Tech Digest

Archos launches 504 160GB portable media player

   Archos has gone big on the screen and the storage with its new 504 portable media player with 160GB hard drive - that's enough space to record 450 hours of video to view on the 4.3-inch screen.

The Archos 504 supports all standard video formats in full DVD resolution, as well as being a storage device for other files and media via USB 2.0. The 160GB drive can hold around 450 movies, 1.6 million photos or 80,000 songs. Video playback is via a 4.3-inch screen with 16 million colors or onto a television (with optional DVR Station). It also records from TV into MPEG-4 with the DVR station. It can also be used be used as a photo viewer and music player.

There's a range of sizes available, with a 40GB device retailing for £249.99, 80GB for £299.99 and the 160GB model selling for £479.99. All comes with headphones, USB cable and protective pouch.

Archos website

Bang & Olufsen HDR 2 250GB hard disc recorder launched

Bang & Olufsen have launched their HDR 2 hard disc recorder with a huge 250GB hard drive for storing and watching analogue and digital TV shows. It can be set up to record programmes in a series and automatically delete the oldest watched episodes to conserve space.

It features much of what you'd expect from a PVR: pausing live TV and simultaneous recording and playback. It also lets you create TV libraries which lets you store content in up to 8 different groups, named as you like. Recordings can be split, trimmed and renamed to save space and group similar programmes together.

The 250GB drive will store up to 110 hours of standard quality or 60 hours of high quality (not high definition) content. It features 2 SCARTs, Y/C input, and aerial connections. Done out in aluminium/black, it has dimensions 47 x 10.1 x 26.4 cm and weighs 6 kg. Price to be confirmed.

Bang & Olufsen

iFusion - watch TV on the go in 3D

Fancy 3D TV without a pair of cardboard glasses? Well, iFusion from Neovision could be for you.

Add the iFusion to a portable media player's screen (rather like a screen protector) and the video amazingly gets an extra dimension. There's no explanation of the science of doing this (probably to protect it from copying), so you'll just have to take our word on it. It's only currently available for the iUbi (also made by Neofusion), but there is the promise of a version for the Microsoft Zune and Creative Zen Vision W in the future.

Interesting to see it hands-on, which should be the case from early 2007.

Via Gizmodo

Mustek PD77 two screen DVD player

  No more crowding round a single screen on a long car journey - Mustek has introduced the PD77 - which offers two screens for your backseat passengers.

Both monitors are 7-inch TFT LCD screens, with a resolution of 480 x 234 pixels, whuich can deliver pictures in 16:9 widescreen format. The system can read all current CD and DVD format discs, as well as supporting a range of audio and video formats, including MP3, DivX, XviD and AVI. It's also Kodak Picture CD and JPEG compatible. Sound output is either through two stereo loudspeakers or through stereo headphone connectors on the DVD player and on the LCD monitor.

Loud traffic noises are also faded out through the integrated Dolby Digital decoder which sets the right tone on board and if you're on a bumpy road, there's a shock absorption system. Also included in the kit are car mounting straps, a dual 12-volt car adapter, remote control, an AC/DC power adapter and an A/V cable for connection (if you want to use it in the home) and a carry bag.

It retails for £179.

Mustek website

iZak - a portable media device for movies and music

Another new portable media device on the market, this time it's iZak, a PC and Mac-friendly device that stores your music, movie and data files to view on any TV.

Available as a 40GB  or 80GB drive, iZak connects to your PC or Mac via USB 2.0. to transfer over your favourite media content (music, movies, pictures, data files), then connects to any TV for playback. iZak is claimed to be the only portable device capable of playing ripped DVDs and DivX VODs, storing your own DVDs as a virtual library, which can be played back as if you were running the original disc. The manufacturers also promise the option of playback in HDTV quality Video and Dolby Digital or DTS quality Audio.

Other formats supported include MPEG-1. MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 for video and WAV MP3 MPEG-4 WMA and AC3 for audio. Available in the UK the coming weeks, pricing still to be confirmed.

Find out more

Tuesday Top Ten: Reasons to hate Microsoft's Zune

It was the consumer technology industry's worst kept secret for months. It was supposedly Microsoft's iPod-killer. And now Zune has been unveiled, the reaction has been... decidedly mixed. Which appears to make it the marmite of the personal media player world. And while there are plenty of bloggers and IT hacks out there who are always happy to  be rude about Microsoft, it does seem there are some legitimate criticisms of the new device.

With that in mind, here's Tech Digest's 10 Reasons To Hate Zune. Don't worry, we'll have 10 Reasons To Love Zune on Thursday. Stick the boot in, then cuddle up. It's called tough love. Anyway, on with the kicking.

1. Only 30GB of storage space. With Apple having just released an 80GB iPod, Microsoft comes across as a little bit stingy. How are we going to fit our 50GB of illegally downloaded Hollywood blockbusters onto it?

2. Name ambiguity. Do I pronounce it Zyoon or Zoon? Until someone gives me a definitive answer, I'm sure as hell not walking into Currys to be patronised by some twerp who can't wait to correct me.

3. Who wants Wi-Fi sharing anyway? Especially when it's 30-second song samples, and only of stuff you've bought from the official Zune store. I don't want to spend every bus journey fending off requests from kids who want to send me their latest Lady Sovereign mash-up. EDIT: See comments for correction to this point.

4. The brown Zune. I mean, brown. Jesus.

5. Another closed ecoysystem. So let me get this straight, will the songs I buy from the Zune store work if I buy another MP3 player in the future? Or will I have to buy them for the third time, having already repurchased all the ones I already got on iTunes?

6. Wot no games? I thought this was supposed to be Xbox in the palm of your hand. Swizz! Yes, I know this may be the rumourmongers' fault rather than Microsoft's. But still.

7. It's not that stylish. And if this is supposed to be an iPod-slayer, isn't it duty-bound to look nice? I'm not saying it's ugly, but [insert yo' momma joke here]...

8. It won't work on Macs. Hello Microsoft, us Mac-owners aren't all lap dogs of the Jobs Empire, y'know. Some of us might've quite fancied buying a Zune, but apparently it won't support Macs at launch, and the Zune Marketplace will be Windows-only too. Cheers for that.

9. It won't work with Napster. Or, indeed, any digital music store that uses Microsoft's own Plays For Sure DRM platform. D'oh!

10. They're being a bit shifty about Zune's battery life. This could mean it runs out of juice in 10 minutes unless used with the screen off and at 10% volume. Or it could mean it ships with futuristic fuel-cell batteries powered by rechargeable goblins, I suppose.

MSI D310 portable Freeview player finally hits the UK

Back in April, we mentioned that the MSI D310 portable media player with integrated Freeview (the first to do so) would hit the shelves in "a couple of months" - in good time for the World Cup. Well, they missed that, but now it's here - in good time for Christmas and cheaper than we expected.

