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Archos 404 - 30GB Slim Portable Multimedia Player
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| Price: |
Average customer review:
Product Description
ARCHOS presents the ARCHOS 404, an ultra slim and compact Portable Multimedia Player to enjoy and store all your digital media content in the palm of your hand. Featuring a large 3.5?? TFT LCD color screen, the ARCHOS 404 boasts a 30 GB hard drive for storing up to 85 movies, 300 000 photos or 15 000 songs. it is the ultimate PMP to enjoy music, videos and photos on the move. Transform your ARCHOS 404 into a digital video recorder to record directly from any analog video source, such as a TV, VCR, DVD player, cable box or satellite receiver by simply plugging it into the optional DVR station. The ARCHOS 404 is the perfect companion for people on the move! The ARCHOS 404 is the perfect companion for people on the move: its 30 GB hard drive capacity allows you to store up to 130 hours of video5 encoded with a PC, the equivalent of 85 movies5. Play them on the built-in 3.5" LCD color screen or playback on TV in high resolution up to 720 x 576 (DVD quality) with the DVR station. Play a large variety of video files, including MPEG-41, WMV2 and protected WMV2 and read MPEG-4 AAC/H.2643 (.MP4 QuickTime files), MPEG-24, and VOB4 with optional software plug-ins (available on this website). The ARCHOS 404 also offers many more functionalities such as slow motion, adjustable screen size, video editing and even a video bookmarking function. Record TV or external video sources Transform your ARCHOS 404 into a Digital Video Recorder with the optional DVR station. Record TV or most video sources such as satellite/cable box, VCR, DVD player6 or camcorder in MPEG-4 format1. Set up the DVR station by connecting it to the external video source; simply slot in your ARCHOS and record instantaneously or make scheduled recordings with the included infrared receiver that controls the external video sources. Turn your ARCHOS into a camcorder Use your ARCHOS as a camcorder and enjoy your personal videos, anywhere?anytime: - connect most
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #26830 in Consumer Electronics
- Brand: Archos
- Model: Archos 404 30GB
- Released on: 2006-08-29
- Dimensions: .42 pounds
- Hard Disk: 30GB
- Display size: 3.5
Editorial Reviews
Manufacturer's Description
Archos 404 30GB Digital Media Player Ultra-compact, full screen Portable Multimedia Player supporting all standard video formats in full DVD resolution. Screen size surface twice that of similar size PMPs with 2.5" screens. Reads all standard video formats1 in full DVD resolution. DVD-quality video playback on TV with optional DVR Station. Records directly from TV in high-quality MPEG-4 with optional DVR station. Bright 3.5" LCD with 16 million colours. Extremely fast photo viewer with zoom, music and transition effects. Advanced music player able to display track, artist, album, and album cover. Fully compatible with DVD quality VOD and music online stores. Large choice of convenient for TV recording, direct digital photo transfers, hands-free video capturing, and more. 30 GB to store up to 85 movies, 300,000 photos or 15,000 songs. |  |
| Video player | ||
 | The ARCHOS 404 is the perfect companion for people on the move: its 30 GB* hard drive capacity allows you to store up to 130 hours of video5 encoded with a PC, the equivalent of 85 movies5. Play them on the built-in 3.5" LCD color screen or playback on TV in high resolution up to 720 x 576 (DVD quality) with the DVR station. Play a large variety of video files, including MPEG-41, WMV2 and protected WMV2 and read MPEG-4 AAC/H.2643 (.MP4 QuickTime files), MPEG-24, and VOB4 with optional software plug-ins (available on this website). The ARCHOS 404 also offers many more functionalities such as slow motion, adjustable screen size, video editing and even a video bookmarking function. | |
| Record TV or external video sources | ||
Transform your ARCHOS 404 into a Digital Video Recorder with the optional DVR station. Record TV or most video sources such as satellite/cable box, VCR, DVD player6 or camcorder in MPEG-4 format1. Set up the DVR station by connecting it to the external video source; simply slot in your ARCHOS and record instantaneously or make scheduled recordings with the included infrared receiver that controls the external video sources. |  | |
| Turn your ARCHOS into a camcorder | ||
 | Use your ARCHOS as a camcorder and enjoy your personal videos, anywhere…anytime: | |
| Photo Wallet | ||
Transfer your photos from a PC or most mass storage devices via the USB 2.0 high speed interface or directly from a digital camera, on the move with the optional docking adapter, or at home with the DVR station. Store and view up to 300,000 photos5 (JPEG, PNG and BMP formats) and display slideshows with music and transition effect. Manage your files and folders directly on the device for a better mobility. |  | |
| Music Player | ||
 | Store up to 15,000 songs5 on the hard drive and play most popular music files such as MP3, WAV, WMA and protected WMA files. Easily organize songs with the enhanced ARCLibrary and customize your view by artist, album, type of music, title, year, and create your playlists without having to use a computer. Use the voice recorder to store notes quickly for a later use. | |
| Charge and sync | ||
Charge your ARCHOS 404 via the USB 2.0 interface or plug the device into the DVR station to get a quick charge (faster than USB). Purchase, download, subscribe to or rent protected video and music content from the Microsoft PlaysForSure™ websites. Using the high-speed USB 2.0 interface, the ARCHOS 404 will easily auto-synchronize this content with Windows Media® Player 10 each time you connect it to your PC, or convert your Windows Media® Player 10 library content to one of the many compatible formats (MP3, WMA, WAV, protected WMA, MPEG-41, WMV2 and protected Windows Media Video2). |  | |
Box Contents
Customer Reviews
Archos 404 - 30GB Slim Portable Multimedia Player
I got this for my 40th and have been very impressed with it.
