WD have just announced their new AV (Audio / Video) series hard drives in Australia, these designed to suit environments where reliability, low-noise and low power consumption are a requisite for their roles (such as surveillance systems, digital set-top boxes, IP Gateways etc. where they will often be running 24/7.

Capacities of the family are from 80GB through 500GB, and you can get the full rundown on the particular technologies implemented in the AV series in the official announcement here.

SYDNEY AUSTRALIA - July 04 , 2007 -Western Digital announced a new family of hard drives for audio and video recording products, one of today's fastest growing digital storage markets. Drawing on its expertise as a leading supplier to major consumer electronics and surveillance manufacturers worldwide, WD has designed its new 3.5-inch WD AV hard drives with technologies that provide the increased reliability, cooler and quieter operation and low power consumption required for these demanding environments. The WD AV drives in capacities ranging from 80 GB to 500 GB are available through the company's distribution network.