Apple iPod (60GB, video, black)

reply on February 7, 2007 by crabitha

It's a review of the Archko. While that's nice, I was expecting a genuine review of the iPod and would have preferred to hear from someone who actually has one.

reply on August 13, 2006 by lilnyc

Chris, <br><br>I also have the Archos. I have owned 3 gens of them. Yesterday I bought the AV500, but am returning it. While the Archos is a more robust video player, the quality does not compare to the vid iPod, surprisingly IMO. <br><br>I have also carried the Archos around and it's very bulky. It's best propped on my lap while sitting. <br><br>However, because I own the Archos, I am not sold on the video iPod. I feel it's a gadget for those who don't own any PVRs and/or are updating their old iPods. But now I may re-consider because I want to learn Spanish via audio and a few videos. <br><br>Unlike the Archos, I can clip the video iPod on my side and/or prop it up on the treadmill at the gym. The screen quality is really the seling point to me. I don't know that the price justifies it as a Spanish language teacher gadget, LOL. I'm still trying to decide.

reply on July 10, 2006 by angrykeyboarder

As far as video goes. Who cares? In this age of 52"+ LCD and Plasma screen TVs, who wants to watch a TV show on a 2" (or smaller) screen?<br><br>I know I don't. The video is a nice add-on but frankly, I'd have been satisfied with the previous models sans-video (Note: I've never owned any kind of portable digital music player - save for CD players).

reply on January 14, 2006 by Rookie19592001

I like being able to record TV shows on the media center and converting them to Ipod. Conversion software works fine. The real plus of a video Ipod is the ability to have a complete package, music, TV shows, DVDs, home movies, still photos, and audio books. It is organized well, easy to access, and great for trips. Nice product.

reply on December 31, 2005 by TravisHB

You state that you have to pay for free TV when using the iPod. Unless you are using an antenna or you are stealing your cable or satellite signal, TV is not free.

reply on December 24, 2005 by skshrews

Exactly right-<br>I like Apple products too, the quality of their hardware is excellent, but the video Ipod hype is atrocious. CNET says the price is "fair", but I'd rather dump the video, and get a lower priced "just music" player. Maybe that's why 3G Ipods are demanding such a relatively high price on Ebay.<br>The battery life isn't "poor" -it's atrocious. Remember that battery life starts to decay from day 1, so it will only get worse.<br>I have a 3G Ipod, and the click wheel stopped working after about 2 years. Another problem with Ipods is that you cannot fix them yourself, so no click wheel means no Ipod. I did send it off to be repaired, but a device should last longer than 2 years without major problems.

reply on December 18, 2005 by P1 Poser

I agree its not all that

reply on December 18, 2005 by P1 Poser

I agree its not all that

reply on December 18, 2005 by P1 Poser

I agree its not all that

reply on December 12, 2005 by T_MONEY

im totally with you man, who wants a sleek, small, simple, mp3/video player when they could have a big, ugly, complicated piece of garbage that has less memory than my dead grandma? seriously people, what is wrong with you, get with the program, and who doesnt love to rock out to all the fine fm programming there is these days, plus i can fit 1 1/2 solid hours of who wants to be a millionare on my vcr sized peripheral. but seriously, i hope you crash and burn while trying to watch tv while your driving.

reply on December 8, 2005 by chardk1

The fact is, there's not one device that suits everyone. The video ipod comes closer than most, however.<br><br>I agree that the archos pvp is terrific if what you want is a pvp/mp3 player to take on plane trips, car rides etc. However, it also weighs twice as much as the 5G ipod and is marginally pocketable. This, in my mind, makes it a different sort of device.<br><br>I commute on the train each day, and I find that 1) I spend a lot more time listening to audio than watching video because it simply isn't worth it to have to switch from one to the other when I'm on the move; and 2) the more pocketable a device is, the better. The video ipod, for its flaws, does a little of everything and is a handy size. That makes it a great choice for a lot of people, and better than the archos -- whether or not it is a technologically superior device. I think most students and commuters will find that outside the house, they do a lot more listening to music than video watching. To the extent this is the case but you want to have the option to do both, I'd say you should go with the ipod 5G.

