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 enlarge | Brand: Archos
Category: CE
List Price: $499.99
Buy New: $379.99
You Save: $120.00 (24%)
New (52) Used (4) from $320.00
Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 5620
Color: Grey
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Hard Drive Size: 160
Native Resolution: 7
Display Size: 7
Removable Memory: Unknown
Size: 160 GB
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 7.2 x 0.8 x 5
MPN: 501016
Model: 501016
UPC: 690590510166
EAN: 0690590510166
ASIN: B000W0Q2PU
Release Date: November 20, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Condition: Brand new, ships immediately!
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 51-55 of 55 | | « PREV 1 ... | | |
 Worth the 5 month wait January 18, 2008
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
I received my Archos 705 in early January and have been pleased with it from the start. I purchased my unit from Circuit City online and, based on the many reviews I've read of Archos customer service, purchased a 2 year replacement warranty as well. Little extra money for insurance basically and there is a Circut City in every major city I travel to. I purchased the 705 instead of the 605 primarily because of my need to wear reading glasses and I don't intend to carry the unit around town with me to listen to music. I also like the appearance of the 705 over the 605 (personal thing I guess).
To start with, read the 81-page pdf instruction manual. It is pretty clear on how to setup and use the unit. I've read reviews that mentioned the unit only came with a 4-page instruction booklet. Not true. The pdf is on the unit itself and you can also download it once you have registered your product.
I purchased the requisite add-on's as did many in most of the reviews I read. The instuctions to download and install the add-on's were clear and easy to follow. They installed with no problem. I even purchased one of the game packs (golf, poker, suduko) and it installed and plays as advertised. I had read complaints that the product did not have games available to download. Not true ($9.99 on the archos site).
As with any new product, it took me a few minutes to get the hang of how to navigate through the menu's and screens, but after about 30 minutes it was pretty easy to navigate. I like (and some don't) the fact that you have to tap an icon to select it, then tap it again to use the feature. This prevents you from accidently tapping the wrong menu option.
I watched and listed to all the sample content and then deleted it as I replaced it with my own. One thing I noticed was when I played any of the sample content using the product speakers, the volume was just fine. When I loaded all of my content, some played fine with the current volume settings and some I needed to plug in earphones to hear at an adequate volume. While I have my own earbuds and over the ear earphones, the ones that shipped with the product are adequate. I haven't "road tested" them yet listening through them on an airplane.
The user's guide recommends moving content to the Archos using Windows Media Player 10 or higher for best results. I copied and pasted all my content to my product using Windows Explorer. The archos shows up as another device and you copy and paste files. I found it easier to navigate to the Archos device, create directories under "Videos" that represented the genres of movies I watch. Once I created these, I copied my movies to the appropriate directory. Copied with no problem. I also copied my music files directly from my itunes music directory with no issues. Creating music playlists on the Archos is not as easy as with itunes, but I was able to do so without much effort. You also have the option to change album or song titles on the device as well as delete content if you no longer want it.
I have not had occassion yet to see how long the battery will last playing video and audio files. I'll repeat something I read in another review that I also found to be true. When you turn the unit off you must press and hold the power button for about 5 seconds to turn the unit completely off. Otherwise it is in sleep mode and still uses some of your battery. There is also a menu option to turn the unit completely off under the settings option.
I'm thrilled with the quality of the video on this device. You have several options of how to display the video (e.g., full screen, original (such as wide-screen), fit to screen, etc.). I was also surprised to see that most of the music I copied over had the associated album art displayed on the Archos. I thought I'd have to live w/out that on this device.
The remote control is very handy. My 705 came with a remote and AC power adaptor (as did my Archos DVR unit - along with S-video cables and RGB cables). The remote allows you to navigate through all the features I have used by tapping on the device itself. It controls volume, brings up menu's allowing you to change device settings, etc. it also has a qwerty keypad allowing you to type in content using a keypad. I see this as useful primarily when browsing the internet.
You must register your product before you can browse the web (my experience anyway) since you must register then purchase the browser add-on. The home page on the browser is google. I've been able to easily access my gmail account. The browser is slow, but adequate. A keypad shows up at the bottom of the screen allowing you to tap in text. You can also use the keypad on the remote. While I can access the internet, I have not been able to access the Content Portal using the icon provided on the main menu. So if I elected to purchase a movie or music using one of Archos's partners, I would not be able to download the purchased content directly to the device. Since this is not a big issue for me, I haven't yet spent much time figuring it out and have not contacted Archos.
To use the wireless capability, you must first turn on wi-fi on the device. This is a simple menu item. For those of you (like me) who use a secure wireless network, you have the ability to access your network by typing in your passcode on the Archos device. Worked with no problem.