The D310 is both small and light, weighing just 180g, so ideal to stick in your bag for a long journey or commute. It's got a 4.2-inch colour TFT screen with an integrated Freeview receiver, so you can watch all the digital TV channels, reception permitting. There's also an EPG, auto scanning, digital Teletext, a remote and AV out to a larger TV. It also supports music and video playback plus photos viewing. The downside is a lack of memory - so you'll need to store on SD/MMC cards.

It's got a rechargeable battery, with a charge offering 3 hours of digital TV. Available now, you can pick it up for a reasonable £119.

Find out more

Xoro HSD 7500 Freeview DVD tablet

Probably useful for long journeys, the slimline Xoro HSD 7500 takes the typical portable DVD player and adds Freeview functionality for all the main channels on the move.

As a portable player, it features a full colour widescreen 7" display (16:9) and plays DVDs, VCDs, SVCDs, MPEG-1, 2 and 4 videos, standard audio and MP3 CDs, as well as displaying both JPEGs and Kodak Picture CDs. And if you're bored of all that, you can turn on the TV, as there's a DVB-T receiver with automatic channel scan, EPG and Teletext. There's also USB connectivity and a card reader for SD and MMC.

Power is via an Li-Ion battery, with a mains adaptor and car charger also included. And just in case it gets kncoked about on those long journets, it's got a soft black rubber surround. The Xoro HSD 7500 is available now for around £209.

Find out more

PDT launches Eye-Theatre - the head-mounted multimedia viewer

Staring at a small portable screen can put something of a strain on your eyes. If you want something bigger, especially on the move, it might be worth checking out PDT's Eye-Theatre - a head-mounted multimedia viewer that promises an "immersive audiovisual environment" wherever you are.

Admittedly, you'll look slightly ridiculous. But if you can get past that (or actually like the idea of looking like a Star Trek extra), you can watch movies wherever you are in any format (NTSC/PAL/SECAM). The Eye-Theatre uses twin TFT LCD screens to display iPod video resolution (320 x 240) video. Also incorporated into the unit are high-quality stereo earphones and a choice of nose-pieces, so the unit will fit every face from children to adults. The display offers a similar effect of watching a 50" screen viewed at 2.5m. Because of the dual screen, your eyes focus at 2.5m, so there's no straining of the eyes.

There's enough power for eight hours of viewing, with charging via USB. You can pre-order now, with a price of £149.99 and a shipping date of mid-October.

Eye-Theatre website

The Week In Tech: 10 stories you might have missed

The first in a new weekly feature rounding up some of the more intriguing, informative or plain baffling tech stories knocking about the internetweb. Casting aside all those cast-iron predictions that Apple would launch the iPhone this week, first up is News Corporation finally starting to throw its weight around in the Web 2.0 world.

Chief operating officer Peter Chernin (left) told a conference that MySpace wants to crush YouTube and, well, basically any other big Web 2.0 service. "If you look at virtually any Web 2.0 application, whether its YouTube, whether it’s Flickr, whether it’s Photobucket…almost all of them are really driven off the back of MySpace, there’s no reason why we can’t build a parallel business."

One reason why that might not be the case? If you look at virtually any Web 2.0 application, it's easier to use than MySpace. And you don't have to worry about your content getting spewed out of other parts of the Murdoch empire. Mashable's verdict on MySpace's plans: "This is such a ridiculous strategy that it’s not even worth contemplating."

This week's bear/woods story comes courtesy of Microsoft Exchange hosting firm Intermedia.NET, which released some survey findings claiming that IT staff are twice as likely to wear a heavy metal t-shirt as their non-IT colleagues, are 32% less likely than business managers to wear clean clothes every day of the week, and twice as likely to carry a Maglite and a Leatherman.

"Our large Microsoft Gold Certified team of engineers was comforted that IT people are twice as likely to wear Megadeth and similar t-shirts, and that black jeans and ponytails are still hot items," said Intermedia.NET's boss marketeer Rurik Bradbury. "However, they were distraught to find that the cellphone belt clip has gone ‘mainstream’ and lost its identification with the IT subculture."

Talking of heavy metal t-shirts, self-styled "software-Jedi" Dana Hanna starts his 'An App a Day' campaign today. He's writing 30 software applications in 30 days, and then giving them away for free. "I write tons of prototypes at home, and never end up doing anything with them," he says. "So I might as well toss them out there for the good of the world."

First up is this nifty app that turns your mouse cursor into a magnifying glass, although Dana reckons the most entertaining suggestion he's had so far is "an app to count polarbears in Norway and geotag them in Google Earth." That would be cool.

Moving on to enormous telephoto lenses, Carl Zeiss unveiled a whopper this week. It's got a focal length of over 5.5 feet, with 21x magnification. Oh, and it weighs in at a healthy 256kg. So you won't find it in a Cyber-Shot anytime soon. It's being shown at this month's Photokina show in Cologne. I'd like to see Jamiroquai frontman Jay Kay try to pick a fight with a paparazzo holding this heavyweight jobby.

From the large to the small now. How about a projector the size of a sugar cube? Yes, it does mean a passing hungry horse could guzzle up your home entertainment system, but still, it's a feat of engineering. But hang on, read the story, and the ugly truth becomes apparent.

"Today’s technology allows RGB projectors with a side length of ten by seven by three centimeters to be produced. Although this is still distinctly larger than a sugar cube, it is only a quarter the size of a standard projector."

Fix! Apparently the key to getting sugarcube-sized projectors is shrinking green diode lasers. Fingers crossed. Meanwhile, boozers among you shouldn't consider paying a visit to South Dakota any time soon. The state attorney general's office is testing alcohol-monitoring bracelets on convicted drunk drivers.

The 'Scram' bracelets measure "vapours from the skin" (i.e. beer sweats) and send the results for analysis. If someone could invent one that would tell me the sixth pint of cider ISN'T a good idea on Friday nights, while flashing a photo of the local gutter in warning, that'd be grand, thanks.

Talking of items of personal clothing with unexpected digital-media features... How about the Egokast, a hefty belt-buckle that doubles up as a video player. You're not supposed to watch it, mind, it's for the people around you.

“This is the first media device that you don’t watch, but everybody else does,” says inventor Shaw Kaake, who I sincerely hope was named after the popular biscuit. “Instead of staring into your BlackBerry or your PSP, you’re looking at the reactions of people to the content.”

Surely this means entire train carriages of fellow passengers staring at your crotch. Where can I get one? Moving swiftly on, news of some Princeton computer scientists who've created prototype vote-stealing software that can be installed on public voting machines. Right now, someone's reading this in a secret White House laboratory and saying "Meh, we did that weeks ago. Now when's e-voting coming in..."

