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 enlarge | Brand: Archos
Category: CE
List Price: $349.99
Buy New: $284.98
You Save: $65.01 (19%)
New (2) from $284.98
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 27690
Color: Grey
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Hard Drive Size: 40
Native Resolution: 4.3
Display Size: 4.3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 5 x 1 x 3
MPN: 500869
Model: 500869
UPC: 690590508699
EAN: 0690590508699
ASIN: B000HAVWR8
Release Date: September 1, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 not user friendly September 18, 2007
I must say, the actual item is nice. The picture quality is great, sound is good, and so on...it performs well.
I will however WARN potential buyers it is not at all, in the least bit, user friendly to load. Out of the box, it supports mpeg4, low and behold most of what I have is not compatible. Archos offers an encoder, however it requires various codec downloads from various sites, of which I could not obtain the last. One can purchase software to support mpeg2 vids, but you should not need to. A better item would supply you with the proper software. This is a very poorly marketed item.
Yet another gripe, it uses windows media player, unless you can get a comparable program. It will, repeat will, take hours and hours to transfer music files. Another problem, you cannot organize playllists and send them through WMP. I tried to send them directly to the player, in hard drive mode, but it came up that the files were "corrupt".
I honestly expected a whole lot more. I will be reselling mine soon.
Product Incomplete! August 28, 2007
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
I can't believe that no one else has complained about this but this product does not work completely without additional purchases (and expensive ones at that). It creates a situation where you have to buy extra plugins in order to play dvd files and even popular audio files. If you're thinking you can just copy your dvd or mp3 over and all is good, think again. The plugins are quite expensive too. On top of it all, if you buy the travel kit, you can't record full rez video without an additional (very expensive) product! Very disappointing.
It's a nice product for watching movies but it's pretty poor on the audio side. It won't play music by album and it can't see iTunes' images (probably some other plugin they will sell you). Kinda sad because I placed my entire music collection on this thing so I could listen to it at work and can only enjoy it in shuffle mode. :(
 Awesome August 12, 2007
I'm never bored with this thing. Whenever I'm on the subway, traveling, or waiting I always have my favorite movies and songs with me. I don't mind waiting for the train to come at all now.
A blessing for a quiet dinner August 5, 2007
My wife and I started using a portable DVD player to go out to dinner, but between battery issues and disk storage (we would have to buy duplicates of my daughters favorite DVD's). My daughter is 3 going on 4 this Dec. I'm able to record her favorite shows that are not on disk yet, THAT is the best feature of all. I am not using the device for commercial use...just to keep a little red head quiet while my wife and I enjoy some time together over dinner. The compatibility is also wonderful. My wife is able to place the player in her purse or I can place it on my belt; try doing that with a DVD player! The battery life is able to last through four dinners, two to three hours each. My wife is now using it in Missouri on a family trip and the other family members want to know where we got it; which is a common question out during dinner from other restaurant patrons. My wife was not crazy on the price, when you can buy a DVD player for less than $200, but I have shown her the light in compatibility, picture quality and ability to load shows not out yet on video. All and all; I give this product a 10/10!
In many ways better than the iPod July 17, 2007
My primary desire was for a portable video player so I could enjoy documentaries, news shows and downloaded clips at a time and place of my choosing in a format that aging eyes could tolerate.
I've tried the iPod video and it works, but the screen is too small for my comfort and the transfer process from computer to iPod is cumbersome.
The Archos 504, on the other hand, offers an absolutely gorgeous 4.3" screen and the transfer process is no more difficult than any other copy process on a Windows-based computer.
The speaker audio is abysmal, which I understand is deliberate in order to comply with European Union (EU) laws. Headphone volume is adequate, though not anywhere good enough to satisfy an audiophile.
The beauty of this device, even in its smallest capacity, is that it can hold hour upon hour of video. For travel, it is a gem. On a trip yesterday, I was able to turn an otherwise boring flight (which is, of course, the way you want them - I don't want my boring flight interrupted with the pilot announcing imminent catastrophe), I was able to enjoy a science documentary. Noise-cancelling headphones and the Archos left me in my own happy little world.
The controls are very well designed. There are five dual-function rocker switches controlling all navigation functions for video, music and photos. The GUI is also well thought out and admirably simple. It takes all of a minute or two to thoroughly learn the operation of the unit.
Physically it is larger than an iPod, but will still fit in a shirt pocket, providing there's nothing else in the pocket. There is no built-in stand, which is a glaring design defect. Unless a stand alone case is used, the unit must be held in the hand or propped up with whatever you can cobble together.
The unit can also be used, out of the box, as a voice recorder. Video recording requires an adapter.
Battery life on video is about three hours. The battery is easily removable - another advantage over iPod - and extra batteries are relatively inexpensive and light. Pick up one or two extras if you anticipate long flights or long afternoons with a desire for portable video. (The unit can also be recharged and powered from the USB port of your laptop.)
Archos seems to have a desire to nickel-dime-and-dollar its customers. Plug ins to handle MPEG-2 and video Podcasr files are extra as are the adapters. The unit doesn't include an AC adapter. You have to buy one.
I haven't tried the music function extensively, so I can't compare it to the iPod. The photo viewing function is nice, but if you want to use it to directly download from a camera, you need a USB adapter - another expense, another piece of gear to carry.
Overall, the Archos 504 is nice. But be aware that Archos has announced the 605 model which may be a response to the increasingly crowded field. It has very impressive specs and the price is extemely competitive. But with the 605, the ultimate cost will be ultimately much higher with extras. The Archos 605 is expected to become available in the US in September.
Jerry
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