reply on December 8, 2005 by chardk1

The fact is, there's not one device that suits everyone. The video ipod comes closer than most, however.<br><br>I agree that the archos pvp is terrific if what you want is a pvp/mp3 player to take on plane trips, car rides etc. However, it also weighs twice as much as the 5G ipod and is marginally pocketable. This, in my mind, makes it a different sort of device.<br><br>I commute on the train each day, and I find that 1) I spend a lot more time listening to audio than watching video because it simply isn't worth it to have to switch from one to the other when I'm on the move; and 2) the more pocketable a device is, the better. The video ipod, for its flaws, does a little of everything and is a handy size. That makes it a great choice for a lot of people, and better than the archos -- whether or not it is a technologically superior device. I think most students and commuters will find that outside the house, they do a lot more listening to music than video watching. To the extent this is the case but you want to have the option to do both, I'd say you should go with the ipod 5G.

reply on December 8, 2005 by chardk1

The fact is, there's not one device that suits everyone. The video ipod comes closer than most, however.<br><br>I agree that the archos pvp is terrific if what you want is a pvp/mp3 player to take on plane trips, car rides etc. However, it also weighs twice as much as the 5G ipod and is marginally pocketable. This, in my mind, makes it a different sort of device.<br><br>I commute on the train each day, and I find that 1) I spend a lot more time listening to audio than watching video because it simply isn't worth it to have to switch from one to the other when I'm on the move; and 2) the more pocketable a device is, the better. The video ipod, for its flaws, does a little of everything and is a handy size. That makes it a great choice for a lot of people, and better than the archos -- whether or not it is a technologically superior device. I think most students and commuters will find that outside the house, they do a lot more listening to music than video watching. To the extent this is the case but you want to have the option to do both, I'd say you should go with the ipod 5G.

reply on December 4, 2005 by Kasuran

I own the Archos Gmini 400. And though I admit it's definitely in the top 3 mp3 players/pvps, I still think iPod is probably better. Yeah I used to be a non-supporter of iPods but after going through 3 other hdd mp3 players from creative, sony, and archos,iPod still has the best user interface. No denying it's easy to use the player and iTunes does work well with the device. Though personally, drag and drop on my gmini is still "the" easiest method of transfer. And the most overlooked fact about the iPod video is that it is the 5th generation of iPods. They've moved on from the 4g with photos and just decided to take it another step up. I don't find anything wrong with doing so, but charging their prices is a little ridiculous IMO. Just depends on how you look at it, it's still an iPod but if you want video I suggest you just go get a portable DVD player.

reply on December 2, 2005 by biomed10

By simply reading your review, I can instantly tell that you are a "apple-hater", if that's the professional nomenclature. Now, I used Windows for the majority of my life, but decided to make the switch before entering college. Apple is not just a company with a few hot-shots making aesthetically pleasing silicone boxes; it's a corperation that has revolutionized the music and computing industry. Perhaps you haven't read the NYTimes lately, but Walt Mossburg (one of the most highly respected critics) labeled the new iMac G5 the "New Gold Standard for PCs".<br><br>Ok, so you have your Archos player, that's great. Being able to record TV shows is a convienent feature, one I'm confident will soon be implemented into Apple's products. I don't know if you have ever seen the picture quality of music videos, but it's amazing! I guarentee that the resolutions/pixelation of your TV shows is nowhere near that of the newest generation iPods.<br><br>It also blows my mind that you had nothing listed under "Pros"; I guess the triple capacity, 1/8th the size didn't factor in. I use my iPod not only for music &#38; video, but for data storage and manipulation. Linux has been installed and tested on this gen. iPod, now with a seamless text-editing option. We can only hope that Mac OS X will be an option in the near future. Did you know doctors at the countries top hospitals (Harvard, Penn, Washington University in St. Louis) use the new ipods to store patients records/images (ie CT, PET, MRI).<br><br>I could go on for hours, but your Windows-centric mentality probably doesn't understand the few things I have mentioned thus far. So go on, I invite you to continue boycotting Apple products; you are certaintly entitled to believe whatever you want. Just know that 75% of the music industry &#38; shareholders, including myself, know you're wrong.

reply on November 23, 2005 by Thebrownbomber

The one thing you forgot to mentioned when talking about the Archos Av 420.....IT'S UGLY! I guess if you don't mind looking like a geek when taking this monstrosity out and about, it will suffice, but give me the ease of use and cool factor of the iPod. 'Nuff said.

