MP3 specialist Archos will be showing a range of new players at the IFA 2007 – including the Archos 405 and the 605 WiFi model.

This is the fifth generation of multimedia players Archos has produced, so we can expect the usual high standard. One of the models they will be presenting at the IFA is the Archos 405. It has 2 GBytes of flash memory as well as a SD/miniSD/microSD card slot and can show photos and play MP3s and videos. With the 3.5 inch display (320 x 240 pixels) this should be more useful than the smaller screens of earlier mobile video players.

The 405 even offers the smart option of recording TV shows. But this also requires the use of the Archos Gen 5 Player Docking Station (which will set you back another 99 euro). The device also allows viewing of recorded shows and videos on a large television screen.

The photo viewer is also capable of more than other players: images can be zoomed, and multiple images can be played as a slide show with background music. The player is available in silver and purple at quite a fair price of 170 euro.

Next size up is the Archos 605 WiFi: the PMP (Portable Media Player) offers a 4.3 inch touchscreen display (800 x 480 pixels) and 30 GBytes of storage. It can do everything its little brother is capable of, but the name tag WiFi is no small addition: movies, TV shows and songs can be downloaded from the Archos Content Portal via any hotspot. Flash videos are also supported: so it’s no problem to watch the latest YouTube videos, for example. Archos has also put a customer-friendly price tag on the 605 WiFi: the player is now available for 300 euros.

www.archos.com IFA: Hall 17/Stand 205

All in one: Pioneer’s Complete Home Entertainment System

250 GByte hard disk, DVB-T tuner, 1080p video scaler and novel True HD speakers: Pioneer presents an elegant all-in-one package.

According to Pioneer, a special set of speakers was developed for its home cinema system, the LX01. The four omni-directional satellite speakers are supposed to create a spatial sound impression that projects, not only to the centre of the room, but also to the space above the viewers’ heads. The speaker system has two front/centre speakers and two rear speakers. With just the right settings, listeners shouldn’t be able to discern which sound is coming from which speaker.

The LX01 is a complete home cinema system, as the features show: in addition to the DVD recorder with a 250 GByte hard disk, the system also includes a DVB-T tuner as well as HDMI 1.3 with 1080p resolution and decoders for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD sound formats. When playing tracks and albums from the hard drive, the system offers the option of adding track information from the Gracenote CDDB database.

Pioneer has not yet announced a price for the LX01. The release of the system is scheduled for October.

www.pioneer.de IFA: Hall 1.2/Stand 101