Paris Hilton, it's time to dump the BlackBerry. There's a new celebrity mobile on the block, codenamed 'Black Diamond' (right), which costs $300,000. Why? Well, it runs Windows Mobile 5.0, has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, an SD memory slot and a touch-sensitive keypad. Oh, and only five units are ever being made. Far better value than a chihuahua.

And finally... We may be also-rans in Miss World, but us Brits can boast the most beautiful computer-generated woman on the planet. Doesn't that make you feel proud as punch? Her name's Prada Woman (left), and she was created by UK designer David Cathro using Photoshop, for a competition organised by 3D site 3DM3.

She's a cross between Jennifer Lopez and the sort of secretary who appears in films pretending to be plain, until she gets to take off her glasses, swish her hair back and PURR LIKE A PUMA! She beat off competition from Poland, France, South Korea and Poland again.

Sources: Mashable, Intermedia.NET, Dana Hanna, Engadget, Physorg.com, Madisonet.com, New York Times, TechEBlog, 3DM3.com

ViewSonic unveils first monitor with integrated iPod connectivity

ViewSonic has unveiled the world’s first "Made for iPod" desktop display, featuring an integrated iPod dock for storing your media and playing back video clips on a screen 65 times larger than the iPod one.

The docking station is just below (but not affecting) the widescreen display. There's numerous additional connectivity options, including several USB 2.0 ports and an 8-in-1 card reader, along with a microphone, integrated stereo speakers and a subwoofer to save you shelling out for an additional sound system.

ViewSonic claim the screen offers ultra-fast response times, high brightness and contrast ratios, as well as wide viewing angles for viewing downloaded video content and full-length movies. It should be in the stores later this year, but as yet, there's no price available.

ViewSonic website www.viewsonic.com

Amazon launches the Unbox video download store

  With Apple's movie download service top of most people's prediction lists, Amazon in the US has stolen a march on them, launching Unbox - a service that allows US customers to buy or rent movies and TV shows online.

Amazon Unbox has thousands of DVD-quality videos from Hollywood studios, including 20th Century Fox, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros, plus TV networks such as CBS and Fox and cable channels Comedy Central and E! Entertainment. Each video can be stored on up to two PCs and two portable video players at once. When a user downloads a video, Unbox automatically sends a second download file optimised for Windows Media-compatible portable devices. You also get your own personal Amazon page, which tracks your media purchases, offering a back up copy of any titles you've bought (or for use on an additional machine).

Opening prices are between $7.99 and $14.99 for most movies, with rentals at $3.99. The obvious downside is perhaps the use of Windows Media. In fact, the system only works with Windows XP at the moment. Your move Apple.

Amazon Unbox

Creative Vision W 30GB portable media player

Another player to consider if you can't bear to leave home without a sizeable amount of media - this time it's Creative with their Vision W.

It's a 30GB player with a 4.3" screen in a 16:9 format, which is good news for portable movie watchers. The Vision W plays MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4-SP, MJPEG, DivX 4 and 5 and XviD video formats, offering around 4.5 hours of video playback. And of course, it's a digital music player, with an FM radio if you feel you need your Terry Wogan fix. And for all your Napster punters (which includes myself), it's good for subscription downloads - so you can fill it on a Monday with the week's new releases.

Due at the end of September, price to be confirmed.

Creative website

Via Shiny Shiny

One Minute IFA Interview: Archos and the future

A look at the forthcoming Archos 604 with WiFi, as well as a chat with the product manager about the future of Archos.

Sumvision Wiki Pro - 2GB audio/video player for under £60

Hot on the heels of Sumvision's Opus Pro player comes another feature-heavy budget player from the same company, the Sumvision Wiki Pro - a 2GB audio/video player for under £60.

This miniaturised player (small enough to sit in the palm of your hand) features a 1.8-inch TFT display and supports MP3, WMA, WMV, WAV and ASF formats for audio and video. There's also a digital FM tuner on board with 20 preset stations, plus voice recorder, games and a picture viewer for JPEG and BMP formats.

You can listen via headphones or the built-in speaker, there's seven equaliser modes and an auto power off to save your battery. It's powered by a built-in lithium rechargeable battery, which can be charged by USB or power adaptor. Available now, you can pick it up for £59.99.

Find out more

More portable players:
New Ministry of Sound MP3 range
SanDisk to launch Sansa c200 budget portable music player

IFA 2006: SanDisk V-Mate memory card recorder

There aren’t many gadgets coming out these days that don’t come with some kind of movie playing capabilities, no matter how impractical the screen size is. However, actually getting video content on to them is usually a real pain. The SanDisk V-Mate, announced today at IFA, looks like a practical solution to this; it connects to an analogue audio and video output from pretty much any source you like, then records straight to the card. And it has been designed with small portable video players in mind.

It has a maximum recording resolution of 640 x 480, which makes it suitable for small screens, and means you can fit around three and a half hours of footage per gigabyte. The V-Mate is compatible with SD, MMC, MMCplus MMCmobile, SDHC, MiniSDHC, MicroSDHC, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Memory Stick PRO Duo – that should have all your bases covered then.

To program it you can use a TV-based interface that lets you adjust control settings, record and access content. The unit also includes an infrared emitter.  This will automatically turn on the TV tuner box (cable/satellite/terrestrial receiver or VCR) and select the right channel when programmed to record.  You can connect it to a computer using a mini-USB connection.

What isn’t immediately clear is how you make sure your recorded videos are saved in a file structure compatible with your media playing device. Anyone who has tried to move digital videos to their PSP will know you need to use the right folder and a specific file naming system to make them viewable. Hopefully SanDisk will have found a way to solve this problem.

The V-Mate is coming out in October and has a retail price of $130 (around £70).

Update: I asked a SanDisk representative about the file structure recording issue, he explained that the V-Mate will have special 'end-device' modes (it looks like PSP will be one of those) that can be selected and will record to the right location specific to your player. Firmware updates should mean that SanDisk can cover most major devices as well. You will also be able to name your files whatever you like. 

IFA 2006: Toshiba announces first high-capacity (SDHC) SD memory cards

Good news for those for movie makers on the go - Toshiba has announced what it claims is the industry's first commercially available high-capacity SDHC memory card. Whether they mean in Europe isn't clear, because Sandisk announced one a few weeks back.

Regardless of who is first, Toshiba's cards will hit the market in November, initially as a 4GB card, but follwed by 8GB and 16GB SDHC cards in 2007. Before you rush out and buy one, remember that your device has to be SDHC-compatibile - some are available now, but mobile video and audio devices that take the cards will probably start to apepar in bigger numbers at the turn of the year.

The cards have a maximum data transfer rate of 5MB per second - the combination of this high-speed transfer and capacity should make them well-suited to the recording and playback of MPEG2 and MPEG4 video in both standard and high-definition formats. No news on price, we'll let you know nearer the shelf date.

