Video AV340 with Dvr 100 MODULEMPEG4 Video und MP3 Play/rec 40GB

[Archived in Archos, Archos, Inc., Over 21 GB Jukeboxes, Products]

Manufacturer: Archos, Inc.
Price at amazon.com: Used & new from $479.00

List price $549.95



Product Features:

• Enjoy your entire collection of videos, photos, music and data on a device that fits in the palm of your hand
• Store up to 80 hours of your favorite movies in near DVD quality and view them on the high resolution 3.8" color LCD or on a TV
• Record directly from VCR, DVD or camcorder or from TV thru VCR or DVD connection
• Store up to 600 hours of MP3 music
• Store up 400,000 digital photos

Product Description:

Average Customer Rating:

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Comment: Watch Your Favorite Video/TV Show on the crosstrainer Rating:
Porbably 4 1/2 stars as nothing deserves five YET. Had the AV320 with the smaller drive thru HSN for more $$$ than the AV340 with twice the storage thru J&R for less $$$ (sent the other one back).
PLEASE don't forget to download the firmware upgrade at www.archos.com. It'll help if your music files are WMA like mine are. I just bought the stand and carry case thru their website as it could use some protection.
As my title states I tape directly from my cable box using the built in timer (leave the unit on) or if you start a show in a hurry there's a manual timer that is a snap to set.
There's a lot more to this unit that I have not checked out yet so maybe you'll get another review in 90 days or so.
I hope you enjoy it and it meets, no exceeds, your expectations.

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Comment: Catching up with the future, the Swiss Army Knife of MP3 Rating:
First let me say that I had delivery of my Archos AV340 one week PRIOR to the Amazon estimated arrival date! Way to go Amazon. Excellent price, too.

The AV340 is to the older Archos models as a kitchen knife is to a Swiss Army Knife. Sitting on mine right now are several hundred jazz recordings, hundreds of family photos, some family videos, the extended dvd versions of both Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, the complete stage works of Samuel Beckett (3 dvds)...well, get the picture? And yes, the video recorder does over-ride any copy protection, both vhs and DVD. The user interface is quite simple, though as with previous Archos models it does take several clicks to get to specific items much like a PC. But this is essentially a PC, so manuevering through screens seems quite natural. Loading tons of recordings onto the hd is painless, simply drag and drop. The hd shows up in XP just like any other drive.

I also purchased the camera attachment which is, again, quite simple to use. It snaps onto the side of the base unit and shows up immediately on the interface screen. The still and video quality is quite good with the proper lighting. Commercial videos copied to the hd look perfect on the small screen. Blowing up to a large screen is not the way to go. When viewed on my Toshiba 50+ inch screen the picture quality greatly diminished. Still photos looked okay, but you wouldn't want to watch a film that way. But why do this anyway?

The unit itself is a bit bulkier than the previous versions of the already bulky Jukebox series. This baby will not fit in your shirt pocket. I was rather disappointed that Archos did not include a carrying case, though curiously the camera attachment did come with a case for the whole shebang. I use the case from my Jukebox, which works quite well with the AV340.

Be sure to purchase a PDA screen protector. The unit itself is very solid but offers no protection for the screen. A case and protector are a must.

Archos reverts back to their previous ways by attaching the interface connector cover with a piece of string. Come on guys, for this price couldn't you spare a metal clip?

Last, a previous review states that the batteries are not replaceable. According to Archos they are not. However, there is an online company that sells replacements and instructions on how to do this. I have not purchased one, but it looks quite simple, and would certainly extend movie viewing time.

So what you get here is an MP3, WAV, and WMA player and recorder, a vcr (with a built in timer), a great clear screen, an excellent user interface, and a 40GB hd for about $100-$150 more than an iPOD. Throw in about another $175 (got mine for $150)and you add a video camera and a 3.3 pixel digital still camera. Oh, and it will work on any tv in the world and over-rides dvd region codes. Just like my Swiss Army Knife, the Archos AV340 is big and bulky, but I wouldn't be without it.

