Comcast and Panasonic are joining together to launch a co-branded portable digital video player called AnyPlay.

Like the Apple iPod, it shows videos, but also has the capability of recording up to 60 hours of video from any US cable operator’s system. The AnyPlay can also play both DVDs and CDs through an 8.5 inch screen.

It is currently being shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Facing competition from satellite TV and video services from phone companies, the AnyPlay gadget is the first among a new host of electronic devices being developed in partnership between the cable industry and consumer electronics makers.

“The era of closed cable is over and the era of open cable is here,” Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts told Reuters.