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"Hindsight is 20/20 – I'd have to pass on this unit/company if i were you." on by acatspaw
Pros: Great Stat's on paper!
Cons: Will nickel and dime you too death!!!& Really disreputable customer service.
Summary: You have to pay for functionality to the point of insult!!– everything costs you extra. Plug-in's – you have to pay. Browser – you have to pay. Want to download the TV Guide listings? Buy the DVR Station and you find out that the TV Guide Listing's is only free for the first year, after that guess what? You have to pay. Case that comes with the unit is completely useless, you may as well wrap it in a single piece of tissue paper, but guess what? You can pay for a half decent case from the company (the 604 came with a good case)
Everything about this product, including it's marketing, was designed to milk you of your hard earned $. Everything! You really hard to believe how far they went until you buy the product. Even really simple things like not including necessary parts with accessories you purchase.
Customer Service: really really poor, if you have a problem with your shipment, like i did, they'll give you the complete run around and out and out lie to you. Oh sorry sir the product you ordered isn't in stock (that's not what your web site says) Oh sorry sir we just shipped it, you should have the tracking number soon, but days later you still doesn't have a tracking number, and when you call up you get another Rep end up saying the same thing - Oh sorry sir we just shipped it, you should have the tracking number soon. You'll have to threaten to cancel your order before you get any action, and even when i pressed the rep, he suggested that if i cancelled my order it may be subject to a 15% restocking fee even though they haven't even taken it off the shelf and shipped it yet. ***?
Having used the product for a while now, while is a pretty good device, it cost me a lot more $ (Cost me over $650 all in) then i feel it was worth, and all the nickel and diming and really slimy customer support all left a really bad taste in my mouth, such that i can't recommend buying it on the principle of it. Wait 6-8 month's until the competition from more reputable companies catch up. -
"Most Amazing Player on the Market." on by cjohnbrown
Pros: Screen Quality, Touch Screen, User Interface, Wifi, Content Portal, Internet, Music, Photos, Videos, DVR and More
Cons: No FM Tuner Built in, Average Battery Life, proprietary connections
Summary: Really a 9.3
I have owned and or used multiple mp3 players over the years (Creative, Archos, Irvier, Ipod, Sansa...) and I have never been so pleased with a purchase. The Archos 605 has it all. I have owned the Archos 605 for a little over a week.
Screen and UI:
The screen quality is very high and is higher than what I have seen on any other player currently on the market. The screen shows amazing detail and the coating for the touch Screen is great because it decrease glare. The touch screen is very responsive and UI is simple through the touch screen and slight less easy through the buttons on the side but having both touch screen and side buttons seems to aid in navigation and makes this the easiest player I have ever used.
Video:
The videos are clean and clear. Amazing quality and since you are able to adjust videos to multiple sizes screen you are able to see videos in great quality. Also when you highlight a video in your browser the icon gives you a preview of your video which is a great little touch and the Archos 605 is filled with little extras like this.
Music:
The music interface is great and with the touch screen you get amazing search capabilities similar if not better that the ipod. The sound quality is good but I do wish the volume could be higher, but I also tend to play my music a little too loud anyways.
Photos:
The screen quality assists any displaying your pictures in the best possible way. Touch screen gives you an easy way to zoom in and out and to go from picture to picture. You can also save your pictures to the main screen and you can even zoom into a particular part of a picture and save that. You can play music during your slide shows which has multiple transition effects and you can download and save pictures from the internet (web browser plug-in needed).
Content Portal:
Archos comes with its own content portal which you do not need to purchase the web browser to connect to. The Content Portal gives you content where ever you can find wifi. You get cinema now which allows you to buy or rent movies, TV shows, music videos and Daily Motion which is like youtube and is free. And other providers are on the way.
Wifi and Web:
Connecting to your wifi is easy and you can also connect your network and stream music, video, and pictures to your player. The web is a fun and easy to use but you will have to buy a plug-in to utilize. The touch screen is easy to use, and the screen quality makes it very easy to read pages without zooming in, you can also double tap on any screen and enlarge a page. The pages load at a decent rate and you can view pages like youtube (that run on flash 7, future firmware upgrades will allow for higher levels of flash) and view the videos on full screen. The Web Browser is a plug-in so it will cost extra but I figure if I did not want a web browser and I had one I would dislike having to pay for one, especially when I could have saved the built in cost of 30 dollars.
DVR:
The DVR is easy to use like all Archos players to have owned. I purchased the travel adapter, so I just plugged in the AV into my TV and pressed recorded. Record quality is very high and process is very easy. The DVR function is great because you can copy anything on TV and take it with you on the go. But it should be known that the Travel DVR does not come with a charger.
Overall the Archos is the best PVP out now. Everything functions at a high level. Other bonuses are you can also connect the Archos as a Hard Drive (which I have always preferred) or allow Window Media to manage your files. The Archos can view PDF and while I do not buy music for I tunes the Archos can play AAC files and there is a plug in to play video podcast I may get in the future. I like the idea of buying plug-ins instead of having features I would not use but have to pay for. I would have preferred that the battery life was better but it is also not terrible. I have always dislike proprietary connections and that is a big minus in my book but since most players if this capacity have it now, I guess it is just the way thing must be. I would have also liked a built-in FM turner. I also hear the internet radio will be coming out later this year. I do not see how anyone can still be interested in other players that are in the PVP market – Apple (including the new touch), Creative, Cowon and all other challengers have a lot of catching up to do. -
"Please Be Realistic!!" on by TMT904
Pros: Great Screen Res & touch screen, Huge capacity
Cons: No replaceable battery
Summary: Okay, the skinny....I have owned an AV500 100gb for almost 3 years...dropped it, banged it, abused it...still ticking without a hitch. The 500 came with everything...TV Dock (to allow DVR function), cables etc...do I use the DVR function??...no, never intended to. Now comes the 605...
