCA audio/video cable and a power adapter.
Streaming Networks demonstrated the iRecord to us Monday night at the Showstoppers event at CES; within seconds, the product had recorded NBA basketball footage and transferred the clip to the iPod, where it was immediately playable. The iRecord was also very light and easy to transport.
According to Streaming Networks officials, the iRecord supports NTSC, PAL and SECAM video formats; the product encodes H.264 video in real-time and also encodes audio media in MP3 format.
At $199, the iRecord isn't cheap and will cost you almost as much as that iPod. However, it does offer a quick, convenient service that can help load up iPod with plenty of content, making it far from frivolous.
