Archos intros digital set-top video recorder

Portable video player firm Archos today unveiled its first set-top personal digital video recorder, the Archos TV+.

The Wi-Fi enabled home entertainment hub acts as a bridge between a computer and TV, and allows users to stream content from PCs to TV, record TV shows, surf the web and download movies.

Users wanting to surf the internet will need to pay a one-off fee of £19.99 for an Opera plug-in.

The device comes in two capacities: a 250GB model with a suggested price of £249.99; and an 80GB model costing £179.99.

Users of the box can stream digital content from home PCs and laptops to a connected TV via UPnP.

TV recording is simplified by the provision of an electronic programme guide which enables one-touch recording of content up to a week in advance. The unit ships with a Qwerty remote control designed to simplify web browsing.

Video playback support includes MPEG-4, WMV out of the box, while H264 content is supported via an optional plug-in. On the audio side stereo MP3 decoding at 30-320Kbps, WMA, Protected WMA and WAV formats are supported.

Video recording in NTSC/PAL/SECAM to MPEG-4 SP is supported, while audio recording options include WAV (IMA ADPCM or PCM). The device boasts USB 2 and 802.11g connectivity.