Consider the 160gb HD!! More than any other PVP. Until Flash memory jacks to this level, anticipate more storage = larger size..go figure. I would not even think of buying this to record TV stuff for archive purposes or replaying back on a TV screen. The few times I used the DVR function on my 500, I recorded for the purpose of watching it on the UNIT!! Looks awesome that way.
Sound?....plug it into my Sony 500 watt receiver...better than playing CDs in the changer... don't have to shuffle thru stacks of CDs looking for the right one..it's all at my fingertips. Once again, I didn't buy either the 500 or 605 thinking I could pull it out of the box and listen to it in a trainstation without headphones/external speakers! It's a microspeaker...sounds awesome over my car stereo system and my home entertainment system.
I've read the other reviews...I can't see any circuitry via the front of the device..yes the back does have slight play while working..so does my 500..I can live with that. I would NEVER buy a commercial item such as this to record video for WORK! Common sense...go professional! Extras, ya wanna talk extras...the AV500 100gb went for $650 folks! 100gb, no SD, no WiFi, no Stand & no touch screen. I've seen the 605 160gb for $350 already! That leaves almost $300 to buy accessories. The mini docking adapter charges the unit quickly and sends video out...all I really need...$30 My cable company supplies the DVR for the family...much more convenient, no charge, and better Res. The cost of extras is all relevant. It allows you to customize for your needs and keeps the unit cheaper.
Service has always been an issue with Archos..think they'd have learned by now. On the flip side, they have pretty much led the way in regards to PVPs. Fortunately, I've never needed support and have never purchased a unit directly from them...why would I when the units can be found elsewhere for cheaper?? I recommend SquareTrade for anyone leary about service requirements or repairs. Everyone has their recommendations....all I can say is go get a job as a developer or engineer and design what you want.
I have my entire music collection on my Archos. The video side is 50/50. Some on Archos, some archived on external HDs...by the way..I can hook up my Archos directly to and swap out videos...no need for a laptop or PC...as Austin Powers would say.."I Thank You." Although I do not promote this due to legal reasons, it is possible to d/l a movie...no conversion, no anything...plop it on the Archos and it plays. 99% of my movie collection is from DVDs that I own and are now in the closet since the quality of my converted movies are as good as the DVD on playback via the Archos.
Bottom line for me...great for traveling...I used to drive 90 miles one way to work. My daughter loves it and yes, I do have SpongeBob and other cartoons on it. Now she uses my 500. Great portability as entertainment and file transport. Expandability with SD capability. Okay battery life. I never have to pay hotel movie fees any longer. I'm used to the interface so there was virtually no learning curve for me. Hint, to extend battery life a short while longer, tone down the screen brightness. It only cost me $120 for extras but I got a whole lot more than with my 500...$370 for the Archos = $490. Quite a savings over my previous unit. I love it and will continue to stick with Archos. Hope this helps, and oh, as stated in a previous review...don't post if you don't own.
-J -
"Spectacular product - a Must Have for Music / Movie lovers" on by prasad_dude
Pros: Fantastic resolution, Excellent interface, Wi-fi, huge memory
Cons: A bit heavy (160 gb), incomplete accessories
Summary: After waiting for a zillion years (for the wifi ipod launch) i gave up and started looking for alternatives, and then i opted for archos. Its been just a day of usage i can say that this IS the BEST, in fact Archos is one step ahead of ipod. Steve jobs has finally announced the wifi ipod launch details. But wait its just 8-16 gb and that is just peanuts.
More about the product - absolulte fantastic resolution, good user interface and excellent wi-fi, not to mention the whopping 160 gb i can store my entire music / video collection
Yeah its a bit heavy compared to ipod but what the hell i dont mind as long as i have got a way better product. This is a absolute must have to people who like to carry their entire collection with them. Watching a movie is absolute fun. There is a very small problem this being a 160 gb drive you can always feel a small movement happening in the back side (thats when the hard drive is used)
Anyway i dont repent 'not waiting' from the wifi ipod since it is way to less storage capacity and sure this product beats the ipod hands down.
More details later -
"Fat32 Strikes Again!" on by chaosmen
Pros: Great video quality.
Cons: File Size Limit 2B
Summary: I was thrilled to see that Archos was now supporting MPEG2 and VOB files on their new 605wi player.
I even bought all the add-ons, especially, the MPG2 Decoder.
I tried dragging over some VOB and MPG2 files, but any file over 2GB would fail. I could sometimes get them to go, but overall, it would lock up the player.
I contacted technical support and they confirmed that the player does in fact have a 2GB file limit due to it being FAT32.
Its inconceivable that ARCHOS would create a large and roomy hard disk player that can play VOB/MPG2, have us pay more for that feature, but then wont allow a standard movie (which often exceeds 2GB) to be moved to it.
If anyone knows how to reformat the hard drive with NTFS and of course, keep all the supporting OS, I'd love to know
If you buy this product, you might have to wait like the rest of us for a hack that will allow it to play large video files.
For now, I am converting vids to WMV, which adds hours of converison time. It would great to have them in a non-compressed format.
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