By Claire Reilly

WD is set to expand its range of digital storage solutions this month with the launch of a new Smart TV recording accessory, the My Book AV-TV, which is targeted as an add-on sale for retailers selling Smart TVs.

Utilising elements of WD technology previously used for more commercial applications such as surveillance or 24-hour recording, the My Book AV-TV is designed as a plug-and-play storage device for recording, pausing and playing back live free-to-air TV. Still using their Smart TV’s user interface, consumers can navigate through the electronic program guide (EPG) and select individual shows or series to record, which are then stored on the My Book's hard drive.

Unlike traditional PC hard drives, the My Book has been created specifically for media playback — storage is streamlined for smooth video playing and the device is designed to be kept on 24/7 without overheating or making excessive noise with a cooling fan.

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According to Albert Chang, WD’s senior product marketing manager in Australia, the My Book AV-TV represents a “new concept” for the brand, and one that is designed to fill a hole in the market.

“There are more and more households getting Smart TVs and we think there’s definitely an opportunity for this type of product,” he said. “One of the greatest features being offered with Smart TV is the recording capability, but 99 per cent of Smart TVs don’t come with storage. Now that’s ironic — they offer recording but they don’t offer storage.”

The product will be placed next to TV ranges in retailers such as JB Hi-Fi and Bing Lee, allowing consumers to see it in action and get a hands-on demonstration of the device. The big selling point, according to Chang, is that consumers can pay a small upfront price to have access to a huge range of free-to-air content, whenever they want it.

“Some consumers might be hooked up to a service provider [such as Foxtel], and that will probably cost them $100 to $150 a month,” said Chang. “That’s a monthly payment, and if you’re paying that over ten years, that’s a lot of money.

“Whereas now you have free content over the air just by adding an antenna, and it’s literally no cost to you, besides the price of the TV itself. So we want consumers to take advantage of that. It’s free, but at the same time they can still have the convenience to record and view the content at a desirable time.

“There’s a lot of up-sell opportunity,” Chang added. “While a salesperson is demonstrating all the features on a Smart TV — you have internet connectivity, Facebook and Youtube — they’re also demonstrating the recording capability. So it’s easy to say, ‘Here’s 2TB of storage, you can record up to 240 hours for free’. People like ‘free’. Once they’ve heard that ‘free’ line, they can ignore the cost of the product.”

WD will be rolling out point of sale materials to market the product, especially in retailers’ TV sections, as well as conducting retail training to encourage sales staff to pair the My Book AV-TV with Smart TV sales. The brand is also looking at bundling and redemption opportunities to boost sales.

The My Book AV-TV will be available this month in a 1TB model (RRP $139) and 2TB model (RRP $179).

The WD My Book AV-TV can store up to 240 hours of recorded free-to-air HD TV.