Toshiba website

IFA 2006: Daewoo shows off portable gadgets: DVD and multimedia players

Amongst everything else, Daewoo have been showing off a couple of their portable multimedia devices at IFA 2006.

Their DPC-7800PDT is a portable DVD player with a 7-inch TFT-LCD display, built-in speakers, and an integrated DVB-T digital TV tuner. Looks like Xoro won't be able to claim that uniqueness any more.

The DEH-705K is a multimedia player with an 8Gb hard drive and will store your music, photos and films. Not much more info than that at present, but we'll have pictures and better specs as they become available.

More Daewoo: Daewoo sat nav - Wireless HDTV

IFA 2006: Commodore Gravel - downloadable entertainment on the move or in the home

I mentioned earlier in the week that the first viewing of the new Commodore (the Mpet II mp3 player), but the new Gravel entertainment system seems altogether more in line with the Commodore name.

Commodore's latest baby is Commodore World and the Gravel entertainment systems. The Commodore World website promises "a large variety of entertainment content - music, videos, games, favorite radio and TV programs", accessed on demand via the Gravel devices. As yet, the site is unavailable to view, so we can't confirm what exactly is on offer.

What we can see are the Gravel devices. The Commodore Gravel In Pocket is a pocket-sized multimedia device with built-in Wi-Fi. It supports all major file formats, including MP4, MPEG, DivX, Xvid, WMV, streaming WMV, JPEG, BMP, GIF, along with MP3, WMA, WAVE music files. There's 1GB or 2GB internal flash memory, expandable by SD card and comes with the claims that it's world-first, high-quality flash video device that plays full screen, full motion (24 fps) on a 2.8-inch TFT screen.

The Commodore Gravel In Home is a home entertainment centre which provides access to Video On Demand, Replay TV and streaming music services directly to your TV. It comes with an 80GB drive, with all services accessed via the single jog remote control.

Both sound interesting - and both are up against some pretty strong competition in both the mobile and home-based entertainment market. We'll porbably find out how well the systems will do once we see the downloadable content - and the prices charge for hardware and downloads.

Commodore website

Maxian's M800 30GB TV-recording media player

I can't say I'm too familiar with Maxian, but I do like the look of their M800 media player, which is set to hit Europe later this year.

The slimline player (just 17mm in thickness) features a Sharp-manufactured 4.3-inch WQVGA screen and supports video recording from a TV or other source to the 30GB drive. Or you can transfer files across in a choice of AVI, MPEG, ASF, WMV, DAT and VOB formats, which can be viewed on the player or elsewhere via the TV-out. It's also good for audio recording and playback.

The company is due to release the player in both the Far East and Euriope simultaneously in both black and white, with a price of around 325 Euros (£219) being quoted.

Maxian website

Via Dapreview

More portable video players:
Archos launches 604 and 404 personal video players
MobiBox MP410 personal media player

Archos launches 604 and 404 personal video players

  Archos never really impacted on my life until a very dull evening channel-hopping led me to TV's darkest hole - the shopping channels - where an enthusiastic gent was demonstrating one of their portable players. Unlike most items on such channels, it actually seemed like a decent piece of kit. And now they've updated the range, adding the 604 and 404 personal video players.

The new models have a hefty 30GB of storage, which should be good for up to 85 movies, 130 hours of TV, 300,000 photos, 15,000 songs or any number of PDFs. Portable does mean a small screen, with the 404's screen just 3.5 inches, while the 604 features a 4.3-inch screen. However, one feature on these devices could outweight that downside - if you pick up the optional docking station, you can do scheduled or one-touch recording straight to the device from TV, DVD or cable. Which means you'll be able to watch the end of that film you missed the night before on the train to work!

Prices are £220 for the 404, £270 for the 604 and an additional £70 for a docking station. Available from September

Archos website

Via Shiny Shiny

Humax launches LCD TV with built-in 160GB PVR

Humax has done a spot of convergence, adding a 160GB PVR to a 32-inch LCD TV to create the LP32-TDR1.

This HD-ready TV is aimed at those who demand less clutter in the corner of the living room. The built-in PVR features twin Freeview tuners, so you can still watch UK History while you're recording a movie off FilmFour. Programme selection is via the EPG, with 160GB of storage being good for up to 100 hours of recording.

Input slots include a CI slot for Pay TV services, 3 AV inputs, Component, S-Video, PC, Composite, and 2 RGB scart jacks. And of course, an HDMI socket. It's available now, priced around £900.

Humax website

More TVs:
Evesham’s new 20.1-inch HD-ready widescreen LCD TV for below £350
Sharp introduces new range of Aquos HD-ready LCD TVs

Humax PVR-9200T personal video recorder gets an upgrade

  We took a look at the highly-rated Humax PVR-9200T recorder way back in August last year. And if you bought picked one up, you might like to know that it's had an update, which lean slightly towards Sky's Sky+ box. And the update is free.

New features include Chase Play, which means you can start watching a show before it has finished recording (rather than wait for the credits to roll). And there's also Auto Padding, which means you can extend the start and end times of recordings automatically, so you don’t miss out on a crucial opening or closing scene if programme schedules over-run (as was the case on numerous shows I recorded around the time of the World Cup).

The enhanced 160GB Humax PVR-9200T is available now. If you're an existing PVR-9200T user, you can upgrade your recorder for the latest features by visiting the Humax website for a software download.

Humax website

More recorders:
LG RH200MH HDD DVD recorder
Maplin Electronics 250GB HDD DVD recorder

MobiBox MP410 personal media player

Another gadget to cause you eye strain, the MobiBox MP410 personal media player can playback video and record from your TV as well as being a digital audio player.

Available in either black or white, the MobiBox MP410 is incredibly small, fitting comfortably in the palm of your hand. The device features a  2.5-inch TFT LCD screen, along with fold-out speakers, so you can sit back (but not too far) and enjoy your movies. Internal memory ranges from 128MB up to 1GB, which can be boosted further by SD/MMC card. You can downlod video to the player via USB or record shows off the TV. The recorder resolution is 640x480 (VGA) at maximum 30fps or 320x240 (QVGA) at maximum 30fps, with a choice of quality to save space.

In terms of audio, there's MP3 and WMA support, along with an FM radio with up to 20 presets and auto scanning. There's also a voice recording function and rechargeable lithium-ion battery.

Available now, you can pick up the MobiBox MP410 for around £110.

Find out more

More multimedia players:
Egge - the egg-shaped multimedia player
Asono M1 portable multimedia player

Terratec Cinergy T USB digital TV tuner

Terratec have just announced their Cinergy T USB digital TV tuner for an extremely reasonable price of £39.99. Together with the software (The Eye TV 2 software I think), it acts as your Freeview tuner, PVR so you can record, pause and rewind live TV, and turns your PC into a TV.

