Panasonic DMR-BR630V Blu-Ray DVR With Retro VHS

Someone at Panasonic must think retro is back in fashion, as the DMR-BR630V – the company's latest Blu-ray and DVR combo deck – also manages to include VHS functionality.  Presumably intended for people wanting to archive their old VHS tapes onto Blu-ray (or maybe just continue to view a large back-catalogue), the BR630V has a 320GB hard-drive, digital and analog TV tuners and an SD slot.

A USB port makes hooking up digital cameras or camcorders straightforward, and there's an on-screen EPG to set up recordings.  It supports full 1080p high-definition, has xvColor and BD-Live, and can record two programmes simultaneously.  A network connection allows for digital media downloads and on-demand content.

Since this is currently a Japan-only product, there's inevitably cool functionality to make the rest of us jealous.  Remote programming, either from a computer or from your cellphone, means you need never accidentally forget to record something, and it can record in the AVCHD format meaning up to 5.5hrs of high-definition video on one Blu-ray disc.

The Panasonic DMR-BR360V will be available in Japan on October 1st, priced at around ¥160,000 ($1,462).

[via Newlaunches]