Hard Drive MP3 Players

Archos 7

The gorgeous Archos 7 portable media player is an impressive performer that's especially good for watching movies on the go, thanks to its 7-inch TFT LCD touchscreen, which offers excellent picture quality. Unfortunately, if you want to use all the features it can offer, you'll have to pay extra

Editor's rating 8.4

Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet

The Archos 5 Internet Media Tablet offers outstanding video performance and great Web capabilities, with the Opera Web browser pre-installed and support for Adobe Flash content included too. Though Archos has fixed some problems from earlier models, you still have to pay separately for extra codecs

User rating 7.5

Editor's rating 8.6

Sony Giga Juke NAS-SC55

Sony's Giga Juke NAS-SC55 is a multi-room wireless music system comprising two products: the main NAS-S55HDE hi-fi and the smaller NAS-C5E wireless speaker system. We have some complaints about the speakers, but the main system is dead simple -- and the detailed user guide will help any novices who find even one-touch ripping of CDs a challenge

Editor's rating 7.9

Apple iPod classic (2nd gen)

Apple's done it again -- its new 120GB iPod classic is a cut above the rest. This edition has more features, such as the Genius playlist tool, and allows you to watch very high-quality video on its 640x480-pixel resolution screen. As with all iPods, you'll have to stick with iTunes, and spring for better headphones, but still, this gadget rocks

Editor's rating 9.1

Philips MCI-500H

If the idea of having your entire CD collection stored inside a hi-fi, being able to beam it all over your house and being able to stream music from your PC wirelessly sounds appealing, the Philips MCI-500H is the right music system for you. Simply, this central music hub is the latest and greatest Streamium system from Philips

User rating 5.0

Editor's rating 7.6

Philips Streamium WACS7500

If you're in the market for a straightforward system that streams your PC's music around your home, the Philips Streamium WACS7500 is certainly worth a closer look. It's comprised of a central jukebox with speakers and a hard drive, and a smaller speaker unit for another room

Editor's rating 7.2

Philips WAC3500D

If you still want a piece of the wireless streaming audio action despite your modest budget, the Philips WAC3500D may be right up your alley. With its modern looks, 80GB hard drive and ease of use, you'll be ripping your entire CD collection or playing MP3s in no time

Editor's rating 7.0

Cowon A3

The Cowon A3 is the most capable video player we've looked at to date. It has the best screen we have ever seen on any media player. Playback for most videos is smooth and glitch-free and audio quality is close to perfect, supporting multiple codecs, making it a killer for the price

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 8.2

Cowon Q5W

Cowon's Q5W could be Holy Grail of media players -- or more specifically, video players. It boasts unprecedented compatibility with file formats and terrific performance, in addition to many levels of customisation, making it a must-see choice for anyone who demands everything for their video

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 8.0

Samsung U3

The Samsung U3 is a simple and inexpensive MP3 player. It comes in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB sizes and looks good with its slim body shape. It's easy to use and is perfect for anyone who wants a cheap device that has enough space on it to enjoy basic music playback

Editor's rating 7.0

SanDisk Sansa View

The SanDisk Sansa View is an 8GB digital media player that offers a vast array of features at a pleasingly low price. Features include photo and video support, a microSD card slot, FM radio and voice recording, to add to a music player that produces high-end clarity and warm mids

User rating 6.2

Editor's rating 7.3

Apple iPod classic

Coming in 80GB and 160GB capacities, the new Apple iPod classic can hold a massive archive of music and video. There's no need to pick and choose which music goes with you, even if you rip CDs at the very highest lossless quality. The interface has been given a lovely Cover Flow makeover, too

User rating 7.0

Editor's rating 9.0

Archos 605 WiFi

The Archos 605 WiFi is the flagship model of the French manufacturer's fifth generation of portable media players. It boasts a great big 109mm touchscreen that's perfect for movies, and it supports an optional Opera browser for full Web access via wireless

User rating 6.3

Editor's rating 8.5

Philips Streamium WACS7000

A Wi-Fi jukebox and speaker setup with an 80GB hard drive, Philips WACS7000 is worth considering if you want to wirelessly stream tunes around your house but don't want to include a PC in your music system

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 6.9

TrekStor vibez

The TrekStor vibez is a funny-looking 12GB MP3 player with an odd rubber scroll wheel that's even bigger than the screen. But give it a chance -- it'll grow on you, especially when you hear how good it sounds

Editor's rating 7.3

Archos 704 Wi-Fi

The Archos 704 Wi-Fi is part portable media player and part PDA. It can playback movies, pump out music and show digital snaps, but like a PDA it has a touchscreen, support for Wi-Fi and a built-in Web browser

User rating 4.0

Editor's rating 7.3

Vosonic VP8360

The Vosonic VP8360 -- or Wolverine ESP as it's known Stateside -- is an 80GB portable media player, PVR, backup drive, 7-in-1 card reader and photo viewer. It's a belter of a portable media device and it won't break the bank

Editor's rating 8.0

Archos 404 camcorder (30GB)

Archos' compact, stylish 404 camcorder is a portable video player, a camera and a camcorder in one device. It delivers crisp photo display, colourful video playback and music sounds impressive, but hang on to your standalone camcorder

User rating 8.0

Editor's rating 7.7

Philips WACS700

The bold, pin-striped fascia, the glossy black plastic and the silver control panel of the WACS700 would all look perfectly at home on the shelves of a Thatcher-era City trader, but digital music lovers will love the system's ability to rip songs straight from a CD and store them on its internal 40GB hard disk

Editor's rating 5.6

Microsoft Zune (30GB)

This is a different kind of portable media player: one that integrates wireless technology for Zune-to-Zune sharing of files, and one that works within an iTunes-like closed Zune Marketplace ecosystem. It has some weaknesses, notably over format support, but the Zune is a winner and its future is a bright one

Editor's rating 8.0