This isn't the only solution to viewing TV on your PC, but it's certainly one of the cheapest and easiest. If you're at home and close to a proper aerial socket, you'll get the best picture, as always, otherwise you'll be stuck with one of those funny black plastic portable aerials that manufacturers seem to think will pick up all the digital channels when you're sitting on a cliff in the middle of nowhere.

Sports Car DVD Player with TFT display

Is this the strangest portable DVD player you've seen? The Sports Car DVD Player with TFT display, which has just appeared on the Play Engine website, has everything you'd expect from a portable player, whilst neatly doubling up as a toy car (if you want to act like a big kid).

I can't think of any time I'd like to watch a film through the boot of a toy car, but if you've an obsession with all things four wheels, you'll be interested to know that discs go in via a tray at the front of the car, with the 5-inch LCD screen sliding up through the roof. The player is compatible with DVD, SVCD, DVCD, VCD, MP3, CD and CD-R/W discs. Speakers are located in the rear wheels, with the AV output at the rear (probably doubling as the exhaust). It even has a pair of LEDs for headlights which flash when you use the remote control.

The website hasn't yet confirmed a price, but I'm guessing that if you're in the minority that this appeals to, that probably doesn't matter.

Play Engine website

More portable DVD players:
Review: Mustek MP100 portable DVD player
Toshiba SD-P2800 portable DVD player

One Minute Video Review: Archos700TV

Watch Susi and Ashley watching Big Brother in this one minute video review, courtesy of the Archos 700TV. I can't work out if that's post-modern, existentialist or just plain weird. For a full review check here, or buy one here for £430.

Egge - the egg-shaped multimedia player

Yes, you've guessed it - the Egge is so called because it looks like an egg. And this miniature 512MB or 1GB player from Korea also packs in the features, including digital audio, video, FM radio and a voice recorder.

It's certainly got an eye-catching look, with the egg shape maintained by integrating all the controls inside - the only protruding parts are the catch (so you can wear as a pendant) and the USB cover. The Egge is a video player for WMV and AVI format clips, but features just a one-inch screen. This is compensated for by a glass covering that magnifies the screen to produce a more useable viewing area. And here's a neat trick - a press of a button flips the screen upside down, so you can view it whilst wearing it round your neck.

For audio, it plays MP3, WMA (no DRM) and OGG files, along with FM radio. The Egge also features an FM and voice recorder, along with an equaliser. Music is transferred via drag and drop from your PC and battery life is around 10 hours per charge.

With earphones, neck strap and USB Cable, you can pick up the Egge player from October, priced from around £85.

Find out more

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Asono M1 portable multimedia player
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Asono M1 portable multimedia player

We've featured Asono before - usually because of their quirky designs of players like the Asono Play MP3 player or the DAB 1 radio. This time they've gone mainstream - chasing the nano market with M1 multimedia player.

It also seems worthy of a closer look. The player features a small 1.5-inch OLED display, up to 4GB of memory and suports audio playback of MP3 and WMA Including DRM), along with video playback of AVI, DivX, and WMV files. Battery life is 3.5 hours for video and 15 hours for music.

It also comes pre-loaded with Neighbours. No, not everyone's favourite long-running Aussie soap, but a Scandinavian skateboard movie of the same name. Well, it's something to test the screen with. Available now via the Asono website, it's priced from around £73.

Asono website

Via Engadget

More Asono:
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Asono Play MP3 player

One Minute Video Review: Sony DVD Walkman

The Sony DVD Walkman got 4 stars in a recent review,  and here's a chance to see (almost) first hand why that was. Don't be put off by Ashley's obvious scepticism - it does exactly what it's supposed to. It's available for £190 here.

Hauppauge's TV Anywhere promises free mobile TV

Hauppage have officially launched their "TV Anywhere" PC USB2 device, which when combined with Orb software turns any home PC with access to a standard TV aerial into a PVR which can be accessed remotely over the Internet using your broadband connection.

It's designed to detect the connection quality of the mobile device you're watching TV remotely on, and compresses the video appropriately.

Though the hardware and Orb software that receives and streams the signal is designed for a Windows PC, the device you watch it on can be pretty much any graphical device that can connect to a website, including other PCs and Macs, mobile phones and PDAs. Of course, it's only free if you can get free access to the web, and if you exceed your home broadband bandwidth  then you could get cut off or charged (I've never looked into upload broadband limits, which is what this will use up)

The TV Anywhere device (when used with the Orb software) will stream any digital content on the PC over the web, including photos and music.

What's not completely clear is how the recording is set up. Streaming live TV is fine, but I am only presuming that it's possible to remotely set the PC to record shows - that would be really good.

Looking at the ports on the unit, it's billed as a USB2 unit but looks like it will also accept USB1.1 connections. It'll take TV and FM inputs, so presumably you can stream analogue radio if you really want to. There's an IR receiver, stereo audio in, and composite and S-Video in.

At present, TV Anywhere will work with any standard aerial input, so you can easily get the five terrestrial channels, and if your Freeview box can output its signal on coaxial aerial, you could probably access all of those too. Hauppauge have said they'll be releasing a dedicated Freeview digital version of the USB stick in the future.

TV Anywhere is available now, priced £99.99, from Dixons online, PC World and Currys. We'll give it a test run soon and let you know how well it works.

Update: In the comments Brad has said that it's not the box that streams - it works with the Orb software and you could do it without the unit though it comes bundled with it. And of course if you just want to watch TV at home on your PC and record/timeshift it, this unit will do that anyway.

Review: Archos AV700TV

The Propaganda

Archos have produced the first portable TV that comes with the ability to record programmes. It's got an integrated freeview tuner, and connects to two antennas which is supposed to produce a clearer and more consistent picture.

It's got 40GB of memory, which will store up to 35 hours of television. It's also the ability to store and play photos and music files. For £480, it's yours.

The Good

The AV700 TV's main reason for existence is the ability to watch digital television on the move. To support this, there's a 7" screen that dominates the handset. This is an ample size for watching TV comfortably, particularly since there's a fold out support stand which means you don't have to keep it clutched in your hands.  Finding the channels is also a simple matter of connecting the antennas to the unit and scanning for channels - with the right orientation of the aerials you can pick up a full complement of fifty plus digital channels.

I was treated to "I'm a self-confessed Queen of Tarts" Trisha episode in a matter of seconds, and once you're there, it's just one button to activate the record function. Because it's a digital recording, it's stored in an intelligent fashion, with the name of the programme as the file name. The digital tuner also means that you get the familiar 'now and next' displayed at the bottom of the screen, although no further than this, which Sky users might miss.  Further to this, the AV700TV can be used as a freeview tuner and plugged into a TV, for those who don't want to fork out twice.

