Review: Archos 605 Wifi portable media player

Archos has a deservedly good reputation in the portable media field and has just released its new fifth-generation line-up - a series led by the 605 Wifi.

The device offers features and control over almost every aspect of digital media, both on the move and around the home.

On top of typical media support, you'll find built-in Wifi to either stream content from a PC or browse the web, touchscreen operation, a TV scheduler with full programme guide and access to the Archos Content Portal to download the latest movies, video and music.

All of this is accessible through a familiar control layout and interface, though the device is smaller and thinner than its predecessors.

The 4.3in display looks great and, at a resolution of 800x480, really does justice to your video. It also provides a fairly large canvas for web browsing and effective control.

One of the few negatives cited about Archos' previous range was the optional range of plugins that were necessary to unlock much of the potential of the player. Unfortunately, this is a trend that's set to continue. Most of the headline features of the 605 Wifi aren't available straight from the box.

Drag-and-drop video format support is extremely poor without the Cinema plugin (£13.50), requiring you to re-encode most formats before transferring them. You'll also need the Video Podcast plugin (£13.50) for much of the online video and audio streaming, and the Web-Browser plugin (£20) to browse the internet.

Accessories such as the DVR Station (£67) are also required to access the TV-related functionality, so all in all you'll be shopping around quite a bit to get the 605 Wifi working to its full potential.

On the upside, Archos has kept the price of the basic player pretty low to allow you to custom-build it with whichever add-ons you choose.