Toshiba have teamed up with Microsoft at the Consumer Electronics Show to reveal their new S-series Gigabeat video players, which will use Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center software.

Formats supported by the new S-series Gigabeat players will include WMA, MP3, WAV, JPEG and Windows Media Video, which can be viewed on the 65k colour 2.4" LCD screen, whilst other formats such as the massively wide-spread MPEG and AVI will need conversion using Windows Media Player 10 before they can be stored on the device's hard drive.

A claim of owners being able to "effortlessly select, download, manage and enjoy their multimedia content from anywhere at anytime" is made by Toshiba, but with no WiFi support built-in to the Gigabeat S we can't help but feel you'll only really be able to download and manage your content when linked to your PC, rather than sitting at a public wireless hotspot in a cafe or station adding new content straight from the net.

Connectivity of the devices however does benefit from the fact that they run on the Media Centre system, allowing full synchronisation with Windows Media Centre PC's and the ability to record TV which can then be transferred to the Gigabeat for viewing at a later date, whilst a built in TV and FM tuner provide for a degree of further viewing and listening choice.

The Gigabeat S players will be available in a choice of three colours, with a 30GB Metallic Blue (MES30VL) and 30GB Piano White (MES30VW) retailing for $299.99, whilst the 60GB Piano Black (MES60VK) will cost $399.99, with a release date set for this March.