Customer Reviews:
 Archos 605 Wi-Fi - This is it! October 25, 2007
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
First of all, waiting for this device was frustrating but worth it. I originally puchased from [...] but they have no idea what customer service is about so I bought from the beloved Amazon.com. As always, seamless transaction. I was so excited when I saw someone had it in stock I bought it. Should have known better than to not get it from Amazon.
This device is finally it. After iPods, Zen Micros, PDAs, Media Center Extenders, and all of the other devices I purchase to create my digital library, this is it.
I was shocked how easy the Archos was to setup straight out of the box. I ordered a DVR station with it and it worked perfectly. The pass-through allows you to view the Archos on your TV and watch movies, etc. It took less than 5 minutes to get it to record TV. Very smart interface and the docuing station can be sitting on top of a cable box and still send signals to change the channel. To sum up how it works, you sign up for the free tv listing service online by your zip code and service provider, you then very easily tell the Archos what TV or DVR or Satellite box you want to control, test the IR repeater funtion works and youre done. You then view the listings on the screen, click on the shopw you want to record and the device does the rest. It changes the channel on the cable box and starts recording. Very very simple.
Video quality, awesome. Very crisp display and good options for adjusting the picture quality.
My MOST favourite feature is no proprietary formats. So, MP3s stay MP3s, WMV, Divx, etc. The folder structure is quite easy to understand. As soon as you dock it via USB you get folders such as "Data, Music, Pictures and Video" as a drive. You simply drag whatever and boom, it's there and ready to play. Sound quality is excellent (with headphones).
And then last night I discovered even a better feature. Amazon's MP3 service. Finally, purchasing digital music is without DRM, conversions, etc. A comlpete package. And no, I do not work for Amazon but I think they have it completely and totally "figured out".
So I highly recommend this baby. The only "negatives" are the connector cable (proprietary USB 2.0 unless you have DVR station then it is standard) and a little bulky but worth it.
Everyone at my office now wants one. I love showing it to the iPod Phone or Touch owners with their 16GB of solid state storage :)
In summary, if you want to consolidate your ENTIRE digital library, this is it.
Very good PMP October 17, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Archos 605 Wi-Fi is a great PMP. You almost don't have to worry about video or audio formats, it will play pretty much anything (mainstream, that is). All you have to do is copy it to the specified folder in the internal HD and that's it. No boring conversions. It works pretty well with Windows Media Player and will sync without a glitch.
The user interface is good and the touch-screen works flawlessly. I was even amazed by how easy it was to type in the touch-screen based keyboard - to the point that I wish it had some sort of text editor in it, so I could take notes.
It is not perfect, though. The battery is just ok - it will play around 4:30 hours of video in good days. If you need an extra juice, you have to buy an external battery, that looks somewhat bulky.
I don't like that it does not have an expansion port for memory cards nor a video-out connection (it comes with the optional DVR Station, which is a must have). And while I also don't like that the web-browser and other video formats are optional, I understand that it is a reasonable way to cut costs, since it is not everyone that need them.
The thing I miss the most is a way to search for music. With 80GB of songs, it is at least boring to go through folders. Since the keyboard works so well, there should be a search function. It is so obvious that maybe there is one and I couldn't find it...
intensively amazing October 18, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I should preface this by saying that this is in fact, my first portable video player. The Archos 605 is my upgrade form an old iriver H10, a perfectly great mp3 player, but i wanted video. After many moths of search, I knew it had to be Archos, and I chose correctly. First of all, the very obvious screen is absolutely amazing. Though I have never had a PVP before, I have used many different models ranging from the iPod video (pretty much every video gen available), Creative visions, and so on, and the screen is unbeatable. A step up from the slightly foggy 604 the 605 offers a very crisp screen that boasts the highest res. available on the market today. Even though the screen is a whopping 4.3 in. (wide screen) the player is still reasonably sized. It fits nicely into my pocket, and the case is protective enough for me to not have to worry. The video quality is obviously great, but also so is the internet. I purchased the internet plug-in, which by the way gives you access to widgets you can't get other wise, and it works very well. I have wireless in my house and school so I use it quite often and the speed is reasonable for a portable player, (Just as good as the iPhone, which I have used as well). Navigating with the touch screen is easy and fun, though the manual might be good to skim through. So far I have no complaints at all besides the length of the USB charge, but I am planning to purchase the battery dock so problem solved. Other than that I have found it very hard to put this amazing player down. It is a great buy and a very decent price. This is where it's at!
Fantastic gadget November 26, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
This entire review is predicated on a well-functioning unit without any bugs or glitches. From all of the research I did before plunking down the cash, it was clear that Archos customer service is abysmal for malfunctioning units. Thankfully, like I said, my 605 is working flawlessly.
After a few weeks of intense research and peer reviews, I decided that the 605 would be a worth-while investment. In addition to the obvious application of personal video player (PVP), I intended the 605 to operate as a traveling DVR. I am frequently on the road and don't have cable on the TV I watch most often. Access to all of my TV shows and movies was paramount, so I thought this machine was the way to go. Knowing ahead of time that it wouldn't connect by itself, I purchased the 605 with the Generation 5 adapter. In addition to component, composite, and s-video inputs and outputs, the adapter works as a charger. I paid $455 for everything through Amazon, and I'd do it all again.
I couldn't have been more favorably surprised. First of all, the unit is easy to use. I am a Mac man, and it's as simple as dragging and dropping downloaded files. As almost all reviewers say, the graphics are unreal. However, what has me most excited is the video playback on a TV. I had a hard time finding extended reviews of the video playback quality, but it's great. I have a Verizon Fios DVR on another TV, and the 605 quality is comparable to that. Granted, it's not hi-def, but those files would be too big anyways. Hooking the 605 up to a TV is as simple as docking it and connecting the cables (I use composite bc of easier access).
