Archos is rolling out a series of software upgrades to its WiFi-enabled portable media players. CNET reports that he 605 WiFi and 705 WiFi will be getting support in May for Flash 9 which will let you watch online video from sites like YouTube and Hulu.

Flash 9 support will come as a free firmware upgrade, but you'll also be able to pay $20 for a "Web TV and Radio plug-in" which will give you access to thousands of streaming radio stations, video streams, and podcasts. Don't expect broadcast quality television though. More likely you'll find C-Span style video content.

Finally, Archos is adding placeshifting features to the Archos TV+, which is the company's answer to the Apple TV. The company will release a plugin in May that will let the box stream content over the internet to computers, Windows Mobile and Symbian Smartphones, and of course Archos's internet-enabled portable media players.

Archos is preparing to show off the Archos TV at CES. The company first announced its answer to both the Apple TV and TiVo last summer. It doesn't look like the specs have changed since June, but it's nice to get confirmation that Archos has actually built working models which it can show off. Hopefully that means they'll be shipping soon.

In case you've forgotten, the Archos TV is an internet connected device that lets you watch streaming video from the web or from other computers on your home network. It also packs full web browser, and a hard drive for downloading video from CinemaNow or for storing recorded television programs.

The Archos TV will come in two varieties, with an 80GB version selling for $249 and a 250GB model selling for $349. The set top box also comes with a funny looking QWERTY remote control for searching for videos or web surfing.

Archos is branching out from its portable media player roots. While the company unveiled an update to its line of portable media player/recorders, the big news as far as we're concerned is that Archos is getting into the set top box game with the Archos TV Plus.

Here's what we know about the Archos TV Plus so far:

• Includes hard drives ranging from 80Gb to 250GB
• Includes UB 2.0, WiFi, and Ethernet connections
• HDMI and RGB inputs and outputs
• Functions as a standalone PVR

That's right, it's got a larger hard drive than an AppleTV, can record television shows, and has an electronic program guide. And it lets you stream video from your PC or the internet.

And of course, you can synchronize the Archos TV Plus with Archos portable media players. It looks like the Archos TV Plus will be available for €220 - €300, or $300 to $400 U.S.

[via Engadget]

This week in as the Archos turns, the company that decided to cram a camcorder into a portable media player is launching its heaviest PMP yet. Sure, we've known this device was on its way for almost a month, but it's always nice to see the finished product.

The Archos 704 WiFi sports a 7-inch, 800x480 pixel touch screen, an 80GB hard drive, and 802.11g wireless. It can handle MPEG-4, WMV, MP3 and WMA files. And there are plugins for H.264, MPEG-2, and AAC support. Battery life is about 5 hours for video playback.

It also comes with Opera web browser preinstalled, as well as a PDF reader.

The only downsides? That big screen means you won't be able to put the 704 WiFi in your pocket, nor would you want to. It's a bit on the portly side, weighing 22 ounces.

File this under "because they can." Archos has announced the latest in their line of portable media players will be an updated Archos 404 that includes a camcorder. I can just imagine the product development conversations:

"Hey, who would have thought people would want cameras on their cellphones a few years ago?"

"I know, and now they're hugely popular. I wonder what else we can cram a camera into."

"How about our portable media players? In fact, they've got more processing power and storage space than most cellphones, so let's go ahead and make it a video camera!"

"Great. Now, does anybody actually need a camcorder built into the device they use to watch videos on the train?"

"Who cares? It's a new feature we can tout!"

So while we wait for Archos to unveil the upcoming 7-inch WiFi enabled 704, here's the skinny on the 404 Camcorder:

• 30GB hard drive
• Records VGA MP4 videos
• Take 1.3 megapixel snapshots
• 3.5-inch 320x240 pixel display
• MP4, WMV, AAC/H.2643, AC3, MP3, JPG, BMP, PNG, PDF support

[via Playlist]

Remember that sexy new Archos 704 the FCC teased us with a few weeks ago? Looks like it's fully operational, can do pretty much everything the 604 can, and has a nice big 7-inch screen to boot.

The 704 includes WiFi, an 80GB hard drive, and an optional docking station that allows you to use the portable media player as a PVR, recording and playing video on your TV.

Archos Lounge even snagged a little video of a 704 and 604 playing the same video. I have to say I like the 704's streamlined look, with buttons on the side instead of the front of the unit. You can see the video after the jump.

[via Gizmodo]

Archos is updating its line of WiFi-enabled portable media players with a new Archos 704 WiFi making the FCC rounds today. There's not much information regarding what sets this guy apart from the Archos 604 WiFi. All we can really tell from the FCC documents is that it's got 802.11b/g built in, as well as a CPU, RAM, and a hard drive. There's no specs on how fast that CPU is, or how much memory is included.

I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that it'll also have a larger hard drive than the 604, which sported just 30GB of storage, while the Archos 604 supported up to 160GB. It's hard to be certain from this photo, but it looks like the 704 might also be a bit larger than its older brother, which had a 4.3-inch screen.

All I'm saying is, my birthday's coming up, and I wouldn't say no to a portable media player with WiFi, a 7-inch screen, and a 160GB hard drive. Oh yeah, and support for recording television programs without a separate docking station would be nice.

[via Engadget]