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Archos 504 80 GB Digital Media Player and Recorder
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Archos 504 80 GB Digital Media Player and Recorder
The Archos 504 has a bright, 4.3-inch TFT screen with 16 million colors, ideal for watching videos and viewing photos. Also, record directly from TV in high-quality MPEG-4 with optional DVR station. PDF viewer Audio recording Battery life - Up to 17 hours Music playback time, up to 5.5 hours
Details
The Archos 504 Video player is almost the same as the 604 but is slightly thicker, heavier, has a bigger battery instead of the kickstand and, most notably, a larger harddrive (80GB instead of 30GB).
Package contained
Archos 504, 1 battery, nice ear bud headphones, 1 proprietary USB 2.0 cable used to charge the device and transfer content from your computer, setup guide and legal stuff, DVR station adapter and a storage sack.
The Good
The screen is pretty nice and I am able to view it even at angles. The unit itself is well constructed and is made up of a high density plastic and metal - a nice surprise when most people are using only plastic to save money and lessen weight. Out of the box it came loaded with pictures, music and movies for you to play with which is a nice touch. Archos technical support is easy to call and they pickup and give advice without putting you through the ringer or automated FAQ system - another nice surprise. The interface looks really cool with lots of interactive items. When connected to your computer it asks you what you want to do (charge only, synch or mount as hard drive) - this is a nice touch. The speaker is small but actually sounds good considering its size - perfect for office/cube listening or to share video clips with friends gathered around. The built in microphone works exceptionally well and picks up even the softest sounds clearly. The photo viewer is slick and is fun to use (slide show, rotate, etc.).
The Bad
It came with no cables to play back video on television which is sort of lame since that is one of its most advertised purposes. The instruction manual comes saved as a file on the device and while it provides a nice overview - it lacks any real depth or details. The Usability on this device is very poor with inconsistent use of buttons and seemingly simple or repetitive tasks requiring too many steps. No clear way to disconnect device from computer without it hanging up and requiring you to take off the battery to reset it. I assume they will either fix this in a firmware update at some point. While not expected it should be mentioned that this device does not support any iTunes formats (Podcasts, Video or Music) although they claim to be releasing Podcast support soon. I personally feel that supporting these formats would be a smart move for them considering how many people have content from iTunes.
The Ugly (and there always is)
Finding out what video formats are actually supported is being a real trial and error situation regardless of what the tech specs say/don't say. You need a travel dock to charge the device using a wall outlet or the cigarette lighter in your car. The storage sack is useless - it's thin, cheaply made and provides no more protection than a zip-lock bag.
Summary
This is a very cool device and is certainly "Next-Gen" when it comes to portable video players. The fact that you can use it as a Tivo-like device at home (record TV shows and movies) when you are not on the road and the approachable purchase price makes me very satisfied with my purchase and I would recommend it for anyone in the market for this sort of thing.