Archos 504 160GB

...the Generation 4 line of Archos Products, the Archos 504 offers different storage capacities of 40GB, 80GB and 160GB.

There are a few things which need to be explored with this product, and there are others which need to be taken into ccount before purchasing the product.

The Archos 504 is part of the Generation 4 line of models, which include the 404, 404camcorder, 604 and 604wifi. When comparing this product to others ...
...behind this is to prevent Archos from including high priced earphones with the unit then pushing the price up. While some would be happy with a mid-decent pair with the unit, people would much rather buy their own expensive pairs. This way it ives the customer the option of a better pair without ramming a mid-ranged pair down the consumers' throats. The supplied earphones are more than likely for testing purposes only anyway.

There ... more

As part of the Generation 4 line of Archos Products, the Archos 504 offers different storage capacities of 40GB, 80GB and 160GB.

There are a few things which need to be explored with this product, and there are others which need to be taken into ccount before purchasing the product.

The Archos 504 is part of the Generation 4 line of models, which include the 404, 404camcorder, 604 and 604wifi. When comparing this product to others in the generation 4 range you will notice that this player is somewhat more chunkier than the other models, and this is because of the size of the Hard Drive which is set within it.

The 504 has exceptional standards when it comes to compatibility. Pretty much all the known popular formats will play and there are plugins available too. I will delve into that a bit more a bit further on in the review.

Out of the box:

When you first open the box you will be confronted with a quickstart sheet, and underneath this, the player itself. When taking it out of the box you will notice how light the product is, but also that is in excitement of taking the plastic screen protector off too!

Next to the player you will see a longer box which contains the DVR saddle, the USB cable and a pair of earphones, Underneath the player you will find a box with a full start guide, a case or pouch and some other bits of paperwork.

You will notice that I've not mentioned a charger - the Generation 4 series charge via USB. While this may be inconvenient for some, this just cuts down on costs of the unit itself, providing the power option seperately should you need it.

The supplied earphones are ones which you will want to replace, as they are of very poor quality. I think the reason behind this is to prevent Archos from including high priced earphones with the unit then pushing the price up. While some would be happy with a mid-decent pair with the unit, people would much rather buy their own expensive pairs. This way it ives the customer the option of a better pair without ramming a mid-ranged pair down the consumers' throats. The supplied earphones are more than likely for testing purposes only anyway.

There is a little grey thing in the long box and this is called the DVR Saddle. These aren't included with the DVR station accessories but with the product itself. It's long and grey with two holes in the bottom and shaped for the archos to sit in perfectly.

The DVR saddle is used for the Archos 504 to sit in whilst attached to the DVR. The reason the sadle is included with the product is because of compatibility with the 404 and 404camcorder; these units are somewhat smaller and wouldn't fit into the conventional saddle, so they opted to bundle them with the players and not the DVR station. If you do not plan on using the DVR station then the saddle is pretty much useless to you, but best keep hold of it anyway.

The USB cable that is included with the player is rather strange; nothing like the preious cables used on the older Archos machines. They have completely done away with the conventional mini-USB approach and gone for something more unique. This may be bad in one sense because should there be a problem with the cable itself then you will need a specific replacement, it's not that you can rush down to your local Maplins store to buy one.

The cable is rather strange looking, it is moderately long with a really strange looking connector on the end of it. This is into two parts, the little silver piece is for powering the device and the middle part is for data transfer. It is highly advisable not to leave this cable lying around, unlike the other ones should you tread on it bare foot it really does hurt!

The case that is included with the product is various. Sometimes you will get a fabric case, sometimes you will get a little leather one. Unfortunately when using this case you don't have access to the buttons, and this can make things a little bit more difficult, especially when it is raining out. On the flip side it does a good job of protecting the unit, epecially the screen. Fabric cases were supplied with the earlier models of the 04 series.

The device itself:

When switching on the device you are greeted bit a big green Archos logo. Quite quick in booting, this player uses the Linux operating system to provide you with the fununctions. Once the startup has loaded you will be confronted by the main screen, with the options of Video, Music, Photo, Browser, Resume, Scheduler, VideoCorder and AudioCorder. When testing the unit out for the first time I opened the video application and it brought up a few sample videos which opened speedily on the device. The image quality was superb, especially with the 4 inch widescreen display and 480x272 "PSP-like" resolution. I have to admit the colour on the device wasn't as bright and vivid as previous units but still very watchable.

I also noticed that the built-in speaker was on so I decided to try and turn that off. There are lots of icons at the right hand side of the unit, of which gave more options. I thenm realised that it was going to take me a while to see what all the functions do.

After opening the music player I opened the sample sings which were featured. On the screen was the title, artist and album, along with the previous and next track, the album cover and a VU meter along the bottom, alongside the volume controls and track progress thingy. The whole thing was perfectly designed, with volume notifications at the top of the device along with the opened applications.

When I looked on the photo browser there were lots of sample pictures all arranged in a video wall, and when I opened the slideshow there were different transitions! It was at this point that I decided this was more like a computer than anything else.

Other features include recording audio, recording from a TV/DVD Player, playing videos back on a TV, as well as the massive selection of settings and personalisation options.

One small thing I did notice was that the finish on the device does wear easily, so you might not want to hold the unit too much with rings on. Other than that, it is a perfect device, and with the cost coming down to make way for Generation 5, there hasn't been a better time to buy one! 

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