Mitsubishi claims that it's the first manufacturer to stuff a Blu-ray disc and hard drive recorder into an LCD television.
The line of BHR LCD TVs are aimed at users who lack audio-visual installation skills, according to Tech-On, because everything is handled through one device.
It should be noted that these aren't the first TVs with built-in Blu-ray. Sharp brought this type of product to the U.S. from Japan in January, and JVC followed suit over the summer.
The distinction here is the addition of a 320 GB HDD recorder in each set. Mitsubishi hasn't specified exactly how this system will work, but I'm assuming you could record live TV on the hard drive, and then transfer it over to the Blu-ray recorder for portability. It's a pretty specific use, especially for Blu-ray, but I guess there are some people who'd be interested in having their content on only the best form of optical media.
Still, it's hard to justify this streamlined solution given the price. Despite being intended for "middle-class" consumers, these BD/HDD TVs aren't cheap. The 37-inch model will cost 250,000 yen, or $2,651, and the 32-inch model should be priced at 200,000 yen, or $2,123.
Are there any uses I'm missing that would make Mitsubishi's BHR LCD TVs worth having?