reply on November 21, 2005 by wmf1489

Ok, people how old are we? Do we really have to go back and forth and argue about stupid topics?<br>The archos is better for some and the ipod video is better for some.<br><br>Archos Pros-<br>Large 262k 3.5 Inch screen<br>Comes with every acessory you need<br>Easy to record from composite source<br>Can playback downloaded mpeg files.<br><br>Archos cons-<br>Slightly big and heavy<br>Doesnt have the ease of use like the ipod.<br><br><br>Ipod Pros<br>Attractive design<br>Click Wheel<br>Great price per GB<br><br>Ipod Cons-<br>Acessorys are not included<br>Fairly small screen<br>Cannot record directly from a composite or s-video source.<br><br>Get the ipod if<br>-You dont want the best sound quality.(thats my opinion)<br>-You dont mind paying for some shows<br>-You dont want to record from TV<br>-You dont want a larger LCD screen<br> The ipod video is a music player with a video feature.The two are not comparible.<br>If you want to get a bunch of extra features and great customer service(lost my first archos. They sent me a new one for being a loyal costuome) Then ur going to have to pay a little extra to get the archos av420.i bought mine on amazon for 379.99 And it was worth every pennie. <br><br>I personally think the Ipod is overrated and i enjoy my archos much more. But i can see where ipod fans are coming from. If you want a simple player, Then get the ipod video. But if your a tech geek or your just more advanced than the other 500 million people with ipods,Then get the archos.

reply on November 19, 2005 by blakholephysics

Even if you don't like the ipod, apple is doing something really good: putting tv online. before you just had to tivo or illegaly download your tv shows but now you can buy them pretty cheap. it creates more compitition.

reply on November 17, 2005 by tjlee87

take a look in iaudio x5 and compare to ipod video<br>this is not right<br>ipod do make good product, but giving false info in x5 and not counting that ipod lacked many features prove that these reviews are total bs

reply on November 15, 2005 by TheDude14

Whats up with cnet's obsession with the ipod video? The rated it their number 2 mp3 player overall. WHAT? are u serious? "subpar battery life for video" more like "no battery life for video" As for me, im going with the X5 with a user rating overall of 8.7, and not going with cnet's ipod bias. Its more important that people like me say its good rather then a biased organization.

reply on November 12, 2005 by stanford93

your opinion on the PS3, gen 6 ipod, and all the other devices you don't own.

reply on November 6, 2005 by taruniyer

Your review is great!! I'm glad the world isn't made up of Apple Sheep. The Video is over hyped. Why don't players like the Archos Gimmi and the iRver H340 who have been video enabled, for way longer than the stupid iPod Video??<br><br>The worlds made up of Apple Sheep!!

reply on November 4, 2005 by

I found the Archos to be 100 times better than the Ipod &#38; it feets in my pocket

reply on October 26, 2005 by shipman232

It sounds like chris doesn't even own an iPod. If you are going to post go post in whatever mp3 player you owns catagory. I would imagine the only reason you posted in iPod's is because you want people to read it!

