ADATA has introduced a new external hard drive that combines high capacities, high performance, as well as advanced functionality. The ADATA HM800 DAS supports Smart TV recording capability, one-touch backup, as well as TurboHDD software to boost performance.

ADATA’s HM800 external storage devices come in a black plastic chassis with anti-shock silicone inlays and pack a 3.5-inch HDD featuring a 4 TB, 6 TB or 8 TB capacity.

The DASes use a USB 3.2 Gen 1 interface (up to 5 Gbps) via a microUSB 3 connector port. There's a bit of confusion in terms of the power requirement of the drive: ADATA states it consumes up to 12W, however this would be out of spec for most hosts that don't support USB PD. Indeed the company states you'll need a Y-adapter if you have a USB 2.0 host and use two port, and the drive does have an DC input port, although it's not clear if an adapter is included.

The manufacturer does not disclose which hard drives are used inside its new DAS devices, but based on the up to 250 MB/s transfer rates they are said to support, we are probably dealing with 7200 RPM-class HDDs. To guarantee high transfer rates during backup and to avoid high CPU loads, ADATA supplies the HM800 DAS with its TurboHDD software that applies 'custom profiles and algorithms'.

To protect sensitive data, the HM800 supports AES256 bit encryption, though it is unclear whether it features hardware or software implementation of AES256.

As far as compatibility is concerned, ADATA’s HM800 external HDDs can work with systems running Apple’s MacOS X 10.6 or later, Microsoft’s Windows Vista or later, as well as Linux 2.6 or later.

The HM800 DASes from ADATA are covered by a three-year warranty. The drives will be available in the near future.

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Source: ADATA

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  • romrunning - Friday, June 28, 2019 - link

    So what exactly is the "Smart TV recording capability" - besides just providing storage for DVR/PVRs that accept USB 3 connected drives?
  • olafgarten - Sunday, June 30, 2019 - link

    I assume that means it's fast enough to record TV? And possibly that the firmware is optimised for recording continuously for multiple hours. Although I haven't seen anything about that.
  • PeachNCream - Sunday, June 30, 2019 - link

    We like to stick the word smart in every product we produce. Its sort of like how it used to be trendy to make an eSomething when the letter "e" was associated with a sense of modern technology and innovation. A longer while back in the early atomic age, we branded products with the word radiation before we understood the health impacts of radioactive materials.
  • peevee - Friday, June 28, 2019 - link

    microUSB3 port. Years after USB-C availability. And a separate power connector. Nice last-decade tech demo here.
  • TheUnhandledException - Saturday, June 29, 2019 - link

    Yeah micro-usb especially the 3.0 version is an abomination which needs to die. Seriously would it be that hard to put a usb-c connector on it? micro-usb 3 to me says "we don't give a damn buy our crap as is because we aren't motivated to make it any better".
  • Alistair - Friday, June 28, 2019 - link

    more easily broken micro usb 3, better to spend extra money for a usb c device
  • eastcoast_pete - Friday, June 28, 2019 - link

    Does it have a fan, or is it "passively cooled"? I am very distrustful of such setups (in plastic cases = poor heat dissipation) sitting there. It can get hot in the summer, and not everybody wants to run an AC just to record TV.
  • Paazel - Friday, June 28, 2019 - link

    Why is this news in 2019?

    I do appreciate the Windows XP throwback graphics!
  • Wardrop - Sunday, June 30, 2019 - link

    Is this an ad? Like a "we'll pay you $xxxx to write a brief article on our dodgy hard-drive as long as you don't write anything negative about it"
  • Dug - Monday, July 1, 2019 - link

    Encryption on a home storage device is such a waste, and worse for the customer if the board goes tits up. No way to recover the data.
    Unless you are in a high crime area where your home gets broken into all the time, then why?
    And if you are in that type of area where your storage devices keep getting stolen, don't keep all important data locally.

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