Although the product has been in the rumor mill for quite a while, Archos has unveiled its Archos TV+ just ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and already the device is being hailed in some quarters as everything the Apple TV should have been, offering Wi-Fi connectivity, DVR capabilities to record and store television content, the ability to download movies and TV shows from the CinemaNow-powered Archos content portal, and enabling users to sync with their Archos portable media players. The units sport either an 80 GB or 250 GB hard drive…and did we mention the Archos TV+ lets users surf the Web on their TV, courtesy of the optional Opera Web browser?
The Archos TV+ can record NTSC/PAL/SECAM video to MPEG-4 files at VGA (640 by 480 pixel) resolution at either 25 or 30 frames per second with ADPCM stereo sound. For playback, the Archos TV+ supports MPEG-4 and WMV video at up to DVD resolution, with optional plug-in support for H.264 with AAC audio and MPEG-3 with AC3 sound. The TV+ can also play back MP#, WMA, WAV, and (optionally) AAC and AC3 audio files, display JPEG, BMP, and PNG images, and read PDF documents (although not all PDF features may be supported). The TV+ sports 802.11g Wi-Fi wireless networking along with USB and Ethernet connectivity; S-Video, composite, and component video inputs, and stereo analog audio inputs. For connecting to external systems, the V+ offers stereo analog and S/PDIF audio outputs, along with composite, component, S-Video, and HDMI video output. Users can set up recordings using an on-screen scheduling guide and a QWERTY-enabled remote control.
The 80 GB Archos TV+ should be available for $249, with the 250 GB version going for $349. For folks looking for a DVR solution that haven’t already settled on a TiVo (or the iTunes-enabled but far more limited Apple TV), the Archos TV+ may be a very appealing product.
