Archos 404 review (30GB)

For those torn between the 604 and the 404, most people will probably be won over by the nicer screen and removable battery of the 604. The 604 is slightly thicker and an inch wider but offers so much more. But ultimately, you can't deny the 404's more pocketable and manageable size.

In order to record audio or video, you need to purchase one of two optional kits. The first is the Archos DVR Station, a dock designed to fit in with your entertainment system. This $100 kit (with a nice remote control) can record virtually any video source, including cable TV, DVD player, camcorder, and so on, as well as line-in audio. It features virtually every input and output you'd care for, including S-Video in and out, component out, standard USB, and even SPDIF out. The other option is the more portable DVR Travel Adapter Kit ($70), which includes a 4-inch adapter that snaps onto the 404's dock connector. It's easy to use and transport, but it lacks the depth of ports on the dock. The AV500 actually shipped with a docking pod, making it record ready out of the box. So you're actually paying a little less (with a smaller screen of course) if you add the recording hardware--not a bad move by Archos, since you can save some cash if you don't want to record. However, recording is one of the prime features of this "DVR," and our advice is to get one of the two kits when you buy the main unit.

If you want to use the 404 as a USB host and you own an AC adapter (the 404 ships with only a proprietary USB cable), you'll have to spring for the Docking Adapter Kit ($30). For a little more cash, you can get the Archos 404 Camcorder (price TBD), which adds a 1.3-megapixel digital camera/camcorder to the mix.

The 404's revamped photo features do deserve mention. One method for browsing is the thumbnail mode, where you get 64 thumbnails, which magnify as you pass over them. Slide-show transitions are professional, and you can zoom in multiple steps. Like the 604, the 404 is a great photo viewer.

The 404 docked in the $100 DVR Station, which lets you record video. The DVR Station has a rich set of inputs and outputs, including S-Video and component. The more portable DVR Travel Adapter ($70) is better suited for on-the-go recording.

Battery life is rated for 12 hours for audio (subpar) and 4 hours video (good). Archos's latest firmware update (1.2.05) supposedly improves audio battery as well as the overall audio quality. We'll verify this claim soon. We had reported that the 604 was noisy at low volumes; while the 404 definitely sounds better (the 604 has improved as well), there is still the tiniest electrical static. Overall sound quality is very good though, just not as good as the Cowon A2's. It's very bright sounding and punchy, a sound I prefer. The built-in speaker is okay, not great. We also appreciate the addition of the set of preset and user EQs. But they don't dramatically affect the sound. We have to give props to Archos for adding true gapless playback of audio files.

The unit can pipe video out to a TV via the headphone jack (though you'll need to provide your own cable), and high bit rate video looks very good on a 20-inch screen. Recording video is simple without any headaches (you can record in MPEG-4/ADPCM/AVI at a maximum of 640x480 and 30fps). Scheduling recordings is easy enough, though we'd love a programming system that's more integrated and intelligent (Archos tried this with the PocketDish-branded versions of the AV500) in the same way the Toshiba Gigabeat S can playback Media Center recordings.

Overall, the 404 looks to be an awesome alternative to the current iPod, with its compactness, rich feature set, excellent video performance, and of course, competitive price. The 404 is a PVP in an MP3 player's body. We would recommend spending the extra $70 to $100 for a recording kit, though, as using the 404 as a DVR is what makes this device so attractive.