- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 30 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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14 out of 14 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Forget Ipod! But an archos AV500, You won't be sorry!"
Pros: amazing picture, records from tv/dvd, big harddrive, compact size
Cons: price, limited cust service, case needs a hole for earphones
Summary: I am truly a gadget girl and have done a lot of research on this PVP and a few others. The Cowon A2 (no removable battery), Cretive Zen (Archos has better picture, more features), Ipod video (I refuse to pay for each TV show I download onto that small screen), Archos AV700 (picture is distorted at times-screen is too big), Archos GMini 402 (great, but doesn't record TV/DVD). The Archos AV500 is the best out there.
OVERALL
I have a 75 minute commute to work and I wouldn't leave home without my Archos. The unit is pocket size, the picture is amazing, and the sound is good too, though the machine doesn't have an equalizer. The earphones are good, and the speaker is fairly loud. Battery life is about 3-4 hours with the LCD and 9-10 hours without it. I bought an external battery connector from EBay ($10) that uses rechargable batteries, and it lasts really long without recharging. You have to buy an extra wall or a USB charger because the TV pod must have the wall charger to work. So if you want to connect your Archos to the computer you need another source of power.
THE CASE
The case that comes with the unit is okay if you're just using the LCD. If you want to put the unit in your pocket and listen to the MP3, you'll need a new case. With the case closed you can't access the earphone hole, so your LCD will get scratched if you don't protect it. I just bought another case from Misticaudio ($25). The case that comes with it does stand up if you snap the strap from underneath.
RECORDING FROM TV/DVD
The TV Pod is really simple to set up, and it's great to be able to record from the TV/DVD. With Ipod you'd have to pay for each show you download. That's ridiculous! I don't know why other companies haven't picked up on this yet. The video scheduler is really helpful, and the audio recorder is nice to have too. I don't have the FM remote yet, but I'm definitely going to get one.
SOFTWARE
The software package is sufficient, but I use DIVX ($30 w-MPEG2 support) instead. I like to set up multiple files to convert, so it works better for me. I download TIVO files using Direct SHow Dump (free), then DIVX. A bit time consuming, but it's worth it. I set up the files at night, and they're done when I wake up. TIVO files are really big, so if you're going to download a lot of TIVO files, go for the 100GB. WP10 doesn't seem to work for my downloaded video files, though it's perfect for audio CDs.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
The manual is very thorough, but customer service is very limited. They don't know a whole lot more than what's in the manual and they can't do alot. The first week I had my Archos I erased all the files/videos on the machine by accident. They couldn't help me at all. They couldn't send me any of the files or tell me how to get them back. They said they'd be putting more software on their website soon. Their reasoning was that the machine is new. That's true, but I still expect a little bit more for such an expensive machine!
- 3 replies to this review
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I am tetering on buying a used unit that has been out of the box for a week. The owner is willing to part with the 100 GB unit for 320. I was unsure of committing to it. I think I will based on your review.
Thanks!
Rich -
Just had a thought with regards to your lost files/folders. YOu could try downloading Image Recall from the web (http://www.imagerecall.com/) as this recalls deleted photos from memory cards and, I believe, other files etc.. from a computer hard-drive - it's worth a try as your Archos can be plugged into your PC and act as an external hard drive as you know. Good luck and any questions, email me victoriamcneile@mac.com
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Hi. For you, and those of you out there in 'Archos land', you can backup the original files that came with the Archos, i.e. the sample movies, photos and music etc.. directly from their website - there's an ftp connection or failing that, just back up all your Archos data on your PC regularly and then you won't lose it again. A little late now I know but that's all I can think of - and besides, didn't you download everything to your Årchos from your PC anwyay?
Sorry, the 'ftp' connection details are ftp://support.archos.com/av500. Good luck. I'm hoping to get hold of another Archos AV500 as my original one had a major screen problem within less than a month of having it so I sent it back but there was no problem in doing that!
Where to buy
Archos AV500 Mobile DVR (100GB):
$479.99
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$479.99 | Yes |
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