August 26, 2008, 9:47 AM — LG is targeting home and small-office/home-office (SOHO) users with a NAS (network-attached storage) server that it plans to introduce at this week's IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin.
Among the main features of the N4B1, which will go on sale in major markets from December, is the ability to automatically download data from USB storage devices, memory cards, digital still cameras, DVDs, Blu-ray Discs or any other storage media that is connected to it.
Version management software helps keep track of the files it has already downloaded so only new ones are pulled into and cataloged in its disc storage. When discs are ripped they become virtual discs that appear to all users on the local network and mean data can be shared between many users.
The N4B1 will also automatically burn little-used files onto Blu-ray Discs and can accommodate up to 4 drives and 4T-bytes of data. That's equivalent to 160 single-sided Blu-ray Discs or about 850 single-sided DVD discs worth of data. The back-up function is also combined with a disc cataloging feature so archived information can be more quickly retrieved if it is ever needed.
There's also a Web-based graphical user interface for set-up and maintenance of the system, said LG in a statement.
It will hook up to a network via a Gigabit Ethernet connector and is compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux PCs.
LG will demonstrate the N4B1 at IFA, which begins on Friday in Berlin. Pricing has not yet been decided.