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Comment: Great Product!! Rating:
Finally, Archos gets it!! With this model, Archos has addressed most of the drawbacks of previous models. This product is actually in a class of its own! It does everything it claims to do, and does it well! The interface has also been drastically improved, though it is not obvious how to use the 3 "soft" buttons at first since the buttons are aligned vertcally at the right while the functions are listed horizontally at the bottom of the screen. However, a quick glance at the button descriptions in the quick-start guide is all you need to understand how everything works. Yes there is actually a quick start guide in addition to the well-written manual. The interface is much improved by the addition of a joystick. Also, the Operating System now allows file-handling functions such as rename, delete, etc to be done right on the jukebox, whereas a PC was required before. Also as with previous models, the jukebox looks like a hard-disk when connected to the PC which means transferring files back and forth is as easy as drag-and-drop (as opposed to using proprietary programs). The USB 2.0 connection is extremely fast and definitely a plus.

AUDIO: My biggest problem with previous models from Archos (as well as most competing products) was that they needed pre-amplified mics to make live recordings since the only audio input was line-in. Also live recordings in previous models tended to pick up hard-disk noise when using the internal mic, and some hum while using the line-in input. This model finally adds support for non-amplified mics. The audio input jack doubles as line-in and mic-in. Live recording is now very clean with no hard-disk noise, even when using the internal mic. I recently recorded a live concert with fantastic results. This model adds official support for playing WMA files. UPDATED: The latest OS update (free on their website) adds support for playing AND recording in WAV format (in addition to the MP3 format), which took care of the only major complaint I had with this model. You now have a full blown DAT recorder in your pocket! This update also allows you to do some basic audio and video editing on the unit itself. Way to go Archos!!

VIDEO: Video looks very good indeed on the large 3.8" LCD screen. May not exactly be DVD-quality as they claim, but its darn close! The included DVR module allows you to record MP4 video on the fly or you can convert videos to MP4 on your PC and transfer them to the unit. You can also use an optional camera accessory (AVCam 300) to capture live MP4 video to the hard-disk, in effect converting the jukebox to a VHS-quality camcorder.

PHOTOS: Pictures look great! The unit supports both JPEG (non-progrssive) and BMP. You can use the optional memory card readers to upload directly into the jukebox bypassing your PC, or you can download pictures from your PC. Or use the optional camera accessory (AVCam 300) to take live photos to the hard-disk at a 3.3 Megapixel resolution.

DRAWBACKS: The main problem is that battery life is less than 4 hours when watching videos. And since the battery is a proprietary non-removable Li-Ion battery, you can't just pop out the old battery and put in a new one. Of course, if you (like me) use it mostly for music, then the battery life is a healthy 8-9 hours especially if you allow the LCD to stay off (it goes off automatically after a few seconds). Also for the hefty price tag, Archos should have included the optional wired remote that adds FM Radio support. The lack of an included carrying case is puzzling especially since the cheaper Archos models all came with cases. Go out and buy a case right away to protect that huge LCD screen. A final (minor) complaint is the increased size as compared to the older models and the much smaller iPod. In an effort to save some money Archos uses standard 2.5" notebook drives instead of the 1.8" hard disks used in the Apple iPods. However the upside to this is that if you fill up the hard-disk, upgrading to 60 or even 80GB using a standard notebook hard disk is not too difficult or expensive. There are many sites online that give you detailed instructions on how to do this. Of course, opening the jukebox will void your Archos warranty ..

VERDICT: Overall, the ease of use, the features, as well as the quality is miles ahead of any other competing product as well as older Archos models. Despite the minor drawbacks, Archos has done an outstanding job. This jukebox is well worth the hefty price tag, especially considering the new 40GB Apple iPod costs just a litle less than this and plays MP3 files only with no recording ability whatsoever.

Posted at November 11, 2003 07:58 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)