Advantages: Amazing picture quality, easy to use software, attractive product and interface
Disadvantages: Long video conversion software, very expensive!

...I decided that I'd try and top my friends' new Ipods by buying a multimedia player. Looking at the market, the new Archos AV400 series easily came on top. They brought out two models, the AV420, the 20gb model, and the AV480, the 80gb model. Thinking of all the mps and films I intended to put on there, I decided to go to the 80gb model, added expensive, but definately worth it. All the software needed to convert files so they are compatable with the Archos come on the system, and are easy to install and use. I did find, though, that converting a full length film does take a few hours, which can be a bit of hassle. The Archos comes with its own little docking station that allows you to connect it to a television. So if you don't have a computer, yo can record programs, dvds or videos straight from or via your television. Similarly you... Read review

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Advantages: Everything you want in one small package plus more
Disadvantages: None that I can think of at the moment

...I have previously owned a Archos AV700TV but decided to upgraded to the Archos 604wifi as the AV700TV was a big bulky machine and as I couldn't get the tv to work on it properly (Low signal reception). Upon opening the Archos 604wifi I was very impressed with the size and build compared to my previous Archos. As the 604wifi is alot smaller than the AV700TV and has more or less the same features such as Movies, Music, Picture viewer and Video Recorder minus the TV function which was the AV700TV has. The 604wifi is small enough for you to be able to stick it in you're pocket and be able to watch a movie or listen to music on a journey or log on to the internet providing you are within a wifi area. I would definetly suggest anyone who likes to be able to watch movies or listen to music on the go to buy this item. I think I paid roughly... Read review

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Advantages: Plays Videos, Small, Nice Design, Connect to TV
Disadvantages: Battery Life, Browsing Songs,

...I have been an ipod fan since they first came out and to be honest had never really heard about the Archos mp3 players. However last year I was given one as a gift and at the time I was thinking id rather have an ipod any day. But after using I discovered the qualities the Archos has. For a start the design looks very nice, its silver small and very tidy. However it does tend to seem fragile as I was afraid that I might drop it or scratch the screen. Hence immediately I brought a cover from eBay which cost me £20 but its better than damaging an item worth £200. 20GB is more than enough to store music but when you have videos to store it can be a problem. As an average film after converting is around 1GB. The conversion process to put the videos on the Archos is a lengthy and tedious one. To convert one video and put it on my Archos... Read review

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Advantages: Compact and Does what is is designed to do, good online support
Disadvantages: Can be tricky to use with Archos Media Players

...The arcos 4 in 1 Compact flash adaptor enables you to transfer jpeg images from Xd. Memory stick, Scan disk and Multimedia cards to a Compact Flash compatible source. There isn't a lot to say about such a device, as it is relatively simple and straightforward to use. The card adaptor measured 600mm x 400mm and is a compact design with no wasted space or fancy patterns. It is designed to be a functional device and so not a lot of time was put into the design of it. However you wouldn't buy it for its aesthetics, you would buy it because it is made by Archos, which is a technology company that is well recognised and has an international reputation for quality. This fact is well advertised on the product as a bright red Archos label takes half of the top face. The card adaptor performs its functionality seamlessly when used with other... Read review

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Advantages: PMP Great entertainment
Disadvantages: 2GB - not a lot of storage for the device capabilities

...CIAO Review on the Archos 105 - Colour: RED - 09/06/2008 Archos 105 2GB of Storage Available RRP date - 06/2007 - Archos Introduction - Archos started out in 1988; originally it was a company dealing with only digital media storage; as the digital market grew so did trends into new technologies, and Archos became a well-known brand within this market. This was a natural progression. Archos got into portable media players (PMP) and specialised in storage data for entertainment in audio and video. Archos now is a below market price retailer in portable technologies, the reason being is due to Archos not being such a marketable brand like Apple but still highly regarded. If, you are not aware of Archos; it is highly likely that you have been using an Archos product without your knowledge. For example, anyone who has been through... Read review

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Advantages: great sound n video performance
Disadvantages: size of storage

...CIAO Review on the Archos 105 - Colour: Silver 12/02/2008 Archos 105 2GB of Storage Available RRP date - 06/2007 - Archos Introduction - Archos was founded in 1988; originally it was a company dealing with only digital media storage; as the digital market grew so did trends into new technologies, and Archos became a well-known brand within this market. This was a natural progression. Archos got into portable media players (PMP) and specialised in storage data for entertainment in audio and video. Archos now is a below market price retailler in portable technologies, the reason being is due to Archos not being such a marketable brand like Apple but still highly regarded. If, you are not aware of Archos; it is highly likely that you have been using an Archos product without your knowledge. For example, anyone who has been through... Read review

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Advantages: Great video playback and hard drive space
Disadvantages: Won't sync with iTunes, battery life isn't great

...Being a movie fan I enjoy watching films on the go and after becoming bored with the annoyingly small screen on the iPod Video, I decided to purchase one of these just after they came out. So far I am very pleased with the video playback performance due it having a nice, big, high resolution touch screen. Also after buying and downloading some plug ins from the Archos website I can watch a huge range of file formats on it. (Slightly annoying that I had to pay for them but hey.) Also there is plently of room for films and music on the 30GB although it would have been nice to see a slightly bigger hard drive option. On the music side of things, the archos is not iTunes compatible and so music syncing cannot be made automatic - you have to manually drag and drop all your new songs into the music folder on the Archos. Once the music... Read review

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Advantages: Record directly from TV
Disadvantages: Costly upgrades needed to achieve the units full potential

...I bought the new Archos 605 wi-fi with some trepidation, as I was replacing a 604 which had died after less than a year. I felt compelled to stay with the brand as I had built up a stock of peripherals (chargers etc) which will only work with Archos machines. First, the good: The 605 is more than capable at playing films, music, displaying photos, and going online. The touch screen is a nice gimmick, although I find that I don't use it much apart from web browsing. Navigating is still easier through the buttons. By far the biggest improvement over the 604 is the ability to record in widescreen. The previous models all failed to recognise UK widescreen, instead compressing the image so that people appeared tall and thin. Finally Archos have adressed this problem and the unit can now truly call itself a widescreen recorder... Read review

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Advantages: big good quality touch screen, duel dvd digital ariels and tuners
Disadvantages: apsolute absance of buttons, no place to store touch screen stylus

...the archos 704 tv in my opinion is an excellent divice in the archos portable video range. it is a generation 4 device on thier website. it is the replacement to the older archos av700. it has a 7 inch screen and is of a very acceptable resolution. it can be filled with media from the included usb b cable or can act as a usb host, whitch i think is a very useful feature. the optional dvr station (around £60) is great and i would recommend it. a usb hard drive can be added and it makes the archos function in a way like a high capacity hdd recorder. upon picking up the archos the first thing you realise is that it is a very metallic and solidly built device. then you would realise the absance of buttons. this can be annoying as you will need to use the stylus a lot. for example if pausing or ajusting volume. this can be time consuming... Read review

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Advantages: portability
Disadvantages: battery life

...This model now seems defunct, however, the new archos (av700) seems large and cumbersome. The massive screen just seems impractical for it's portability. If a simple video/music player is what you are looking for then this is the answer. The price has come down a lot recently. The software does seem slow and songs can take a while to load when the harddrive is full. but the information that is displayed is relevant and the sound quality is good. Some features that are not immediately noticable are the button lock and in built speaker toggle, which is available when the each of the option buttons are held down for 2 seconds. The cradle is a great feature, allowing direct from TV recording.... Read review

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