Product Description

Store up to 85 movies, 300,000 photos or 15,000 songs with the 30GB hard drive. Enjoy high quality video on a 3.5" color screen. Easily navigate menus with touch screen capabilities. Turn your ARCHOS 404 into a DVR: Record TV from a TV, VCR, DVD Player and cable box or satellite reciever on your ARCHOS with the optional DVR Station

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35036 in Consumer Electronics
• Color: Grey
• Brand: Archos
• Model: 500868
• Released on: 2006-09-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 3.00" h x 1.00" w x 4.00" l, 2.50 pounds
• Hard Disk: 30GB
• Display size: 3.5

Features

• Lightweight and portable digital video, movie, music player and photo viewer with easy-to-use, intuitive controls and a bright 3.5-inch TFT LCD screen
• 30 gigabyte hard disk lets you store up to 15,000 songs, 300,000 pictures, or 85 movies, or any combination thereof
• Compatible with MP3, WAV, WMA and protected WMA music files, JPEG, BMP, and PNG picture files, and MPEG-4 and WMV video files
• Uses high-speed USB 2.0 for both file transfers and charging, and includes a rechargeable Lithium-Ion polymer battery with up to 12 hours of music and 4 hours of video life
• Lets you play music through a stereo or videos over your TV via an optional docking station, weighs only 6.75 ounces, and measures approximately 3.9 x 3 x 0.59 inches (W x H x D)

Amazon.com Review
Amazon.com Review "Convergence" is a more and more popular word in the gadget world: devices that can provide the functionality of multiple unrelated electronics products. Too often, gadgets with too many bells and whistles often prove confusing instead of versatile, but the Archos 404 is an ambitious, palm-sized device that may well surprise you. This slim, sleek unit is only a little larger than a pack of cards, but it plays and records video, audio, and image files--and, with the help of the optional Archos DVR Docking Station, it’s capable of recording TV and movies from a variety of video sources.

The bright, 3.5" TFT LCD displays up to 16 million colors. Take a product tour using Windows Media Player

Form Factor and User Interface

Looking at pictures from the literature on the Archos 404 before receiving it for review, I expected a relatively large and unwieldy form factor--but once out of the box I was pleased to see it's less than four inches across, or about the size of a man's wallet. It will certainly fit comfortably in a jacket's inside pocket or the back pocket of your jeans, though some may find it a little too thick to fit easily into a front pants pocket. The device is sturdily built, with buttons that don't jiggle or stick. And though this is a hard-disk-based device, I was able to wave it around and shake it lightly without any interruption or skipping during audio/video playback. Those who found themselves turned off by the occasional "jiggle factor" of disk-based iPods shouldn't run into any problems here.

The interface itself is fairly straightforward, forgoing the animated visual pizazz of similar SanDisk and Samsung players in favor of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) similar to a Windows PC desktop: arranged icons of shortcuts to the player's main functions, as well as to a directory-style file browser. (Note: feature icons become greyed out if the feature isn't currently availiable, such as Video if your don't have any videos loaded onto the player.) You can set the player's wallpaper to anything you like--if you have the (sold separately) Archos DVR Docking Station, you can even pull single frames off of live television to use as wallpaper with total ease.

Navigating this interface isn't always completely intuitive, however. The vertical row of buttons down the right side of the player take some getting used to, as each button has two functions for the left and right side. "OK" and "Menu" in particular occasionally seem to be interchangeable, other times not, and it's not always immediately apparent which button is required to navigate to the desired goal. Though it takes a little longer, I found it generally preferable to use the directory-style navigation, going straight to the desired files rather than navigating by function, and I think anyone used to the iPod clickwheel scheme may find it easier as well.

Playing Audio and Video

Simply put, the Archos 404 plays audio and video extremely well. The 3.5" screen is bright and crisp with a wide viewing angle, and the compressed MPEG-4 video files look great in the player's native 320x240 resolution. You can watch video in broad daylight, which can't be said about many portable devices that are even designed solely for video playback.

Audio sounds fantastic, as the player will support up to 320kbps audio compression in nearly every conventional format, as well as most subscription music and video download services. (iTunes is not supported.) Though the external speaker is not very loud even at full volume, you can really crank this baby up with a pair of headphones on. The unit comes with a pair of earbuds, but while they do the job, as with most portable players on the market you'll want to pitch these for a higher-quality pair before too long. Unfortunately there are also no audio equalizer presets, but the native levels are well-balanced enough that one would be hard-pressed to complain. I listened to both loud rock and jazz and had no complaints with the sound quality of either.