reply on October 25, 2005 by Makaiju

Well I did what chirs131 suggested. I went and gathered information so that I can be well informed about my decision. Mainly because I couldn’t do what I used to be on CNET, read user reviews and get a decent well explained set of opinions. Instead I get one sided biased preaching.<br><br>With the tech reviews I decided to look at both the Archos and the iPod. I have spent a hour or more a day in the different electronic stores and even faked excuses to check out what co-workers in our media department own. After all of this time I’m stuck biting my lip because in truth… no matter what facts stair me in the face…. I hate Apple. Always have and always will.<br><br>So when comparing these two devices, I am stuck with a truth that I don’t want to admit…. Comparing the Achos and the iPod is like comparing oranges to apples.<br><br>The apple (or iPod… duh) is a great portable music player. A few people I interacted with really didn’t like the interface at all. It was a complete pain for them. However to be fair those people are all people I know fairly well… well enough to know that they don’t like anything they didn’t design or ask for. Mac is not good enough. Windows is not good enough. Lynix is not good enough. So their opinions are just that… valid opinions but not evidence that the interface was lacking. The ones I played with were easy enough to figure out (without a manual) and worked pretty easy. The sound quality was excellent. I could change settings so that my Hip Hop was thumping and my Nine Inch Nails was piercing. I did get some poor sound from the stock head phones at the store but that’s probably because I wouldn’t really put my ears that close to them. (Shared ear phones?? Ewww) The size was great (but honestly not as small as I imagined) and something I would easily carry/use at the gym. Looking that the stereo docking station interface one friend has for her iPod in her apartment and the mini speaker systems a co-worker uses in his office and all the extras on the store shelves plays it pretty simple. This is a great product. It’s a portable MP3 player that decided it was easier to store all of your musing on the device then to have to swap out songs like you would on old 256 meg MP3 players. So they added some extra features. If you are going to store all of you music on it, why not connect it to your stereo. If you are going to listen to all of your music, why not add video. All of that is ‘extra’ and it shows. The battery life of video playing is not great and while watching the ipod screen in bed at night or at you work desk it is more then large enough to provide detail but it lacks the excitement of watching a great movie at home…. With a big screen.<br><br>The archos was really an orange. I could load music but nothing about it’s design felt like a portable music player. I would never use it at they gym. Not on the elliptical machine or on the free weights. The sound quality was good but not as clean or powerful as the ipod I tested. (However I think that might have just been the headphones I was using were not as good as the ones the ipod users had for me to use.) The archos has a bigger screen and that was welcome but it is still a tiny screen. It’s fine if you are on a train or bus or what ever but it’s not an ‘experience’ to watch video on it. Not any more then it iPod or the Cowon or any other portable video player. Where the Archos really stood out was it’s storage space and how it’s big screen made navigating things easier when it was hooked up to a TV. I really could load up all of season one Buffy on this thing and hook it up to a TV and watch it with a friend. The navigation from the Archos was easy to manage and a blast to watch. It also felt cool and different. While the iPod just felt like an MP3 player, the Archos felt like that cool Bond gadget I always wanted as a kid. A way to sneak movies during school or to still catch my favorite shows even when grounded and of course a way to carry my stuff to my friends so that I could show off my collection of video/audio.<br><br>You can use various software products with each device. So in reality all I saw in the end was a top notch MP3 player that can do some video if you want and a great video media storage device that I wouldn’t want to carry about all the time but was a better video device then the iPod. Of course I found a better video device then the Archos… my laptop. That is when I really knew that the Archos and the iPod can be put head to head by any forum member…. But it is still like comparing and very nice video orange to a top notch video apple.<br><br>Since I’m in the market for a mp3 player with a huge storage drive… I’m going to pray that Sony (or someone else) comes up with something smaller then the iPod but with a 100gig storage. If that doesn’t happen soon, then I guess I will have to buy an iPod.

reply on October 24, 2005 by J.G.

I agree with the commenter who said it is silly to 'review' a product you don't own just to bash it. The proper thing for you to do, Chris, is hype your Archos AV 420 on reviews of it. Since you know it, you can offer an informed opinion. As a 'pretender' in regard to owning an iPod, you can't actually review the product. The only people you are influencing are those willing to listen to someone give advice about a product he doesn't even have much familiarity with. <br><br>Not that the bashing will have much effect. The iPod has set the record for sales of audio devices for the last two years. It has 74 percent of the hard drive MP3 player market currently. The nano and video iPod will be the monster sellers of this holiday season. Suffice to say that bashing is more about sour grapes than sour Apples.

reply on October 24, 2005 by necronym

I have an Archos AV480, have had for just over a year. I've had a 3G iPod 40Gb for @2 years and I've just ordered the new 60Gb 5G iPod (please note I don't say video iPod) why? Because I need more room for my music!<br><br>The Archos is a wicked gadget, but lacks the ease of use iPod owners enjoy through iTunes.<br><br>Video recording on the Archos offers no support for Sky+ so I can't set it to turn on, select channel etc. The AV480. like iPods have NO USER CHANGEABLE BATTERY. Is this an issue? Not for me I've never had to change the battery on either.<br><br>Instead of people getting on the 'bash the iPod bandwagon', perhaps you should enjoy each new device for what it offers. My old iPod sounds far better than my Archos. The Archos AV480 is a PERSONAL VIDEO RECORDER, the iPod is a MUSIC PLAYER, it now does some video, but it is a music player at heart.<br><br>I love both my devices for different reasons. The new iPod offers even better sound over previous models. <br><br>Apple hasn't included an FM radio (why would you want this when you can carry your whole CD collection in your pocket? If you want radio broadcasts, download Podcasts and listen to them). Mobile phone manufacturers used to have FM radio on mobiles, but few have them now. I wonder why? Oh they've started including MP3 players instead!<br><br>I bought a friend an Archos AV440 for christmas last year. He loves it and uses it daily, but having played with my old iPod, even he wants a new iPod. Why? Simple. . .<br><br>Apple makes the whole music experience easier through well thought out software and transfer. iTunes.<br><br>If Archos supported their players in the same way and offered better sound for music playback, not to mention better reliability: this is my 2nd AV480 hard drive on the first one just died, Archos would stand a better market share over the new video capable iPod, but they don't and so won't enjoy the same market share.<br><br>It will take little time for TV companies to hop on the iTunes bandwagon and offer TV shows for iPod in the UK (I heard a rumour the UK TV companies are already negotiating with Apple, whether this is true or not I have no idea, just a rumour) look at how Podcasts have taken off? When launched there were a tiny amount. Now there are many thousand available.<br><br>Nobody makes a device that is great for everything. What limits the new iPod is screen size for viewing video. Wait for the 6th or 7th Generation iPod . . . imagine a handheld device with (this is just an idea maybe I should copyright this idea?) full size touch screen, HD ready, tv tuner, (FM RADIO - just for Chris131), interchangeable batteries (make it solar powered! you get solar chargers for iPod), bluetooth 5.1 headphones and integrated mobile phone . . . Not yet maybe, but I see iPod's going that way once the video market through iTunes establishes and dominates video delivery

