All Image Courtesy: Archos

Want to watch TV on the go? Don’t want to limit your viewing only to DVDs with portable DVD players? Well, it appears as though Archos may just have what you are looking for with its AV 700 Mobile DVR (Digital Video Recorder). The concept behind the device is straightforward: install TV docking pod in a one-time setup operation, record TV programs directly (live programming, movies or home videos), and watch on the go. You can playback video, audio, games and view photos all on the same device. An all rounder gadget, nonetheless!

The Archos AV 700 is quite stylish with a professional color scheme, speakers on both sides, a bright 7" LCD screen and navigational controls on the left. Not to mention the thin physique of the device, which makes it quite portable for a multimedia player that can hold a magnitude of information.

The AV 700 comes in two storage options: 40GB and 100GB. According to Archos, you can approximately store up to 160 hours of video, 100 movies, 20,000 songs or 400,000 photos at a given time on the 40GB edition. The 100GB version, however, can store up to 400 hours of video, 250 movies, 55,000 songs or 1 million photos. The thing to note here is that you can only store the designated amount of information if you pick either one of the supported features. For instance, don’t expect to store 1 million photos and 250 movies on the player coherently.

Archos further mentions that you can view your digital content at near DVD quality on the 7" screen. The mobile DVR supports DivX, Windows Media, DRM Windows Media and MPEG4 video formats. The video playback functionalities also include slow motion viewing, adjustable screen size, video editing and video bookmarking options. Since the AV 700 has a TV Output link, you can transfer photos (JPEG or BMP) to the player and either view it directly on the AV 700 or other external displays. The connectivity of the multimedia player is quite impressive as well; you simply connect the AV 700 to the computer via USB 2.0, transfer files and you are ready to go. The audio aspect of the device supports MP3, WMA, DRM WMA and WAV formats. Due to Archos’ ARCLibrary, you can customize your view by artist, genre, artist, album, title, year or playlists without ever having to use a PC. The AV 700 is based on the Mophun gaming engine, which allows the player to successfully render certain games from Archos’ library. According to Archos, these games are only available from its website and come at a price.

The battery life for music is rated around 30 hours while the video playback is approximately 4 hours. Thankfully, Archos makes use of the lithium-ion rechargeable battery for a plug-n-play charge functionality. The package includes the AV 700, TV Docking Pod, remote control (with batteries), audio/video cables (SCART in/out for European version), USB 2.0 cable, USB host adapter, AC adapter & charger, stereo headphones, protective case, user guide.

The average price for the 40GB and 100GB versions is $599.95 and $799.95, respectively.

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