Customer Reviews:
 BEWARE you will need extra $ needed to get this running September 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased the 605 and the DVR station. I didn't realise that you had to purchase a whole bunch of "plug ins" to get it working - I feel totally duped. One to get the Wifi web browser running, another to get the TV recorder to work, another to play MPEG2 at $20.00 - $30.00 each....
 Best PMP on the market September 23, 2008
A great product. I have had mine for about a year now. Sure there's the intial cost to get over when you include the add-ons. But being able to put just about any file format on it pays off in the long run. At 30 Gig, I usually carry about 40 1hr tv shows, about 10-12 movies and at least 100 mp3's. While the speaker isn't always as loud as I would like, that can be remedied with either headphones or increasing the volume when converting the file.
I would very much like to upgrade to the newer Archos 5, but I couldn't be happier with this product. It did have some locking up issues in the beginning, but I learned how to avoid them. Lock-ups are easily fixed by hitting the reset button on the bottom of the unit. Actually started carrying around a paperclip for this purpose. Lock-up's usually occured when first turning on the unit. If you remember to hold the power button for at least 5 seconds, this usually does not happen. Also, power the unit on before plugging it in to charge. With the two tips alone, I have gone many months without a single lock-up.
As for quality, the picture is top-notch. There are different display setting you can use. There's also the parental options available. You can effectively protect all your content from being viewed by anyone else with access to your Archos.
If you have the means and want a great portable media player, this is the one.
 A Good Player....But Lots of Add-Ons! September 19, 2008
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So far- this Archos Media Player
has been pretty good....
the screen is an ok size,
and learning how to use all of the features
is fairly simple!
160GB is quite a lot of space-
compared to some of the cheaper models.
You can definitely fit a large amount of your
favorite files.... including Audio and Photo files!
There's a nice little speaker built right in,
so you don't have to use earphones.
I have the player set up on my night-stand
so I can use it just like a little TV.
The battery is good for about 3 hours
before you have to re-charge it....
which gives you enough time to watch
a full length movie, or a bunch of assorted video-clips.
I always try to run my battery right down
before letting it charge again-
and that seems to keep the battery healthy.
It will automatically begin to charge
when you plug it into your PC- which is ok.
And keep in mind- that I haven't purchased
any of the major Add-Ons.
I'm just using all of the basics.
There are all kinds of Add-Ons and Plugins
to buy for the Archos 605.
Some of them are very important to have,
depending on what you want to do.
For Example:
In order to play certain video formats
including MPEG-2 - you will have to purchase
and download one of the Plugins.
So far I've only been watching AVI files,
which is good enough for me....
You might want to play another format.
ALSO-
To surf the internet....
Listen to FM Radio....
Play DVD files....
YOU WILL HAVE TO PURCHASE THE PROPER PLUGIN!
Like I said- there are all kinds of them.
To record directly from your TV
or to even plug your player into the wall....
You will have to go out and purchase
all of the required accessories.
The Archos 605 is a pretty cool player,
and so far I'm very happy with it,
but please be aware that it only comes
with the basics.... everything else must be purchased.
If that sounds ok to you-
then I say go ahead and buy it!
**** Quick Reminder****
There are now newer models available
with bigger screens.
Not an IPOD/Zune Replacement September 16, 2008
Being in the navy and having limited storage and range of motion in your living quarters, this device is great.
WIFI works great, transfer of music, video (whatever) is easy as drag and drop.
I don't recommend this player as a music player only. It doesn't remember what song you were on (like the IPOD or Zune) if you turn it off or put it into standby.
Touchscreen is awsome and you can put your favorite picture on the wallpaper just like on your computer screen.
You need to get the "OPERA" Internet stuff seperately. I bought this used on Amazon, so I got it cheaper with that stuff included. Make sure you read the contents of what's included.
The 705 looks nice too. Its bigger, seach YOUTUBE for video reviews on these items, I did my research, I ended up have this and an IPOD, they aren't meant to be the same kind of device.
 The Perfect Beast.... September 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I took off one star for the frequent resets needed while using WIFI. Another star off because of the crummy battery. I am on my second 605, the first being defective (battery).
Pros:
1 Great screen, and it's a touch screen.
2 Good sound. Not loud but clear.
3 Lotsa accessories available.
4 Fairly user friendly.
5 Web Radio/TV plugin satisfactory.
6 Dish Network plugin great.
7 Choice of touch screen or buttons.
8 80gb!
CONS:
1 Really bad battery quality. On a full charge it should run four
hours straight on video. If it does not, return or exchange it.
2 Occasional hardware resets needed in normal use. If you use WIFI,
you will be doing a LOT of resets.
3 Browser plugin not so hot. Will not do my favorite internet radio
site "Pandora".
4 You can use music from "Rhapsody to Go", but it will not stream from
Rhapsody uPnP server (WIFI).
5 Questional reliability. Some places on the net say 25% failure rate.
6 A BIGGY: Customer support is "junk". Useless. Don't expect any help.
7 Use of uPnp servers erratic. Sometimes it does not see them.
8 You can use various music software to load the 605, but most of them
mess things up in some way...avoid software like this. Use hard drive
mode and Windows Explorer.
9 Sound is great, but just a bit bright.
10 For full functionality you have to shell out mucho bucks to buy
plugins.
11 If you exchange defective unit, it's a real pain trying to get plugins
transferred to new machine. No problem with free Dish Plugin.
12 Long battery charge time. 8 hours or over with USB connection...
connect directly to computer, do NOT use USB hub.
13 The 605 draws a lot of current. When loading LARGE amounts of data
the 605 battery can go dead in the middle of it because it draws
battery power as well as USB power during connection to PC when
transferring data (using the 605 hard drive).
Although the 605 is not ready for prime time, I still love it. If only
there were not so many "CONS".
Don't expect much, like firmware updates, since Archos has released its
new line of "media tablets".
Do a lot of online research about this product before buying it.
BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH THIS PRODUCT!!!!!!!!!!!
A good headphone amp REALLY makes the 605 shine.
The mini battery dock with charger is an ESSENTIAL accessory. Fast charging time.
My system:
Archos 605 WIFI
Headroom Total Airhead headphone amp.
Sennheiser HD580 headphones.
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