Model: LG N4B1 Network Attached Storage with Built-in Blu-ray ReWriter
Manufacturer: LG Electronics
Provided By: LG Electronics USA

LG Electronics is one of Korea's oldest and most respected consumer electronics firms. Since the introduction of their first radio in 1959, the company has grown to become one of the world's top electronics manufacturers, offering everything from large home appliances to tiny mobile phones. LG is no stranger to the storage industry either. Working closely with companies like Hitachi, they've lead the way in this area, developing and manufacturing a wide range of optical storage products, including the industry's first "Super-Multi" drives.

At this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), LG previewed its first networked attached storage device, the N4B1. Designed for home and small business users, this four-bay NAS supports multiple RAID configurations and can store up to 8TB of data. The N4B1 also features built in FTP, print and iTunes music servers as well as the ability to automatically download data from memory cards and USB storage devices. Using its version management system, the NAS automatically tracks what data has been downloaded, saving time and space by not duplicating files.

What makes the N4B1 stand out among other NAS devices in its class is its built in Blu-ray rewriter. This drive serves as a secondary storage medium, allowing you to archive up to 50GB worth of data on a single disc. The N4B1's Blu-ray rewriter also makes it possible to share a BD, DVD or CD among many users by creating a virtual disc library. The NAS creates and stores an image of a disc, which is then accessible to all users on a network. According to LG, this not only saves time, but reduces wear and tear on discs.

   LG N4B1 Network Attached Storage with Built-in Blu-ray ReWriter
General Specifications
Number of HDD Bays 4
Interface SATA II
Date Transfer Rate 3Gb/s
Recommended HDD Capacity 250GB, 500GB, 750GB, 1.0TB, 1.5TB, 2.0TB
Supported RAID Levels 0, 1, 5, 1+0, JBOD
CPU Marvell 88F5281 500MHz
SDRAM 512Mbits x 2 (128MB)
Flash Memory 4Mbits
Operating System Embedded Linux (Kernel 2.6)
Client OS Support Windows, Mac OS X and Linux

Blu-Ray Re-Writer
Supported Media BD / DVD / CD
Writing Speed BD (6x Max.) / DVD (16x Max.) / CD (40x Max.)
Reading Speed BD (6x Max.) / DVD (16x Max.) / CD (40x Max.)
Interface SATA

LAN Interface
Number of Ports 1
Connector Type RJ-45
Data Transfer Rates 10 / 100 / 1000 Mbps

USB Interface
Number of Ports 1 Front, 2 Rear
Connector Type USB Type A
Standard Compliance USB 2.0
Data Transfer Rates 480Mbps (High Speed Mode)
12Mbps (Full Speed Mode)

e-SATA Interface
Number of Ports 1
Data Transfer Rate 3Gb/s

Other Interface
Memory Card Reader 4 in 1 (SD, MMC, MS, xD)

Network File Services
Transport Protocol TCP/IP
File Sharing SMB/CIFS, AFP, FTP
Management HTTP/HTTPS
Time Syncronization NTP
Network Options DHCP or Static IP

Misc Features
Built-In FTP Server
Network Print Server
Active Directory Support (Windows 2000 or higher)
iTunes Music Server
Dynamic DNS Support
Direct/Scheduled/Auto Sync Backup
One Touch ODD Backup
Auto/Scheduled Backup to ODD
One Touch USB/Memory Card Backup
USB/Memory Card Scheduled and Synchronized Backup
Journaled File System

Needless to say, this is only a taste of what LG's Blu-ray equipped NAS has to offer. To give you an idea of what to expect, we'll take an in-depth look at the N4B1's features and then put it through its paces to see how it performs. Does LG's new NAS have what it takes? Is support for Blu-ray enough to put it on top? Keep reading as we find out.


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