Archos media player to offer direct access to film downloads

Archos 605Archos has announced its 2007 lineup of media player/recorders which include two high end touchscreen and WiFi enabled models that can access the company’s own content portal which offers paid-for movie downloads from CinemaNow. Customers can also purchase a version of the Opera web browser with Flash video support, making it possible to browse and view video from sites like YouTube.

John Falcone over at Crave reports:

… the pre-production model I was using smoothly delivered YouTube videos, even offering an option to toggle them to full screen.

Archos also announced a Digital Video Recorder that lets a docked Archos record TV shows. The DVR includes cable/satellite box control and access to an online TV guide.

Archos DVR programme guide

The Archos 605 features Wi-Fi and a PSP-sized 800×480 4.3-inch LCD touch screen. The device is able to stream video files from a PC, and (as already mentioned) download paid-for content from CinemaNow. Additionally, users can purchase upgrades to add more video codecs, and a version of the Opera web browser. The 605 comes in in three versions: 4GB flash with an SD expansion slot ($200), a 30GB hard disk model ($300), and a 160GB hard disk model for $400. According to company’s website, you can pre-order now for delivery in mid-July.

Later in the year, the company will off an even more deluxe version (the 705) which has the same feature-set as the 605, but with a much larger 7-inch screen. It will be available in 80GB and 160GB hard disk models (pricing TBD).

With both devices featuring a touchscreen, WiFi support, and a full web browser, it’s hard not to compare them to Nokia’s Internet tablet (N800), and in some respects, to the soon-to-be released iPhone. However, with regards to viewing Flash video, Archos appears to trump them both. While the N800 is compatible with Flash, early reviews report that videos play poorly. The iPhone, on the other hand, won’t support Flash at all.

last100 is edited by Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve is co-founder and CEO of Beepl and a freelance journalist who has written for numerous publications, including TechCrunch, The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.

One Response to “Archos media player to offer direct access to film downloads”

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