| PRODUCT DETAILS | | Archos AV400 20 GB Video Player/Recorder and MP3 Player AV420 |  | |
Archos AV400 20 GB Video Player/Recorder and MP3 Player AV420
Archos AV420 MP4 VIDEO AND MP3 20GB USB 2.0 DVD Pocket Hard Drive and Audio Video Recorder and Player with built-in LCD screen -Package Includes: AV 420, Rechargeable Battery, TV Cradle with audio/video connections, Remote Control with 2 AA batteries, Protective case, USB 2.0 cable, Stereo headphone, Manual, AC adapter/charger with US plugWith 20GB hard-drive memory capacity, the AV420 has the capability of storing all general computer data. It can also be used to record video and audio. You can store MP3 files and listen with a headphone, view on built-in LCD screen or transfer to aPC or Macintosh computer. Store and view JPEG photos Play MP3, WMA (including protected files) and WAV music files Listen to and record off the radio (with optional FM Radio&Remote Control) Download and store files from a PC using USB-2 High-Speed port Built-in CompactFlash Type I slot to accept CompactFlash memory cards and optional 4 in 1 CF adapter for SD, SM, MMC, MS and MS Pro Video playback - MPEG-4 SP with MP3 or ADPCM stereo sound, near DVD quality up to 704x480 30 fps, AVI file format Video recording - MPEG-4 SP with ADPCM stereo sound, near SVCD quality (optimised resolution for standard TV through composite video line-in) with up to 512x384 30 fps, in AVI format Stereo MP3 decoding 30-320 kb/s CBR&VBR, WMA (including protected files), WAV (PCM&ADPCM) Unit Size - 4.9 x 3.1 x 0.8 / Weighs 9.88 ounces
Manufacturer: Archos
Price Range: $204.99 - $399.95
 Archos AV400 20 GB Video Player/Recorder and MP3 Player AV420
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| User Reviews |  | Nice MP3 player and alot more
rating: 4
This is a great all around device to have. It is a great MP3 player, but does a whole lot more. I think for the most part people like to compare any portable music player to the iPod and so this device is also compared.
The two things that set this device apart from the iPod video are the ability to record live TV and the screen size. Of course with a larger screen comes a larger device and there seems to be no work around for that at this time.
Here are the things this device does great:
MP3 Player
Portable Video Player
Here's what it does well:
Record live TV broadcasts (see below for caveats)
Organize your library of songs/videos
Here's what's lacking:
Speaker sound
Controls not so intuitive
Recorded video resolution (SD quality)
The way it switches the TV with an external IR transmitter is clunky at best
In addition, speaking directly to the auto recording scheduler, I couldn't get the IR connector to switch my TV to the channel to record (my TV wasn't supported).
I think this is a great device if you are looking for a general purpose portable DVR. Also consider that this functions as a portable hard disk drive.
Four stars; for the time this was released it was without a doubt the most innovative portable on the market!
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Wow! Hope it lasts forever
rating: 5
I really love this player. I have downloaded books from net library, loaded photos and added music from my cd collection (isn't as advanced as my ipod in features for music) and recorded tv shows with the greatest of ease. It does every thing it claims to do. Now if it lasts over the long haul, (I have only had it for about 1 month) then it's the best device overall that I have purchaed because of it's versatility. Only time will tell, but right now I love it and think it was well worth the money. Hope this helps others when thinking of purchasing one, no other device I could find seemed to do all these things with the same ease for this price. Good luck if you purchase one because like I already said if it lasts (reasonable length of time, say 3-4 four years even, I will be happy.
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only okay----Ill tell why
rating: 3
Okay, this thjing was great. It recorded awesome, so u could have a scheduler on it and have it record while you sleep. It has a built in mcrophone and you can record sound..(not best quality)
great playback, but speakers left something to be desired. however, mine broke after 4 months. The hard drive failed. the customer support was okay,but asll in All my archos experience was NOT that great. Now that Ive returned it, I say to go buy Ipod video instead. but for me, im stuck with useless credit at sharper image, which no longer sells ipod. Al in all, just go buy an Ipod
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AV420 = Great All-In-One Multimedia Device
rating: 5
I purchased this device about 10 months ago on Amazon.com. Previously, I did a lot of research on many similar devices and found that the AV420 had all the qualities I was looking for in an all-in-one portable multimedia device. I've been using it in the following ways:
1. Digital video recorder: I've recorded hundreds of hours of TV broadcasts. Whenever the AV420 neared its storage capacity, I would just connect a USB cable from my XP PC to the AV420 and upload the DivX files to my hard drive. I'd then archive the broadcasts for later viewing, which I would just download the files back to the AV420 before taking it on the road.