You can continue to browse your photo collection or hard drive while music is playing. Playback will stop if you start a video file.

Easily transfer media from your other portable electronics devices to your Archos

Creating Your Own Audio and Video

The Archos 404 can take pictures with its 1.3 MP camera, though this is easily the player's weakest feature. With no flash or optical zoom, this probably won't ever be your go-to digital camera, but it's suitable for daytime outdoor shots when your normal camera isn't at hand. The camera function and photo library are easy to use at least, and pictures turn out crisp and stable...and the 30 GB hard drive will hold all the 1024x768 digital shots you can take.

There's a pinhole-sized mic on the bottom of the Archos 404 to either record audio or to work with the camcorder, which are technically seperate functions. The audio recording function takes some experience to get comfortable with, but once you get used to it it's a great substitution for a typical voice recorder. To test this function I recorded about 15 minutes of dialogue with a friend with the player sitting about arm's-length away, on a porch in front of a busy street. Despite the ambient traffic noise, the resulting audio file was crisp and distinct, and I had no trouble transcribing anything from the conversation. For recording a lecture or an interview, the Archos is just about perfect.

As a camcorder the Archos is decent, but again doesn't quite measure up to a dedicated video device. Files created with the camcorder feature are in MPEG-4 video format. Audio as just mentioned is generally very good, and picture quality is satisfactory as long as you're outside on a relatively bright day. I would not recommend trying to record video in low-light situations--there's an option called "Brighter" in the camcorder and camera menus which is supposed to increase the light sensitivity, but using it had no noticeable effect when I tried it and low-light video turned out rather poor. However, in sufficient light the picture is stable and motion blur isn't a problem, so as an impromptu method of recording vacation video or similar material the player won't disappoint.

The Bottom Line

As a piece of convergence hardware, the Archos 404 performs most of its tasks very well, only falling short in regards to the camera-related functions. Still, under the right conditions the camera/camcorder is adequate, and those looking for a portable and economical way to achieve the functionality of several popular electronics devices will likely be very pleased with the Archos 404. And with 30 GB of space, you've got plenty of space to store audio, video, and photos: you can record a class lecture, watch a movie on the plane, take photos of your pets, record some spontaneous video of your friends goofing off, and listen to your entire music collection and still have plenty of disk space left over.

Best of all, with the Archos DVR Docking Station this truly becomes a piece of convergence hardware, as it adds the ability to record live television turning it essentially into a mini-TiVo. Once the 404 and the docking station are connected to your TV, you're ready to record television in MPEG-4 format, play previously recorded programs, or watch video files from your computer on your television, all with DVD-quality picture and sound. Connected to the docking station, the Archos 404 can even pump out 5.1 surround sound if you download a separate MPEG-2 plug-in.

Nestled within the 404’s main menu page you'll find icons for a TV Scheduler and VideoCorder. Using the TV Scheduler interface, you'll find it simple to set times and dates for the programs you'd like to record, and the VideoCorder helps work out the rest of the details--negotiating with the DVR Station and preparing the system to capture your entertainment preferences.

What’s in the Box

Archos 404 portable media player, headphones, dedicated USB 2.0 cable, DVR station adapter, protective pouch, quick-start guide, and legal and safety notices.

Amazon.com Product Description
With the Archos 500868 404 30GB Portable Digital Media Player you have all the entertainment you need at your fingertips, in a package that approaches iPod size. The perfect companion for everything from long trips to short bus rides, from going to parties to just hanging out around the house, the Archos 404 lets you not only take your favorite music, movies, and moments with you, but helps you make new favorite moments wherever you happen to be.

With a screen size surface twice that of similar size PMPs (portable media players), the Archos 404 ensures you can thoroughly enjoy movies and videos. This unit uses a bright, 3.5-inch TFT LCD display with over 16 million colors to provide you a crystal-clear, sharp picture with a 4:3 aspect ratio and 320 x 240 pixels of resolution, as well as an intuitive GUI (graphic user interface) for easy-to-use navigation. The Archos 404 not only plays your videos and movies, but lets you store up to a whopping 85 movies on its hard drive in either MPEG-4 or WMV formats at up to DVD resolution. You can also purchase and download optional plug-ins from Archos' website that will allow you to play H.264 and MPEG-2 formats up to DVD resolutions as well.

