"The absolute, very best PVP/PMP on the market as of 5/22/06, bar none!"
Written: Jun 24 '06
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Pros: 100GB Hard Drive, can backup personal DVD’s directly to unit, absolutely beautiful screen.
Cons: Somewhat expensive for some, external speaker is terrible, a FM tuner would have been great..
The Bottom Line: This unit does it all and then some. I only wish that Archos had added a FM tuner.
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| monkboon's Full Review: Archos AV 500 30 GB Digital Media Player |
OK, first thing I want to point out is that I purchased my AV500 online for $395.95, no shipping or tax. Now that's out of the way, where do I begin?
2nd, this is for the 100GB model. Same thing, just more hdd space.
I love this gadget. It almost does everything. My primary reason for buying is the fact that I can backup my DVD's on the unit, w/o using a computer. When I was looking to upgrade from my Creative Nomad Zen Xtra 30 GB, I was looking at the Creative Vision M (30gb) and the Cowon A2 (30gb). I was that close to buying the Creative Vision M (never once considered the Ipod Video) until I happened upon the AV500 in Frys and compared all the features. Except for the price tag, the AV500 eclipsed the Vision M in all areas imo. I initially held off buying the av500 because of the steep price, but when I finally found it online for under $400.00, I was all over it.
I can honestly say that I am yet to experience any of the flaws that some reviewers have posted. My unit has never frozen, not once. The fact that I now don’t have to lug around my huge DVD case and the fact that I can play my movies on a regular TV at work are huge pluses in my book. This little gadget in the one to have. It’s funny how I used to be in awe of one of my fellow co workers RCA Lyra and the videos he had on board. Not anymore, that’s for sure. This is a great product and one that I’m glad I purchased. I highly recommend this product, Monkboon….
+’s:
(1) 100GB of memory (More that any computer in our house)
(2) Can backup/rip personal DVD's w/o the use of a computer. (My primary reason for the purchase. (Now I don't have to lug around DVD's and cases everywhere.)
(3) Can be used as a DVR to record your favorite TV shows from your Cable box, VCR or basically anything you can think of.
(4) Complete ease of use.
(5) Has a picture viewer.(Holds like a trillion pictures.)
(6) Has a voice recorder. (I'll never use it, but it's there if I need one.)
(7) Can pretty much record any type of video from many different formats. (I recorded my kids playing XBOX games just to fool around with the video settings)
(8) Replaces your current MP3 player. I just transferred 5714 songs and it's barely using 8 gigs.
(9) Easy to transfer files and navigate.
(10) Screen is larger than most video players of this caliber.
(11) Can view movies from the unit on your Television.
(12) Can create and edit play lists on the fly.
(13) Exceptional battery life for this type of device.
-‘s:
(1) Not really a -, but something that would have been nice is if there were a FM tuner.
(2) Missing a hole for the AC adapter when the unit is in the closed case. (nit picky)
(3) One must connect the unit to the computer to access the “real” user manual.
(4) Terrible speaker, you will need headphones (I have BOSE) unless using quality external speakers.
(5) Had issues syncing with WMP10 and play lists. Had to use Creative Media Player to transfer 5500 songs from my computer. The WMP10 issue is more than likely my inability to do anything worthwhile with Windows Media. So again, this may not be a con.
(6) Some movies/DVD’s will not play on the unit or television.
As I spend more time with my unit, I’ll update my review whether it be +’s or –‘s. So far, I’m extremely happy with my purchase.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 395.95
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
monkboon
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Reviews written: 4
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