reply on October 23, 2005 by alx1507

Number one music player has video now, its smaller then the older version with bigger screen and a new color. You show me a product like this that has music, picture, and video playback with this easy interface, itunes type integration an affordable price. Only product that comes close it the psp which doesn't have an HDD and is much bigger then this is.<br><br>And you don't even own the product? ***.

reply on October 23, 2005 by mjalam2

The reason is simple, all the other PVP's are not as thin or as small as the IPOD. This is probably a downside, but is also the reason for its appeal. Screen size: 2.5 inches is not too bad, it is just barely makes the cut. Overall, it doesn't have an FM tuner or some video features that other PVP's do, but I personally don't play on listening to radio on my IPOD, and I can always get divx or other formats of my favorite TV shows and convert into an apple format. So that's it, apple works, and it has good future ahead of itself.

reply on October 23, 2005 by koala72

well done! the things u said where great and true. its annyoing how people who read this start mocking the archos and they say such stupid stuff! anyway keep proving the ipod fanboys wrong

reply on October 21, 2005 by Emmett70

Why are you reviewing a product which you don't own? I thought reviews were supposed to be about helpful objective advice based on the reviewer's own experience of using a particular device.

reply on October 21, 2005 by shanco

You've certainly pulled the wool off of my Ipod crazy eyes. All that hype and what a piece of crap. How can a company even say that they have a video function when its dodgy to say the least. It skips for christ sakes and it doesnt even resize vids and what a hassle to have to reconfigure every file from my already huge video library. Thanks for your Comments Chris.

comment on a product that you #1 don't own, and #2 haven't ever seen? I have at least held the new iPod before making comments on it.

Your device sounds pretty darn cool. I should look into buying one!<br>But anyway, what makes the new iPod so cool is that it's a better music player. The video is just an added extra. Most people don't do mobile video the way you do, they just want a solid music machine, and that's what iPod has always been. Something that does make the video component stand out is its playback. Full motion video in both H264 and MPEG4. I'll bet a buck your device doesn't even know what H264 is. To put it simply, you can get better video and color clarity with much smaller file sizes. It really frees you up as a video producer. And that frees you up to export home videos to an iPod friendly format, which will look better than any other portable format out there. Is any of this a good reason to get the new iPod?....I have no idea. Just thought I'd respond to some of your questions. I think for music the iPod just can't be beat. Maybe there are better video products out there, but I wonder if they're as capable or as intuitive as the iPod. Not to say all other devices are crap. But there's something about Apple products that no one seems to be able to duplicate and that's why we buy them. Thanks for the info on your deivce by the way. I'm totally looking into getting one <img border="0" src="http://www.cnet.com/i/mb/emoticons/happy.gif" alt=":)">

This was a VERY helpful post. the Tivo option makes the Archos a no-brainer. <br><br>NF

reply on October 18, 2005 by deef_vg

I would love to congratulate you, you are a consumer with brains. You succeeded in looking passed the hype and you made comparison with other products. I did the same thing and now own a wonderful iAudio M3. I probably would have loved an iPod too but the M3 has so much more features and looks equally cool!!! Apple has great mp3 players but if you want to get a real bang for the buck, then start comparing products instead of impulsively buying an iPod "because everyone has one and because they look so cool". (No flame intended)

you sure the shows you record are free?

1. How big is your Archos? Oh right, it might have a bigger screen, but it is also much bigger.<br><br>2. You don't have to buy TV shows. You can still record them and upload onto the iPod.<br><br>3. What if you WANTED to buy TV shows you forgot to record. You can buy them with the iPod. Try that with your Archos.<br><br>How can you list no pros at all? Obviously, you didn't think very hard.