Archos seals $9million deal with Echostar Communications

June 28, 2005

Archos,
well known for their handheld video players, have entered into an agreement
with Echostar, which owns the Dish Network for satellite TV. The small
video players already have the ability to record from DVD and DVR's. Can we
expect to see the ability to capture our satellite programming now as well? It
certainly seems so.

The alliance will include a "new
product-development initiative" that will hinge on Archos offering its
just-released AV700 mobile digital video recorder and its older AV420
video recorder to be branded with the DISH logo and undergo a few other
minor tweaks, Archos spokesperson Samantha Steinwinder said.

The new AV700, for instance has more
functionality than most portable multimedia devices on the market. It
already can record directly from satellite receiver, cable box, DVD, VCR
and regular television.

The unit also has a built-in scheduler that allows
users to record specific shows at set times, in addition to being able to
store photos, play music, and store and display photos'“using either a 40GB
or 100GB hard drive.

Archos indicated that this alliance with
Echostar dovetails nicely with their set top box strategy for the future.
Apparently, since their inception, they have intended for the players to store
and playback television content. Although they would not give complete
details in this report, they indicated that there would be an announcement soon,
outlining their strategy. You can read the entire article on this page
from PC Mag Online.

Source: PCMag