Archos AV700 includes dual digital tuners, DVR, 40GB HDD

Archos has upped the ante (and the price) in the PMP race with the AV700, a model that includes two digital tuners (for European terrestrial digital broadcasts), a 40GB hard drive, a 7-inch LCD display, DVR software, PlaysForSure compatibility for both audio and video, and inputs for recording from any analog source. Archos also claims that the inclusion of two antennas and "diversity reception" technology allows for better TV tuning on the go. If that's not enough, it can operate in USB host mode to pull pics directly from memory card readers or digicams, allows you to pre-program up to 100 TV channels per location for up to 5 locations, and supports downloadable games. It's expected to be available in Europe in May for about €700 (about $950 830), and will probably never be available in the US.

[Juice @ Mar 15th 2006 2:25PM]

Of course not in the U.S...

[invaderluj @ Mar 15th 2006 2:27PM]

950$ is way too much for only 40gb...at least 7in screen is very nice

[Alex @ Mar 15th 2006 2:35PM]

This would be really great to see in the US. Though the 40gbs is pretty small, and the screen is a wee bit big. But over all, I'd love to see this here.

[Russ @ Mar 15th 2006 2:36PM]

Are the European digital tuner standards/delivery methods that much better than the US NTSC or OTA that we shouldn't even dream of this type of thing?

[Dave @ Mar 15th 2006 2:43PM]

Kitchen sink sold separately?

[Ghost_MH @ Mar 15th 2006 2:59PM]

I've known of the AV700 for quite some time, but I was under the impression that the huge price-tag was for the 100GB model with the 40GB model being considerably cheaper.

[KaiBeezy @ Mar 15th 2006 2:59PM]

.
what movie is that screenshot from?
.

[Jerome O'Donohoe @ Mar 15th 2006 3:02PM]

hey 6, since when is Engadget supposed to be for americans only? I don't see any Stars & Stripes on the masthead...we share loads of common gadgets, I like to read about series 3 tivos even though I can never have one...is it such a bitch to read about something you can't have? Wouldn't a little noise made by you spur someone to make something like this for the US?

[serge beaulieu @ Mar 15th 2006 3:03PM]

that design is vaguely familiar...
http://www.ida.gov.sg/idaweb/image/download/I3164/images/Pic1.jpg

hmmm

[pableu @ Mar 15th 2006 3:05PM]

Am I missing something? The linked device at archos.com seems to be exactly the same AV700 that's been available for quite a long time now and doesn't have any tuner-things builtin. It doesn't say anything in the specs about a tuner either.

[epp_b @ Mar 15th 2006 3:13PM]

I was gripped on the story until the phrase "PlaysForSure". Any device supporting DRM is not a device for me. Blech.

[Davage @ Mar 15th 2006 3:17PM]

I have an 40GB AV700 but without these tuner bells and whistles. They would reuse the model number? No "v2" or "Next Gen" designator?

[Dave Zatz @ Mar 15th 2006 3:28PM]

Davage, they're appending 'TV' to the name. Instead of AV700 it's the AV700 TV.

French press release PDF is here:
http://www.archos.com/corporate/press/press_releases/20060315-AV_700_TV_fr.pdf

[doyouflip @ Mar 15th 2006 3:47PM]

They had me at "dual digital tuners"


They lost me at $950

[JCA @ Mar 15th 2006 3:54PM]

@ #9

"since when is Engadget supposed to be for americans only?"

Hmm....since always. The rest of you are heathens.


"I like to read about series 3 tivos even though I can never have one."

What you like is irrelevant. Again its all about us Americans.


"is it such a bitch to read about something you can't have?"

F**king A right it is!

"Wouldn't a little noise made by you spur someone to make something like this for the US?"

Not at all. Electronics companies don't build electronics for fanboys like you and I....they build them for the retards. Therefore, the noise you and I might make is irrelevant....same as how you like to read about crap you can't have....same as this post.

[ninjaKid @ Mar 15th 2006 4:28PM]

are you freaking KIDDING me? $950? no thanks, i'll stick with my Cowon A2 . . .

[robert @ Mar 15th 2006 4:31PM]

Yeah, you guys can pick up the "regular" version of the AV700 from walmart.com for $721.92 the one pictured and detailed might be the "American" version, sans tuners. not too bad of a price considering what you are getting.

[ScottE @ Mar 15th 2006 5:00PM]

I think I just wet my pants

[infinite_loopy @ Mar 15th 2006 5:03PM]

#16, I can't work out if you're a troll or a genuine retard. On the off chance that you're the latter, well, i'm sure engadget will be shutting off any non-US IP addresses from accessing the site any minute now.

[flipside @ Mar 15th 2006 5:17PM]

@6 and 16

Well done guys for showing to the world how insular some americans can be, get use to it there is a big world out there and we need to play nice together.

To engadget sorry about the off topic rant and keep up the good international work you have a loyal reader base out here

[JCA @ Mar 15th 2006 5:25PM]

@20 and 21......its clear that sarcasm and satire don't exist where you live. Way to go guys...ruin a perfectly good post with all your logical and literal trains of thought.

