Seeking Nerdvana

Not content with selling some of Australia's best Personal Video Recorders, Topfield has released a Portable Media Player which blows away the competition.

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Topfield TFP20 Portable Media Player

Not content with selling some of Australia's best Personal Video Recorders, Topfield has released a Portable Media Player which blows away the competition.

The Topfield TFP20 PMP sports a 10.2 cm screen offering an incredible 16 million colours, whereas the competition can only muster 262,000 colours - often on a smaller display. As such hefty widescreen DivX files playback amazingly sharp and smooth. The TFP20 also weighs in at 270gm, and is only 23mm thick, making it one of the most pocket-friendly PMPs around.

Impressively, the TFP20 doesn't come with software. Why? Because it doesn't need it. There's no draconian digital rights management so it works with any operating system - you just drag and drop photos, music and videos straight to the 20GB hard drive via USB2.0. Nor do you have to convert some video formats before transferring them, unlike the Archos AV500 and iRiver PMP-140. Throw in the TFP20's clean, intuitive interface and its tiny remote control and you have the most user friendly PMP on the market.

When it comes to music the TFP20 handles MP3, WMA, WAV, ACC, OGG and AC3 files. As for video it plays MPG, WMV, ASF and AVI files on its 480x272 LCD, using the built-in speaker, or to an external television via composite video. There's no memory card slot but it's a USB host - letting you copy files from digital cameras and memory card readers. The photo browser will rotate, zoom and pan images as well as run slideshows. It supports JPG, BMP, PNG and GIF, with TIFF expected by the time this goes to print. TIFF compatibility will make the TFP20 an excellent choice for prosumer photographers looking for an image tank and photo viewer.

What's also impressive is the TFP20 records from the built-in mic as well as external audio and video sources - a feat only Archos can match. It will even record from a Macrovision-protected DVD and then playback to a TV, something Archos players forbid.

The TFP20 has Archos' fantastic AV500 on the ropes, but fails to land the knockout punch. For starters, the TFP20 is only 20GB while the AV500 is 30 or 100GB. Only the AV500 has s-video and SCART connections, but even using composite video its recordings look sharper than the TFP20 - both when played on the display and through a television. The AV500 also comes with a custom-fitted case compared to the TFP20's cloth bag. If you're just looking for the best video playback possible, the Topfield TFP20 is the new champion. If you want the best all-round device, the Archos AV500 still sneaks home on points.

ADAM TURNER

CONTACT Topfield Australia

PHONE 1300 889 803

ONLINE www.topfield.com.au

PRICE $AU799

INTENDED MARKET Everyone

PROS excellent screen, no DRM

CONS only 20GB, poor carry case

VERDICT 4.5 / 5

First published in APC Magazine (June 2006). This is the unedited copy, so it might vary slightly from what's in the magazine.