After setting up the AV420 cables and AV420 system settings with your VCR, programming the AV420 to record TV shows will become easier than programming your VCR. Just connect the USB cable from your PC to the AV420, on your PC open a file on the AV420 named \\Jukebox\System\DVR Timer.txt, and type in the TV show settings from your PC. Be sure to follow the same format as a TV show setting typed in previously through the AV420 itself.
The AV420 video screen quality is excellent. It's bright, sharp, well saturated, and has no screen delay or ghosting.
However, when playing back certain TV shows created on the AV420 on a TV, there is some barely noticeable pixelization, but not much. The cradle is a hassle to move around so I got the Archos Audio/Video Travel Cable, which is much more convenient to carry and connect to other video equipment. Space-wise, for videos and DVDs, 20GB can be insufficient at times. If you are a heavy video user, I'd recommend getting the AV480, just because it has a larger hard drive.
2. DVD/video player: I've recorded many prerecorded DVDs, VHS tapes, and DivX video files to the AV420, and played them out to other video equipment without any problems. It is possible to playback prerecorded DVDs to a TV from the AV420 as long as the prerecorded DVD disc does not contain any copy protection. For example, your vacation trip or wedding DVDs that were custom created can be recorded to the AV420 then played back on a TV or VCR from the AV420.
3. MP3 player: Using the USB cable with your PC, you could download hours of MP3s onto the AV420. The sound quality is excellent when using headphones or separate speakers, though you have the option to use the built-in speaker, which isn't very good for music playback. However, having a built-in speaker is very convenient especially when you need to playback media for other people.
4. USB hard drive: Using the USB cable with your PC, you're able to transfer fairly large files between PCs. It's like having a 20GB portable hard drive.
One minor limitation is that the AV420 hard drive is FAT32, which limits file sizes to 4GB.
5. Photo storage device: Instead of purchasing more Memory Sticks for my Sony digital camera, I decided to use the 4-in-1 CF Media card adapter with the AV420. That way, the AV420 became my 20GB Memory Stick indirectly.
Viewing pictures on the AV420 is excellent, which is also significantly larger than the screen on my digital camera.
6. Digiscoping video recorder: Using a scope with my Sony digital camera, I've been able to photograph birds from fairly far distances. Since getting the AV420, I've been able to use it as a somewhat direct hard drive for my digital camera by connecting the video-in port of the AV420 to my camera's media out-port (which is a bit cumbersome), then running the AV420 in Videocorder mode, which turned my digital camera into a DivX camcorder. So now I'm also able to video record birds through my scope.
At one point, I did experience a hard drive problem though it was software related, not hardware. I ended up running chkdsk i: /f (assuming i: is the AV420) on the AV420 through my PC, which resolved the problem. This troubleshooting procedure is found in the manual under "File issues, corrupted data, formatting, and partitioning." I haven't had any other problems since.
Overall, the AV420 is a well-built, well-integrated, high-quality multimedia device that I would highly recommend.
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Archos Av420
rating: 4
I think that this is a very good device. It preforms great at all of its advertized functions. Its screen is amazing. at 3.5 inches you and up to two other people can watch at the same time. At the moment i have 20 hours of video on it and 4 gigabytes of music and it still has about 2 more gigabytes of memory left. The battery life is prett good. I get about 10 hours with music and about 4 hours with video. I get about 6-8 hours wiht mixed use
There are only a few things that i can find thats wrong wiht it, One that you cannot transfer dvds over to the archos wiht your computer. Also it is sometimes slow to open files. This is normal though for a device with this many features.
All in all i think this is a very good device. It has all the features a person into media and photography would want, including a compact flash slot which comes in handy alot, but this device does have its short commings. If you want the newest stuff i would opt for the new Av500 series.
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Archos AV400 20 GB Video Player/Recorder and MP3 Player AV420
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