Not only is the Archos 404 a portable video and movie player, but a high-resolution photo viewer as well, complete with features such as zoom, music, and transition effects. You can easily download photos from your PC, or transfer them directly to the 404 from your digital camera via the optional docking adapter. This unit is compatible with JPEG, BMP, and PNG file formats, and can hold up to 300,000 photos at a time, depending upon file size and what else you are storing at the same time. The Archos 404 can even read and display PDF documents for on-the-fly work situations, although it may not implement all PDF features.

For those times when you can't afford the distraction of watching high-quality videos, the Archos 404 can be your music player, storing and playing up to 15,000 songs so you can keep working, walking, or doing whatever you need with your own private soundtrack. This unit displays the track, artist, album, and album cover of whatever you are playing, and supports stereo MP3 decoding from 30 to 320 kbps CBR and VBR, as well as WMA, protected WMA, and WAV (PCM/ADPCM) formats. Furthermore, the Archos 404 can play AAC music files, and AC3 stereo sound files with the additional of optional software plug-ins that can be purchased and downloaded from Archos' web site. And just in case inspiration strikes or you want to make sure you don't forget something important, this handy media player lets you make voice recordings through its built-in microphone, or via the optional DVR travel adapter or DVR station through a stereo line-in jack in WAV format.

The Archos 404 is fully compatible with DVD-quality VOD (video on demand) and online music stores, allowing you to purchase and download new music and movies directly online rather than having to transfer everything from more traditional media sources. This media player can also record directly from TV in high-quality MPEG-4 with stereo sound via the optional DVR station, so you can take your favorite television shows with you wherever you go. And if you are at home, the Archos 404 can play back any of your movies or recorded TV programs on your television itself, also through the optional DVR station.

The Archos 404 has a built-in 30 gigabyte hard disk so you have plenty of space for anything you need, and includes a high-speed USB 2.0 connection for transferring files. This unit features a 3.5-millimeter stereo headphone jack mini-jack and TV output, and dedicated connectors for hooking up optional adapters or the DVR station. The 404 also features a music playback time of up to 12 hours, and a video playback time of up to four hours on its built-in LCD display, all with its internal lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery that charges via computer through its USB port, or more quickly with the optional docking adapter or DVR station. The Archos 404 is compatible with both PCs and Macs with a USB port and Linux, Windows ME or higher, or OS X or higher, and requires Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher and Windows Media Player 10 or higher for use with PlayForSure video and subscription services. This media player allows firmware updates to be downloaded via www.archos.com, weighs approximately 6.75 ounces, and measures approximately 3.9 x 3 x 0.59 inches (W x H x D).

What's in the Box
Archos 404 portable media player, headphones, dedicated USB 2.0 cable, DVR station adapter, pouch, quick-start guide, and legal and safety notices.

Customer Reviews

pocket full of entertainment
This is my perfect portable media player. Great price. Big screen. Fits in your pocket. If you're too cool for an ipod, or run Linux, this player is for you. ;)

Great for Mac, Windows, and Linux because it support standard USB mass storage. Just drag and drop files onto it, no drivers necessary. You can browse MP3s by artist, year, genre, etc. You can also browse MP3s by file name and folder.

MP3s sound great, with seamless/gapless track changing. The bookmark feature is really nice for keeping your place in audio books or long DJ mixes.

The video playback is perfect with all my Dixv and Xvid MPEG4 movies without having to re-encode them. DVD converter software tips: HandBrake for Mac. dvd::rip for Linux. AutoGK for Windows. Happy viewing!

almost there
Overall it is great. Size, features, except the screen. The size is not the issue, but rather the resolution. At 320x24o it is just too low for this size screen. Also the viewing angles are bad, tilt it up 20 degrees and it looks too dark. The brightness of screen is better than the 604 and less than the 604 wifi(i bought them all to compare and kept the 604 wifi). The colors are also too saturated (unnatural). Overall, put a better screen on this, and i would pay 50% more. Are you listening archos?

Fantastic Media Player
This Device Had a lot of feature That I didnot know about it before, After that I loved it.
For the Video, you can just drag and drop your file without compression needed of software. It plays all my DIVX movies, moreover, I can take them back without any need of any Software. just like external H.D.

Screen is vary good, bult-in speeker is not that bad but the sound volume was not as I expected!!!

The things I dont liked about this device is battery recharging witch took a lot of time, mey be bucause I am using the USB cable olny without any docking station.

Overall I recommed This device.