[infinite_loopy @ Mar 15th 2006 5:30PM]

#22, nope, don't live in Texas...like i said, didn't know if you were a troll or a retard. You might wanna liven up your posts with some emoticons :-D

[raindog @ Mar 15th 2006 6:07PM]

I can't believe that 3 years after I got an AV140 for $300, they're still trying to sell 40GB video players and at 3 times the price (well, twice and a half the price for the walmart.com version.) All they've added that I can see is a bigger screen (oh boy, as big as my $120 Orbit DVD player) and added DRM.

I wish they'd just made a 100gb version of the AV140 rather than adding bells and whistles without increasing the storage space. Yeah, it's supposed to be a video player despite the 1.5" screen, but we just use it as an mp3 jukebox.... and 40gb of MP3's is maybe a third of our legally bought and ripped CD's, never mind all the downloaded stuff.

On the plus side, that Orbit portable DVD player is also an MP3/DivX player with USB mass storage support, so if I don't mind something unwieldy I can combine it with a 120gb external drive that runs off of USB power for a grand total of under $300. Well, plus $2 for a roll of duct tape to stick the hard disk to the bottom of it.

[Daniel @ Mar 15th 2006 6:10PM]

Oh my god, you guys. EUR700 is closer to $830.
Try using a calculator. :p

[Jerome @ Mar 15th 2006 6:13PM]

I bet the battery life is 1hours!

ha ha ha!

the psp is better and will get better!

[KaiBeezy @ Mar 15th 2006 6:31PM]

.
that screenshot
what movie?
no one knows?
.

[TC @ Mar 15th 2006 6:37PM]

With regards to the price th AV700TV is going to go for about �499 in the UK, which means that if the device was released in the states it would probably be in the $499 region - given that most electronic consumer goods sold in the UK seem to have prices that don't factor in the exchange rate!

[Mike @ Mar 15th 2006 6:39PM]

You fellaz do know the resolution on this thing sucks. It's 480x272 which is used on 4inch lcd pmp's. So on a 7inch screen it looks horrible.

[Ryan @ Mar 15th 2006 8:29PM]

I have used other archos video players and they are very nice. $950 is insane but with Archos you do get what you pay for.

[slippy @ Mar 15th 2006 8:53PM]

Interesting how this device looks EXACTLY like Microsoft's Origami :P (same 7-inch screen too)

[Mike Forsyth @ Mar 15th 2006 9:05PM]

Hey this is really nice and I checked it out on the website where you can get it and it's a total of about $835 for the 100GB version including shipping and handeling so this is actually a really nice product and the 40GB thing is $635. Now another thing to condider is that the 60GB ipod is about $400. So if your willing to spend an extra $200-$400 just for a 7" screen vs. the 2.5" ipod screen then go ahead and get this.

[Mike Forsyth @ Mar 15th 2006 9:08PM]

Hey this is really nice and I checked it out on the website where you can get it and it's a total of about $835 for the 100GB version including shipping and handeling so this is actually a really nice product and the 40GB thing is $635. Now another thing to condider is that the 60GB ipod is about $400. So if your willing to spend an extra $200-$400 just for a 7" screen vs. the 2.5" ipod screen then go ahead and get this.

[Dull @ Mar 15th 2006 9:17PM]

Okay whats that picture on the DVR? Is it from a movie? If so what movie?

[Norman Chan @ Mar 15th 2006 9:25PM]

resolution is crap for 7"

[Psumoni @ Mar 15th 2006 9:37PM]

Anybody complaining about the HD size obviously didn't catch or know about USB host mode. That means you can pick up a 300Gb external USB 2.0 drive for less than $200 and laugh at storage limitations.

Sure you'll need an outlet, but that 40 gig HD will hold more than enough to tide you over to the next hole in the wall.

[3rdsun @ Mar 15th 2006 9:39PM]

Archos should get into the umpc business.. they got nice designs with lots of features

[joe @ Mar 15th 2006 10:34PM]

photoshop'd screen?

[random @ Mar 16th 2006 1:40AM]

at $830 I'll have to go with my friend, who insists that video ipods and using psps to play video are unnecessary because as he puts it "are you really going to take out your ipod on the bus and watch for an hour or so when you can just whip out your laptop and watch it on a screen that is much larger" (something like that) actually, 830 bucks will just about buy you a laptop, no tuner, but you could do the whole SLING thing

[daze @ Mar 16th 2006 4:37AM]

Again: Which movie is that screenshot from?

[stayontheroofs @ Mar 16th 2006 5:15AM]

I think they just made up the screenshot to market their product in an exciting manner without violating any copyright rules.

[DM @ Mar 16th 2006 3:26PM]

That graphic looks like its from the PC game Homeworld 2 IMO.

#12. "I was gripped on the story until the phrase "PlaysForSure". Any device supporting DRM is not a device for me. Blech."