This is my first review of a product on Amazon. I was so impressed by the customer service and the product that I felt obligated to share my enthusiasm. Listed below in bullet points are more pros (and a few cons) of the 605:
PROS:
- Simple to navigate
- Easy to upload music and pictures (both can be edited via computer or in the unit)
- Digitize VHS movies: Once connected to the Gen 5 adapter, you can hook VHS outputs directly to the Archos. So doing, I was able to convert all of my highschool and college football tapes to digital. I have since transferred the files onto my Mac and made DVDs. I know there are VHS/DVD combos out there, but now I don't need one. Awesome.
- Great quality when hooked up to a TV
- Kickstand on the back is perfect. Some reviewers don't like this feature or prefer a stylus port, but I think it works well. Plus, I have enormous hands and can easily operate the 605 with my sausage fingers
- Tons of memory- Everyone says to buy as much memory as you can afford. I am seriously happy that I opted for 160gb over the 80gb. Right now, I have 7 gigs of pics, 11 gigs of music, 30 movies, and 45 tv shows on the 605. And I still have 75 gigs left to play with.
- Simple to use this guy as your stereo: I hooked it up to my surround system using composite cables with the Gen 5 adapter. Now, I have access to 11 gigs of music in 5.1 stereo.
CONS:
- Even though I didn't buy the internet plug-in, I can agree that the web is a little slow on this guy. The content portal is online and free, and it's a wee slow.
- The DVR is a little less than OK. I haven't played with it all that much, but I'm fairly certain that you can't record one show while watching another. Also, I was disappointed to find out that I couldn't upload shows from my Fios DVR onto it. I've read that you can with TiVo, and I think that would be sweet. I've had to manually copy my shows. Slowly.
- The external speaker is almost worthless. But most people will usually listen through headphones or attach speakers.
UNDECIDED:
- Haven't bought the web plug-in. Did anyone? Is it worth it?
- Haven't bought the Cinema plug-in. This enables mp4 playback. A good amount of files are in this format. The website also claims that you can drag-and-drop DVD files right into the 605 with this plug-in, but I can't find a single review for this online. Any feedback on this?
Overall, it's probably the best money I've spent since converting to Mac or buying Flow snowboard bindings. If you're on the fence, take my word for it- it's worth it.
A stellar personal multimedia player November 9, 2007
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
If Archos, the company, had competent management, its products would be world class. Unfortunately, the company's management is not overly competent, so it turns out near exellent to excellent products that take a clobbering in the marketplace.
The Archos 605 160 GB is a superb product, but its introduction was marred by lack of availability which created a lot of ill will among people who very much wanted it. Wait times of three or more months were not uncommon - and the company remained silent. Truly a stupid thing to do. Even now, months after release, promised accessories are still not available - and Archos simply doesn't communicate with its customers. If you read the Archos support forums on the web, you also get the impression that Archos customer support stinks as well.
Given all that, I am very pleased with the Archos 605.
The Archos 605 160 GB is everything you'd want in a personal multimedia player. The 160 GB hard drive will hold up to 200 feature length movies at acceptable resolution or more hours of music than you could listen to.
The screen is superb. 4.3" at 800x480 resolution is large enough to display most movies that don't go overboard on dark, moody scenes. Almost all common formats are supported out of the box. Playback is flawlessly smooth.
Navigating the touchscreen is simple. The side mounted buttons are very convenient for controlling most functions. A major improvement is the inclusion of a volume button. The front mounted speaker is surprisingly sufficient, especially compared to the Archos 504. Headphone volume and fidelity is more than sufficient.
I use the Archos 605 primarily for video playback and think it is faultless; much better than the 5G iPod with video. Yes, it is physically larger, but it is far better suited to the purpose than the iPod. The screen is acres larger than the iPod - at least it seems that way when you are watching a video. The speaker is very nice and something the iPod doesn't have. A little kickstand lets you set the unit on a table to watch. Way cool.
Music seems to work well, handling a number of formats and being accessible without the need for special software like iTunes. Just drag and drop. I haven't yet tried creating playlists. Some people have commented that it is a chore.
As a photo viewer, it has some cool features. Just drag left or right to get to the next or previous picture. Drag up or down and the photo rotates. You can zoom the image from a sidebar and navigate with your finger. Cool. And, again, the screen is stunning.
There's also a file manager which comes in handy if you use the Archos as removable storage for your PC. It functions just like any other USB removable hard drive.
One of the other unsavory aspects of Archos management is that they are as chintzy as Apple. For example, you don't get an AC adapter with this almost $400 device. You get a USB cable which you can use to charge the device - and which takes forever.
A number of other features are add-ons as well. Though the Archos is WiFi enabled, they charge extra for the Opera browser, which is more than adequate for handling Flash videos. They also charge extra for plug-ins to access H.264 and MPEG-2 formats. The argument is that Archos doesn't want to charge people for features they don't want. Uh, considering what it would cost Archos to bundle these features, I think the motive is pure greed. (A PDF viewer comes standard.)
Then there are the docks. You can get one to make the Archos into a DVR. Actually you can get one for stationary use or another for travel. There's another dock to that permits you to download pictures from your digital camera. And another that has a backup battery.
Overall, the Archos has the potential of taking a bunch of bucks out of your pocket.
But when it comes to a platform for viewing video or photos, browsing the web wirelessly and listening to music, the Archos 605 is in a league of its own.
Jerry
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