The user interface itself is also incredibly easy. On launching, you get a choice of ten applications which are clearly laid out (thanks to the size of the screen). It's then just a matter of scrolling with the joystick and selecting with the button on the other side of the screen. Once you've got used to the layout, you'll glide through everything in seconds. And best of all, everything is stored exactly where you think it will be - something that is rare to find.

The music application is simple to use, with the ability to shuffle and repeat songs easily accessible. There is also the choice of creating a playlist whilst you're in the music file, although it seems impossible to save this playlist ready for the next time you turn it on.

The Bad

Overall the AV700TV works well, but there are some niggly little things that need improving. For instance, there is a gaming application but it doesn't come with any supplied. They are available from the Archos website, for upwards of 15 euros but you would have thought they'd have chucked one on as standard.

You also can't set a timer for the freeview recording. Obviously this is done to conserve battery life, but I can see limited use for the recording function when you're sitting in front of it anyway - perhaps in case you're so addicted to Lost you want to make sure you don't miss any hidden symbolism?

The player comes with a nice black wallet for carting about, but strangely, the antennas and wires are packaged in a separate wallet - if you do want to travel with this, you'll have to carry a rather large bag to accommodate both.

In our opinion

I really really like the AV700TV. It's managed to create an intuitive interface where it could have been a horrible mess, whilst not weighing it down with too many buttons, allowing room for a decent size screen. There are certain things that niggle (the manual being on the hard drive is a brilliant idea, unless you load it as a PDF which isn't supported on the player) but overall, none actually prevent a sterling performance. I'm also sceptical of the actual application of recording programmes to the hard drive without having a timer function. Still, overall, it's a keeper.

TViX mini portable multimedia jukebox

If you can do without packing a pile of films and CDs for your holidays, the incredibly small TViX mini multimedia jukebox might save you the hassle.

It's very small - 82.0 x 127.5 x 20.0mm and weighing 180g and is available with a hard drive from 40GB to 120GB. So plenty of storage space. As a video jukebox, it supports most video formats including MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (AVI, VOB) and MPEG-4 (AVI, DivX, XviD). It performs just like a DVD player - load up your titles and the TViX mini even keeps all the chapters, subtitles, menus and special features included on a disc. It can also be used as a very large photo album and a music server - it supports a variety of formats, including MP3, Ogg Vobis or WMA, which can sorted into playlists for easy searching. To connect to your auudio/visual device of choice, there's a "dongle" with muliple connections that should cover just about any external device you can think of.

Or you can use it to simple store files. It features USB 2.0 OTG (On-The-Go) technology, so you can connect the TViX mini and a USB device without the aid of a PC. The TYViX mimi is available now, priced from £135 for the 40GB version.

Find out more

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Review: Mustek MP100 portable DVD player

The Propaganda

The Mustek MP100 portable DVD player seems to be designed primarily as a travel companion, particularly for keeping the kids quiet in the back of the car. It boasts a 10 inch widescreen Active-Matrix TFT display, Anti Shock Protection, progressive scan output, and comes with a selection of accessories for connecting and charging the unit.

The Good

As someone who is rarely without my laptop computer, I thought I'd be unlikely to invest in a standalone portable DVD player. However, I found myself really looking forward to reviewing this unit. The specs sound great on paper, and generally the unit doesn't disappoint.

The whole unit is compact and feels pretty rugged, without being bulky. It's pretty light to carry around and looks like it will withstand the odd knock or bump. It comes complete with a black carrying case which, whilst not particularly well padded, keeps the player and its accessories neat when travelling, and there's also room in the bag for additional items (DVDs for example)

Opening up the unit reveals the flip-up loading bay for the DVD. It's fully safety protected, so there's no danger of burning your eyes out on the laser. The DVD is clipped in as per most portable drives - the whole mechanism is simple and works.

The 16:9 ratio screen takes up most of the upper lid, as it should. First impressions are that it projects a bright, crisp picture without any image loss. It behaves in much the same way as most modern laptop screens do, so if you're used to watching DVDs on your notebook, you'll know roughly what to expect.

Whilst I couldn't find a screen response rate, the picture is good for an LCD. Colours are rich and blacks display well. There are simple adjustments for brightness and colour depth - probably all that's needed on this sort of unit. The horizontal (ie side on) viewing angle is pretty acceptable, too, meaning that you could have two people watching it, one or both off-centre, and still maintain colour quality. It tends to start fading and shimmering past about 45 degrees either side, which is good compared to some laptop PCs. There are also two headphone outputs, so you can share the sound with a friend, too.

I liked the remote control - it's small and thin and with buttons for the more common adjustments you'll make, including separate buttons for subtitles and audio track. This is a nice touch that saves you having to navigate through a DVD's menu to find the options you need.

The speakers are also pretty good for a unit this size. Located under the screen, they give out a pretty decent response, and don't distort even when the volume is at maximum. They even do a fair job of the stereo, if you're sitting close enough to them.

Finally, the supplied accessories are good. There's an in-car lighter adapter, for charging on the go, plus a regular AC mains adapter, one pair of headphones, and some audio/video leads for connecting to other equipment.

The Bad

It would be nice if a more detailed manual came with the device. The quick guide gives a basic overview of all the connections and features, but a little more explanation of some features would be good. I know we don't read manuals, but they are occasionally useful.

At times the sound of DVD spinning was quite noticeable, not only when loading the disc but at times during normal playback. It's not going to be noticeable when using headphones or when in the car, but in quieter surroundings it was audible.

When the screen is flipped 180 degrees and closed up, pressing the outer edge of the casing brings up the LCD menu momentarily. Again, this isn't a huge issue but it would be good if the buttons were shielded when the case was closed.

Whilst the horizontal viewing angle is good, the vertical angle is fairly poor, with colours becoming washed out and ghosting at shallow viewing angles. This isn't a problem when the screen is open, however, as it can be angled much as a notebook screen can.

I noticed some occasional lip syncing problems on one of my DVDs, which I hadn't noticed on other DVD players, but it was very minor and didn't affect all content, or even the entire disc. I don't know if it was the disc at fault or some glitch in the audio and video synchronisation.

And finally, possibly when the battery starts running down, the screen brightness cuts out to almost nothing, though the audio continues to play. As the menu is also then dimmed, it's difficult to tell what the settings are, and the only way to reset it is to restart the unit. It seemed to happen when running on battery power and switching between scenes, but didn't happen when operating the unit on mains power. Most odd.

In our opinion

I really liked this player. It does exactly what it's supposed to without fuss. It doesn't have the fancy features you'd find on regular DVD players, but then it doesn't need them. It's a family friendly that would work well on travelling holidays, and as the screen can also be used with external video sources, it could be used to display camcorder or digital camera footage as well as playing DVDs and CDs. A great little gadget.

Watch the following video for an idea of how it works - apologies for my robotic voice and the dark conditions!