You moron, it supports DRM... Thats a FEATURE, get it? doesnt mean you cant use non-DRMed files... And btw show me one recent mp3 player which doesnt support DRM, and I WONT punch you on the face...

[raindog @ Mar 16th 2006 4:26PM]

The MP3 CD players I buy once a year for 30 bucks (I leave them in the car and eventually they die, but at that price who cares) are recent and do not support DRM of any kind. The one I had last year would play WMA files, but only unencrypted ones. This Memorex one I have now is MP3 and Red Book only, but has a less annoying interface. (I think I'll spring for the extra 20-30 bucks for a backlight next year though.)

But no, I haven't seen a hard disk based MP3 player that didn't support any DRM since the AV140.... an Archos 40GB jukebox I bought for 300 bucks 3 years ago and still sells for about the same price today. Besides the DRM, the only functional difference between then and now is the $35 7" screen that every $99 portable DVD player also has.

[Joe @ Apr 25th 2006 1:38AM]

Hmm.. the AV700 is available at Tweeters, Etc. for $599 at this time. Only reasons I didn't snap it up like a pit bull on a T-Bone is it won't fit in my pockets and I already have the AV500, which does

[jon @ May 24th 2006 10:18AM]

What most of these comments seem to be missing out on is the fact that this new AV700TV has built in Digial TV tuners. The standard AV700 and Ipods, and every other Personal Video Player currently on the market does not have this, meaning that you have to connect them to your tv. This one is a totally unique and completely portable digital (freeview) TV and digital VCR. Great concept!

[Delton C. Baker @ Jul 7th 2006 4:12PM]

7 July 2006
I just purchased the AV700 w/40GB Hd.
The user interface to my two Dish Network 622DVR is a fantastic but I was dissapointed to learn the AV700 did not support HD video and refused to even download the HD media.
When I read the spec's from the Dish website I am sure they gave one storage spec for std video and and another for HD video. I think they call that "Bait and Switch." I mentioned I have two 622's, well I had planned on using the AV700 to port video from the bedroom's 622 to the living room's 622. I got half of what I wanted, so much for "the best plans of mice and men."
The video graphics for the games looks terrible, when I put it up on my TV, but the movies look great and I can't reason why other than software.
I configured it to be a video display for my XBOX. The video looked OK, but the audio volume was wierd, sometimes it was loud and othertimes it was soft, and there was no resposive volume control at anytime. I think the XBOX may be over driving the audio recievers input sensitivity. Which in my mind makes me think you never be sure if it could ever be trusted as video recorder.
I found this reference to iTunes on the hard drive. It seem to be some kind of plugin for the audio player, but itunes dosen't reconize it. So it want syncronize with the AV700. The easiest way to put my music on the AV700 was to search for all my MP3's and simply "Copy" and "Paste" they in the "Music" directory. The "Playlist" program is glitzy at its best. Finding the play contols for audio and video were barried deep in obscured folders too.
In conclusion I think this product has come to market premature and needs to go back to developement. My main complaint about the AV700 is that, by not supporting HD video the manufacturer has already made it obsolete. I should have saved my money for a "Blu-Ray" DVD burner.

[Clayton Price @ Jul 11th 2006 9:23PM]

WOW are some of you missing the point, the item above is the av700 tv, which has built in twin digital freeview tuners, which can record on tne move, so you can record or watch digital programs, pretty much anywhere anytime. Along with all the features of the regular Av 700.
I have the standard Av 700 100gb version, without the tuners and yes the screen resolution is'nt brilliant, but its more then watchable and with the supplied leads it can be plugged in to most tv's and watched on the big screen, which then veiws perfectly. You even get a remote!
The fact that I can take this away with me, watch any movies I want on the plane, on the hotel tv or on the beach. It isnt an I pod, but it syncs well with windows media player, and i can listen to whatever music i care to put onto it in great quality just by adding a set of travel speakers,or a decent set of earphones, or again through the tv speakers, and can also unload all of my full digital camera cards onto it till i get home, allowing me to clear the cards for re use,and veiw all the pictures too, makes it an indispensible travel accessory for me. I currently have over 50 albums on mine 28 full length films and at least 1000 photos and its only one third full. The battery lasts at least a couple of hours if veiwing movies and you can allways buy spares.
Thats without loading some of the kids films onto it, to keep them amused in the back of the car. Ok the menus are slightly fiddly , but it aint rocket science, you've got to be pretty dim not to have a full grasp of the controls within a few days!!!
Again the games arent any great shakes but provide some entertainment value, to be honest it really does'nt need games, it also acts as a fully programmable video recorder and playback unit via a supplied docking station.
The addition of the twin freeview tuners on this new TV model can only make it better, and all that for about £410 WHAT MORE DO PEOPLE WANT??

[joanne @ Nov 14th 2006 10:00AM]

Hi I just wanted to find out if the speakers on the av700tv are any good. I have just ordered this from qvc and am planning to use this mainly as a kitchen tv when at home. I would like to know if the volume on the speakers is good enough to be heard whilst cooking in the kitchen.
Thanks.