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- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 58 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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15 out of 22 people found this review helpful
1.5 stars
"What a disappointment!"
Pros: Decent battery life and you can record direct from a video source.
Cons: No easy way to load videos, video quality suffers at times, unit locks up on occasion and no kickstand.
Summary: I was really disappointed in my purchase of the AV420. I read all these great reviews on this site, but was let down when I finally bought it. First off, there is no way to easily load your movies onto this thing. As far as I can tell, you either have to record them in real time or use other conversion methods to get your movies on there. Maybe there are easier ways, but since the instructions contain about 3 sentences on how to load video onto the device, I was left searching google for all the answers. Secondly, the video that I did record in real time (direct from DVD) often had glitches and lapses in quality. Additionally, when I was watching the movies, the unit would freeze up on occasion...forcing me to reboot the device. Lastly, the unit has no kickstand, so using this thing on a plane or other travel situation is not easy. I had to prop the device up on a deck of cards to watch it in my plane seat. Yes, the unit does come with a nice cradle, but the cradle has tons of cables attached to it permanently, so it's not practical to travel with the cradle. There were a couple other smaller problems too. The external speaker isn't worth using at all and the headphones that came with the unit were defective. On the good side, the unit does have a good battery life and the unit on the whole is fairly user friendly. In summary, I spent a lot of money for this thing and was supremely disappointed. My only hope is that the store will give me a full refund so that I can try out the Samsung Yepp instead.
- 5 replies to this review
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I know the above comments were posted ages ago but I just came across this review and wanted to have my say
I am 57 woman and no tech head but I purchased one of these units last year in Hong Kong and as I live in Sydney wouldnt have been able to return if I wanted
I have lots of gadgets but this is the best I own
I have not been able to convert dvd's but I just plug it into my TV and have recorded so many tv shows and movies that I have lost count
I record in real time and just leave the tv running, I have never had a program stop or jump or any problems, I always keep the unit in my car and a number of times have been stuck somewhere in my car and always have a movie or show to watch
As far as stands go I bought one on ebay from the US which is a case with a built in stand, perfect on planes
I also purchased on ebay a small unit for $24.00 Aus which takes AA batteries so if it runs flat I just plug this unit into it and away we go again (by the way a great little gadget as it also fires up my nokia mobile phone)
I also have heaps of music and of course the main reason I bought it whilst travelling I download all my digital photos and can then erase my memory stick and take more photos but I can see them first before I delete
I have been able to download video from my camcorder so all in all I just love it and am sorry that you must have got a dud but mine has worked perfectly -
dude... any video player needs a video conversion the right format to play on ur device. so far archos made it easy for u by using mpeg-4 divx codec while the ipod use mov. (a format that is not commonly used) so deal with it. yes it might take a lil time but this player is Really nice. i say it's the ipod killer
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I'll answer your questions/concerns!
1) There is no way to easily load your movies
Reply: Actually you can use DVD Fab to decryot your DVD's you purchased and the use DIVX or XVID to get them to ARCHOS format.
2) video often had glitches and lapses in quality. Also freezes and locks up.
Reply: I've backed up over a 100 movies and have no quality issues. It must be related to how you backed them up. The unit has never frozen or locked up. Perhaps you need to get the newest firmware.
3) Unit has no kick stand
Reply: This is a real issue. I usually just prop it against the case on the air plane.
4) Not practical to travel with the cradle
Reply: The cradle isn't made to travel. It should always be connected to the TV you usually use. I purchased a $5.00 AV cable that I plug into the side of the unit to use when I travel which is quite often.
In summary this is one of the best toy's I have ever purchased. I record all my DVD'd onto it (each takes 700MB) and when I get to the motel/condo I simply plug it into the TV and watch what I want. -
Archos has the wrong idea when it comes to customer service, and dont take units back even if under the fake "warranty" !
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I believe you have 15 days to return it or you will not be able to. And if you return it without the original packaging you may have to pay a 15% restocking fee, I did.
Where to buy
Archos Pocket Video Recorder AV420:
$154.50 - $387.20
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$154.50 | Yes |
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Tech For Less, Inc.
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$387.20 | Yes |
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