Sony introduce two HDD DVD recorders

Sony have unveiled their latest hard-disc based DVD recorders with built-in Freeview TV tuners.

Features are much as we've come to expect from these all-in-one recorders, with some nice touches. The RDR-HXD560 has an 80Gb hard disc, the RDR-HXD860 has 160Gb.

There's a built in Freeview tuner with 8-day EPG, and an impressive set of recording and playback options. You can record from the in-built tuner or external set-top box, playback a programme from the start that's still being recorded, or watch another. You can pause live TV and then enter 'catch-up' mode in which the video and audio is played back at 1.3x the normal speed until you hit the live broadcast again. There's also a 'record series' feature that will automatically record an ongoing series of programmes without user intervention.

These models have a High Bit Rate recording mode which record at 15Mbps onto the hard disc, a higher recording quality than DVDs offer.

Additionally, the RDR-HXD860 has a built in HDMI port and can perform 720p/1080i upscaling to a high-definition TV.

The RDR-HXD560 should be available now, priced £350, and the higher-spec RDR-HXD860 will be available in September, priced £400.

IOPS F5 2GB media player - genuine pocked-sized entertainment

Miniaturisation is a fine thing - especially when it means music, video, radio and voice recording in a 25mm x 55mm x 13.8mm package, as is the case with the IOPS F5 2GB media player.

Essentially this is a USB storage device, with quite a few added extras. It does music playback, supporting MP3,WMA,OGG music file playback, along with DRM. Added to that is MPEG4 video playback on the 65,000 colour screen, along with jpeg image display (with 5x zoom). There's also an FM receiver (with antenna built into the headphones), direct recording (to WMA format), voice recording (also to WMA) and a built in rechargable Li-Polymer battery, which should give you around 17 hours music file playback or 30 hours of FM radio. Sound can be changed via the 21 presets on the equaliser.

You can pick one up now in the UK, priced at £145.

Find out more

More portable players:
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Inovix IMP-18 portable music player

Memorex iFlip - watch your video iPod on a bigger portable screen

Here's a rather useful-looking add-on for your fifth-generation iPod - the iFlip from Memorex - which offers you improved sound and vision for your video, but still keeps everything portable.

The iFlip features an 8.4-inch LCD display, integrated speakers, tilting iPod dock, and lithium-ion battery. You can watch videos stored on your video iPod on the built-in display or you can use the player’s speakers for music-only playback. The fold-up unit has a resolution of 480 x 234, while the integrated battery offers up to five hours of power. It also features S-video out, line out, and dual headphone jacks.

The iFlip has its own on-screen menu system for relevant settings, for example, brightness, contrast, sharpness, colour and screen mode, but will still navigate through your music and video via the iPod's controls.

Available in black or white, the iFlip will launch in the US in mid-September, retailing for $200 (£107). No details on a UK release.

Via iLounge

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Review: Sony DVD Walkman

The Propaganda

Released under the Walkman brand, this personal DVD player, or the D-VE7000S if you prefer, is the answer to your boredom.  In the box, you get the tablet player, a speaker dock, an A/C charger and a credit card sized remote.

The Good

Setting up the DVD Walkman is easy - there basically isn't any. Charging can be done either through the dock, or directly plugged into the player. The back swings open to insert the DVD, you shut it, press play, and you're away. As well as the remote, there are key functions on the player itself, including menu, play, fast forward and rewind, screen size and a four way toggle for selecting and changing options.

Not only does it take a variety of DVD formats, including recordables and rewriteables and the newly announced DVD+RW dual-layer format, but you can also listen to music and even view pictures on the screen (if they're jpegs).

The sound either comes through the speaker dock or through headphones. There are two headphone jacks, so there's the option of amusing two people for the price of one.  The sound itself is 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound and is noticeably great.

The Bad

Whilst the sound in the dock is good, the dock itself is fairly bulky. It would be preferable for the player to have speakers in-built so it's truly portable. On the other hand, the speaker dock acts as a stand, so you'd lose this...

The main complaint is the screen. At 7" it's a good size, but it also means the flaws are that much more obvious. There is little definition in faces unless viewed as a close-up, and if you happen to be watching a film like Narnia, getting any sense of depth in a snow scene proves problematic.

The Truth

Despite the screen, this is a good little player. It's simple to use, which is a must, because it's going to be bought to pacify kids on car journeys up and down the country. It's also the only player out there not of a clamshell design, which gives you the feeling of it being more compact.  It's slightly more expensive than competitors at upwards of £170, but with the versatility of the sound dock or headphones, it's worth it.

Product page: Sony DVD Walkman

Will the iPod become a games machine?

We reported a couple of months back that Apple was putting together a games team, possibly with a view to selling games via its iTunes store. Now, further rumours have increased the gaming speculation. According to The Register, a deal with Nvidia could see the iPod mutate into a games machine for future incarnations.

American Technology Research market watcher Satya Chillara this week told clients Nvidia has beaten Broadcom to provide video chips for the video iPod. Broadcom's part already delivers H.264 playback, but Nvidia's offering adds 3D graphics to the mix, he said. As Apple recently swapped PortalPlayer for Samsung as the supplier of the key controller chip for future iPods, doing the same with the media chip provider is not unlikely. However, whether Apple would use the 3D acceleration Nvidia can offer is still just speculation. Adding more fuel to the gaming fire, an anonymous MacRumours source also claims upcoming iPods will play old Nintendo games - but this is pure speculation right now.

With Microsoft rumoured to be developing a handheld media player with Xbox-branded gaming, it wouldn't be a complete surprise if Apple did shift the iPod's emphasis beyond music, especially with films set to be added to iTunes in the near future.

Watch this space.

Apple website

Via The Register

More Apple:
Apple to introduce metal iPods?
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Apple to announce movie rentals for iTunes?

According to Think Secret, Apple's Steve Jobs is set to make a major announcement at their Worldwide Developers Conference, using his keynote address to unveil movie rentals through the iTunes Music Store.

Apple is said to have forged agreements with Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Warner Bros., with talks ongoing with other major movie studios, which may be comcluded before the announcement. The agreements are for rental, rather than sale - with the film industry obviously standing their ground against Apple's desire for cut-price online movie sales.

Because the movies will be rented, downloads are expected to be coded, possibly with some kind of date stamp that will restrict playback, either by number of playbacks or with a time limit, after which the movie will be "turned off". Expect much more on this when the conference gets underways in three weeks' time.

Apple website

Via Think Secret

More Apple:
Apple to introduce metal iPods?
Apple offers TV show subscriptions

Sony launch SVR-S500 PVR

Sony have launched their latest personal video recorder, the SVR-S500.

Its features are fairly standard for a PVR: an 80Gig hard drive, two Freeview tuners, meaning you can watch or record more than one programme at once, 8-day advanced recording, and the usual ability that we love about PVRs - pausing, rewinding and replaying live TV - and of course no more scrabbling around with tapes or DVDs trying to find a place to record your favourite show.