You can play MP2 and vob files on this player but you need a codec from teh Archos website to play them which costs between £13-£14 due to euro fluctuation.
one gripe about playing mpg2 and vob files is that it runs the battery down quick. to prolong battery life you need to convert video to mpg4.
the other gripe is that it does tell you how to convert video to mpg4 as it comes with no software. you have to go to the Archos website to download 3 programs. I have Ulead Videostudio 10+ which can make MPG4 videos,but they are unplayable on this machine. the conversion software is free.
if you have ipod tracks you can purchase another codec for the same price as indicated above.
i did my research and i believe this is much better than the IPOD video 30gb.
The other plus is that it has a very large viewable screen compared to the IPOD.
also you can buy teh DVR docking station. this allows you to record from telly to the player in MPG4 direct. you can also use it as a DVR for your TV as well.
it cant play copy protected files.
All in all a pretty useful piece of lit for the price.
Depends how you intend to use it........
As the title suggests, the Archos 404 could be given anything between 1 & 5 stars depending on how you intend to use it:
Video playback is excellent, the screen resolution is flawless and bright. Sound quality is excellent too, as long as you're using headphones (the built in speaker is only really good for momentary review of sound files). The photo viewer and portable hard drive functions are excellent, though the menu system can sometimes be hard and slow to navigate.
If you're looking at buying one with the intention of using it in a 'static situation' i.e. a train commute to work or similar, then it'll prove to be a fantastic little device. However if you're intending to use it 'on the move' i.e. whilst walking/jogging, then I'd recommend looking at a different product. The Archos has a delicate mechanical hard drive and doesn't respond well to any movement.
I bought mine with the intention of using it with the accessory helmet camcorder, so a friend and I could record ourselves on our motorbikes (on road). We tried a few different methods of carrying the unit (wrapped in a thick towel in our seat units, stored in our pockets, in a rucksack etc) but the Archos wasn't happy with any of them. Each time we stopped to check what we'd recorded, the unit had locked up (which requires a needle or pin to press the reset button) and we'd lost most of the footage. We'd subjected it to no more vibration than it'd get from walking, so as I said before, using the item in anyway 'on the move' is a big no no. Also the standard of recording is poor, don't expect DVD-quality playback.
The only other gripe I have is that you have to purchase some plug-ins from the Archos website to play certain file types, and there's no mains charger supplied with the unit.
Excellent machine for the money
Ignore the guy who was moaning about this machine; for the money this is an impressive bit of kit. Some good things:
syncs with Windows Media Player - I have all my music, photos and videos on my Archos. The sync works flawlessly
the screen is excellent - clean, crisp and large.
But, if you buy the DVR unit the Archos really packs some killer punches. You can record directly from your TV - not only that, you can record from your VCR and DVD player. I watched Severance and Touching the Void on the tube on the way to work last week. The quality of the recordings is excellent. Even better, the unit has a scheduler that can communicate with most VCRs and digital boxes to schedule reordings at specific times - the unit sends an IR signal to your VCR/top box to change to the right channel at the specified time and then commences recording.
It can also read pdf files and can play podcast stuff. I also have the helmetcam - it's a neat solution that is much more compact than the alternatives. The recordings are good quality - but could do with image stablising software, depending on what you are recording.
Downsides I have found are poor battery life - but I think the unit I have is faulty so I'm going to send it back; which is a pain. Customer service via Archos is also not top of their agenda; they don't seem to respond to emails.
Why get an Iplod when you can get one of these, for a lot less?
