Archos AV500 30 GB Multimedia Player and DVR Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As many of you have probably done, I have researched and read the few limited reviews I could find on this item, but finally i purchased it yesterday from the Sharper Image.So far its amazing,I did have the Archos AV420 but returned it because the battery failed on me.The AV500 is truly an amazing machine.The screen is so much sharper than the AV400 that it is indescribable.You can record directly from your DVD player, VCR, Satellite or Cable Box, which I am doing as I type this.I already put about five different cd's on the AV500 from my collection from Windows Media Player, and that took a mere twenty seconds for each cd.Also, the AV500 displays the album cover for each cd.The AV400 did not recognize many of the album covers that the AV500 does.The "TV Pod"is much easier to hook up on your tv than that of the AV400, and it seems that there are many less wires coming out from the pod.The built in speaker is good if your sharing with someone else, but the included earbuds have very good audio quality.In the case comes a user guide, 2 sets of audio and video cables, a USB 2.0 cable and USB host adapter, AC adapter and charger, Stero headphones, the TV cradle and IR emitter cable, Remote control with batteries, and the Protective Case.All in all the AV500 is a must buy for anyone who likes music, photos, and videos.I am in luck too because I am going to Washington in a few days which is an eight hour drive.On average the AV500 probably will have about 4 hours of playback on the battery while on video, and 10 hours of playback for music, but I have yet to test that.I am very happy i purchased the AV500 from The Sharper Image.

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Product Description:
Your movies, your games, your music, your photos -- all in one little device. That's the Archos AV500 30 GB Mobile Digital Media Player. This exciting media companion offers direct TV recording and the best of home cinema, gaming, digital music and more. Now you can bring all your entertainment with you wherever you roam. This 30 GB model, which is less than an inch thick, lets you store up to 130 hours of video, 85 movies, 15,000 songs or 300,000 photos. Using the AV500's rechargeable, removable battery, you'll get up to 15 hours of life for music and up to 4.5 hours for video playback on the built-in LCD.
The AV500 measures up nicely.

A world of entertainment in your hands. And the included TV Pod docking station makes connectivity a breeze.

Record video directly to the device.

Organize and play your music library. Personal Video Player
Used in conjunction with the included TV docking pod, you can record television programs, movies and home videos directly from your TV, VCR, DVD player, cable box or satellite receiver. Then watch them on the go whenever the notion strikes you. Plus, with the integrated scheduler you can program your recording schedule a week to a month ahead of time. Play back your favorite program on the 4-inch widescreen or on any external screen in near-DVD quality. The unit plays DivX, Windows Media, protected Windows Media, and MPEG-4 video files. You'll also have excellent control over your viewing experience with features such as slow motion, adjustable screen size, video editing, and a video bookmarking function.
Photo Viewer
The AV500 is a great digital photo companion. Transfer thousands of photos directly from your digital camera, or another mass storage device using the built-in USB connection. You can also transfer from a computer using the AV 500's high-speed USB 2.0 interface. Then, organize your photos and watch them in slide shows on the unit's screen or on any external display.
Music Player
The AV500 features Archos' newly-designed music player application. Now you can easily organize your songs and customize your view by artist, album, type of music, title, year, and play lists without having to use a computer. The AV500 also offers an audio recording application that records in high-quality WAV format from almost all analog stereo sources. You can also use the stereo microphone if you want to record notes, presentations and lectures.
Connectivity
The player has a USB 2.0 port that enables you to copy, share, connect and transfer files directly from other powered mass storage devices. The unit is also recognized as a mass storage drive on your PC or Mac, giving you the ability to transfer any computer file using the high-speed USB 2.0 interface.
PlaysForSure
The AV500 lets you purchase, download, subscribe to or rent protected video and music content from Microsoft PlaysForSure websites. The Archos AV500 works with many online subscription and pay-per-download music services such as Yahoo! Music Unlimited and Napster To Go. The PlaysForSure designation ensures compatibility with Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP. Using the USB 2.0 interface, the AV500 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 many compatible formats (MP3, WMA, WAV, protected WMA, MPEG -4, WMV and protected Windows Media Video).
Play Games Anywhere
Because the AV500 supports the popular Mophun gaming engine, it's designed to integrate with the Archos Web site for purchasing and downloading games. You can also connect an optional mini game pad to kick your games up a notch.
What's in the Box
AV500, TV docking pod, remote control (with batteries), audio/video cables, USB 2.0 cable, USB host adapter, AC adapter and charger, stereo headphones, protective case, user guide.

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