As with most TV-related gear at the moment, you'll need to decide if it's right for you. This might be new gear, but has the potential to become redundant very quickly. Let's say you decide to go with Sky HD or TVDrive - you'll get their PVR with many of the same features but with the ability to do it all in high-def.

Then again, if you're perfectly happy with digital terrestrial TV through Freeview, and just want some extra functionality, this box could be just right for you.

It's one of those dilemmas. Personally, though it looks like a nice piece of kit, I'd be wary of buying it. Maybe it's unfair to say it, but Sony don't have a great history of technology that goes the distance, either. You know the names...the RDR-HXD710

Even if I were going down this route, I'd be more inclined to go for a PVR DVD recorder combo, like the RDR-HXD710 for example.

What do you think? Would you invest in one given the way TV is heading?

Review: Cowon A2 Media Player

The Propaganda

The Cowon A2 is "a movie theatre in the palm of your hand", so it basically will play you all your favourite films, whilst you're sunning yourself in St Tropez or squashed into Economy Class. It also plays MP3s and displays your photos.  Available in 20GB and 30GB it costs about £290 and £350 respectively.

The Good

Viewing films on the A2 is a pleasure, as the display is bright and crisp. Four inches is also a comfortable size for viewing film for a decent amount of time, so won't leave you with a headache after 20 minutes. As it happens you get 10 hours video playback, or 18 hours of music. The A2 is not short on compatible formats, taking video as WMV, AVI and ASF and music as MP3, WMA and WAV files.

There is also a number of added features you'll find, such as the text reader and an FM radio. You can record audio through the inbuilt speaker, from the FM tuner or through the line-in connection.

When it comes to navigating through the menus, it's all fairly intuitive. The unit front is mainly dedicated to the screen, with just a column on the right hand side with a tiny joystick controlling volume and the ability to go forward and back. Below that there's an eternally useful 'back' button which takes you back a menu, as well as 3 soft keys, which change their use depending on which screen you're on.

The Bad

Whilst it's a handy size for holding on your lap, there is no stand or remote included, so it'd be tricky propping it up on a desk or the like. And since it weighs about 300g, you'll get soon get fed up with keeping it in your mits.

And the radio is useful, but there was no chance of getting anything but static in the test itself. Whether this is something to do with the fact that you can't narrow down your region anything further than Europe (versus Russia, US, Japan and Korea) is unknown, but either way, it's no good.

The Truth

They're right, it is a "movie theatre in the palm of your hand" - it does weigh about the same as your local Odean. However, if you can find a minion willing to hold it for you, it will show you cinematic wonders in a screen that is clear and sharp, with a battery life that will far outlast your poor tired hands.

Microsoft "iPod killer" out by Christmas?

According to Reuters, Microsoft aims to launch a media player to battle Apple's dominance with the iPod, which they hope will be on the shelves by Christmas. The news has become public via entertainment industry executives who have allegedly been briefed by the software giant.

It's big selling point will be wireless connectivity, with Microsoft set to introduce a rival download site/jukebox to iTunes for access for music purchases and for organising music archives. According to one un-named source quoted by Reuters: "They're proposing an iTunes model approach. They're now interested in controlling the whole vertical stack of technology from the device to the service to the software."

Other reports suggest J Allard, the vice president of the Xbox team from day one, is working the new media player, with prototypes of the player going out to record industry executives in the next few weeks. If that's the case, we'd expect more details to appear then - as these things are rarely kept quiet.

Microsoft website

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Fujitsu Siemens Pocket LOOX N100 - GPS meets portable music player
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Mustek launches portable DVD player with 10-inch LCD screen

Sony might be making their mark in the portable DVD market, but others have been plugging away there for many years. One such company is Mustek, which has just launched its latest model, the MP100 - a portable DVD player with a 10-inch LCD screen, 16:9 widescreen and 180 degree swivel screen.

As well as progressive scan, the device supports the usual CD formats and is compatible with MPEG4, DivX 3.11, 4.0 and 5.x, XviD, AVI, MP3, Kodak Picture CD and JPEG. The MP100 also has USB and a built-in MMC/SD card reader for accessing external video, music and photos.

The MP100 also features anti shock for when you're on the move, built-in stereo speakers, two stereo headphone jacks, a car-mountable carry bag with harness and 12-volt cigarette lighter cable. There's also a credit card sized remote control included.

It's available now, priced around £249.

Find out more

Get the cheapest online prices for Mustek portable DVD players

More portable players:
Toshiba SD-P2800 portable DVD player
Sony's DVD Walkman

Sony's unveils the Portable Cinema DVP-FX810 portable DVD player

We covered the Sony DVD Walkman when it had a Japanese launch a few weeks back. Well, Sony has now added to its portable DVD portfolio with the DVP-FX810, also known as the 'Portable Cinema'.

It's a clamshell device with solid support for the 8-inch widescreen LCD display, which also features a specially hardened anti-scratch layer. The screen itself can swivel through 180-degrees so it can be set to suit everyone in a matter of seconds. Once it’s set up, the DVP-FX810 runs smoothly even in a car or train journey with anti-shock technology built into the drive mechanism.

The DVP-FX810 can play DVD, DVD±R and DVD±RW formats, DVD±R double layer discs and DivX. It will also playback audio CDs, MP3 music and photo JPEG files burned onto CD-R/RW. Signal processing is carried out by a 12-bit 108MHz video DAC - more typical of a full-size domestic DVD player. There's also integrated stereo speakers, two headphone outputs, a remote control and a rechargeable external battery for up to six hours running time.

As yet, there's no specific date for the DVP-FX810 to hit the shelves or indeed a price. We'll keep you posted.

Sony website

More portable movies:
Mustek MP70C portable DVD player
Toshiba SD-P2800 portable DVD player

MSI shows off handheld Freeview box

Ideal for watching on the big screen or taking with you if you get called away, Taiwan's MSI has announced a portable media player that incorporates its own Freeview digital TV receiver - a world first it claims.

The D310 has a 4.2-inch display, built-in speaker and a built-in antenna that's ready to pick up DVB-T signals, teletext and electronic programme guide data. It measures 12.9 x 8.2 x 1.6cm and weighs 180g, which includes the non-removable 2300mAh battery, which MSI reckons will support three hours' TV viewing or five hours' operation as an MP3 player.

It'll also play MPEG 4 videos and display photos in JPEG format too, but with only 1MB of built-in memory, you'll have to play it via MMC or SD card. With a remote control and a pair of earphones, expect to see it on the shelves in the next couple of months for around £154.

MSI website

Via The Register

More portable viewing:
Archos unveils twin-tuner handheld PVR
ECS unveils personal media player range