 Archos 705 big problem they need to fix January 15, 2008
10 out of 15 found this review helpful
This is a slam dunk video player, BUT...
The 705 (at least the 80 gig model) has a serious defect:
When playing videos, every time the hard drive spins up to load more data, the video pauses for up to one second. This was a known issue on the 604 and 704, and they released firmware updates on both to correct the condition.
I am on my second unit, the first being replaced with a new unit on RMA, and BOTH have the exact same issue. I have been calling Archos every day to report the problem and get some action. So far, they seem to just be ignoring it. So don't buy until you see a firmware update where they address this issue, or this player will drive you NUTS. Every 4 to 6 minutes there is a one second "freeze' while the disk cache is filled. Very very annoying. Makes it hard to sit down and watch a movie on it, and if you use the SPDIF output, it actually loses the audio for one second, it just goes silent.
COME ON ARCHOS ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.
If you look at the firmware update history for the 604 or 704, you will see:
Version 1.6.20
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Improvements:
- Photo: allow to turn slideshow transitions off
- Videocorder & Audiocorder: audio gain is now from -12dB to +10dB
- Videocorder: Widescreen setting in now saved
- PDF: Added right to left language support
Bug fixes:
- Video: high bitrate VOB files with AC3 played jerky
- Video: fix video playback pausing for a second when buffering from disk starts
That last line above is EXACTLY THE PROBLEM WITH THE 705. THEY HAVE TO KNOW THIS EXISTS, SAME AS ON THE 604/704
SO FIX IT OR DON'T BUY THIS MACHINE.
 705 Rocks January 10, 2008
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I just got a 705 Archos (160g) and I'm loving it so far. It's a really beautiful piece of machinary. Everything works really well so far and i love the touch screen. I had read some review somewhere where a guy said the touch screen doesn't work?? I have no idea what he was talking about. Thinking he never read the directions, which clearly say that you have to tap certain icons once to highlight them and then tap again to open them. You don't need to have a stylus but i can see how it would be helpful when web browsing because you're getting a regular full page view of the internet so some links are small (again, you're getting a regular full page view of the internet not some mobile version like a blackberry!). I find that a pencil eraser works pretty good, whatever's laying around honestly. The device seems very sturdy and well built.
I have an ipod and i plan to keep using that for music mostly. It's a little too big to use for everyday music listening. I would have gotten the 605 if I wanted to completely replace my ipod. I primarily got the 705 for movies and web browsing. I'm going on a month long trip and i think it will be wonderful to have while traveling. Portable DVD's players are now pretty much extinct! Also it will be great to have an internet link on the road that actually works well and is easy to navigate. Folks that travel a lot will love this thing. I also really like the kick stand which is a really smart idea because who wants to hold something the whole time you're watching a movie?
The Wi Fi has worked great so far. I bought the DVR accessory but haven't set it up yet. It looks pretty simple although I don't intend to use it as a dvr per se, I'd really just like to transfer movies from the archos to the TV.. although who knows, maybe I'll end up doing the opposite too!.
If you're torn between the 605 and 705 like I was last week, and you really want to be able to enjoy movies and videos and the internet then I'd go with the 705. The screen is the perfect size to watch.
archos 705 January 3, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Before I give the cons I have to say this is the best PVP on the market. Although this is all I wish an Ipod was it's not something that can be placed in your pocket. It is big and bulky but with all the storage and the big 7 inch screen it's made to watch video. The DVR attachment is also a good feature and works great. No need to rent or buy a DVR from your cable provider as it plays through your TV. Now for my cons. This unit is a touch screen operation and one stylus is supplied but there is nowhere to store it in or on the unit or in the supplied case. Even the inexpensive PDA's have somewhere to store the stylus. I would imagine many will be lost along the way (they could always be stored behind your ear). Also they sync up the music library with Windows media player but the player itself doesn't look at all like Media player 11. It is somewhat boaring. Archos chose to use Opera operating system, why I'm not sure. They could have done better. All said not every player has everything (not yet anyway) but this one comes close. If size matter and you want a smaller PVP the 605 WI FI is just as good for about $100 less.
Great product, aweful strategy November 23, 2007
31 out of 45 found this review helpful
Ok, product wise this blows away the iPod Touch, simply because the iTouch has almost no storage. I problem with this product is that you will need to purchase an additional $70 worth of software 'plug-ins' from Archos to do all the advertised features of the product, something Archos does not really advertise. After shelling out $500 for the product, at release, finding out after the fact I needed $70 in software to be able to use most video, browser, and podcast content, left me feeling swindled.
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