Archos TV+ Is Everything The Apple TV Should Have Been

I hate comparing one product to another, but the Archos set top box DVR is everything the Apple TV should have been and even has an equally slick appearance. Alright, lets start with the fact that it comes in your choice of 80 or 250 gigabyte capacities, and, since its made by Archos, I wouldn't be surprised if some enterprising modders found a way to increase that.

Then tack on the DVR functionality with and onscreen recording guide and an IR output for controlling set-top boxes for satellite or cable services. Then there is a QWERTY remote that comes with the thing, oh, and WiFi and Ethernet are both built in, instead of just one.

You can also get on-demand video from CinemaNow, or if you enjoy the likes of YouTube, there is a fully functional Opera browser with flash video support so you can watch YouTube, DailyMotion, CNET TV, and more, and you can get Flash videogame downloads. Also, this box, it comes with cables, you don't have to provide your own.

You don't however get the iTunes support that the Apple TV offers, but you do get and equivalent amount of Windows format support be they DRM-ed or not. There is also a USB 2.0 host port so you can directly plug in various media player and digital cameras and transfer the files directly to this player. Plus, look at all those inputs which even have HD inputs and HDMI out, I want one so bad. Alas, there is no word on availability, but the price is based on HDD capacity with the 80 gig going for $249 and the 250 gig going for $100 more at $349.

Archos unveils TV+, Wi-Fi DVR [via crave]

Picture Credits: Archos and Donald Bell/CNET Networks