Archos 504 80 GB

...and television episodes on my Archos 504 along with all my desired music.

I also liked to fact that the screen is quite large and one can enjoy films on it, unlike some cheaper, smaller devices. There was also the added bonus of there being an inbuilt sound recorder, and one of good quality, and it can be quite useful when memos need to be recorded.

For these reasons, the Archos 504 has been a most agreeable device ...
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The battery, when watching films does not last a great deal of time- in the region of two hours, or thereabouts. Listening to music, it lasts longer- probably double, but I am not certain, as I constantly top up the battery. Unfortunately, and rather naughtily, the company did not include a mains charger with it, only a USB lead which allows charging. I use the DVR station to charge it.

Also, when playing sound out ... more

I bought this product from Currys when the later model, 605, was also on the shelves. Despite the latter having WIFI and being touch screen, I opted to purchase the 504, mainly because the 605 was a higher price even though it had less than half the memory, (30GB). It was important for me, and no doubt many others, to have sufficient memory to store as many videos and songs as I wanted without having to worry about running out of memory.

This factor was undoubtedly more important than WIFI or touch screen ability, those factors being unrelated to the actual purpose of the machine. I wished not to spend a great deal, and this item was one which came within budget and offered all that I wanted- that being a device having sufficient memory to meet my needs. However, in reflection is would have been much more ergonomical to have the touch screen facility, as one has to use the buttons by the side of the screen to navigate- not a problem, just makes it more time consuming to type (eg, renaming a file).

I then concerned myself with how to store videos on to the device. Music was simple enough- rip the music from CD to the computer and thence to the device. This process was simple and could be achieved through Windows Media Playe or Realplayer.

Videos was tricky, as one must have software to transfer DVDs onto the computer and then onto the device. I can currently download clips from the internet, but have not mastered how to transfer a DVD to the device, using a computer.

Therefore, I decided to purchase the DVR station, which proved invaluable. I have recorded all of my videos from the television- either through DVDs or from television channels, onto the device. I now have a large collection of films and television episodes on my Archos 504 along with all my desired music.

I also liked to fact that the screen is quite large and one can enjoy films on it, unlike some cheaper, smaller devices. There was also the added bonus of there being an inbuilt sound recorder, and one of good quality, and it can be quite useful when memos need to be recorded.

For these reasons, the Archos 504 has been a most agreeable device to own. However, I would also highlight the following problems.

The battery, when watching films does not last a great deal of time- in the region of two hours, or thereabouts. Listening to music, it lasts longer- probably double, but I am not certain, as I constantly top up the battery. Unfortunately, and rather naughtily, the company did not include a mains charger with it, only a USB lead which allows charging. I use the DVR station to charge it.

Also, when playing sound out loud, it is not extremely loud, but it is only a small device and one cannot expect more. I say small, but in comparison to other MP4 devices it is not so small, but rather heavy.

The only problem of using the DVR station is that one must, of course, watch the whole piece of video all the way through to record. It is "live recording", transferring the current images onto the device.

In conclusion, I would recommend this item to all those who want to capture their favourite films and television episodes onto a portable device, even if it involves using the DVR station. If it is only music wanted, use a MP3 player, as that may prove a more portable, convenient option. 

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