Very cool, just got mine
Written: Oct 10 '03 (Updated Oct 12 '03)
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Pros: nice screen, easy to use, very small,
Cons: No picture adjustments after recording - real time recording
The Bottom Line: This is the most advanced av player avaialble and is superior to the comming rca unit
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| litefire's Full Review: Archos Jukebox AV340 (40 GB) Digital Media Player |
I have been looking at this product now for about 3 months, reading just about everything I could get my hands on. Yesterday I ordered one from Comp-U-Plus Direct with overnight shipping for a total including shipping of $658.99. Comp-U-Plus Direct came through with flying colors, excellent response to my order and a tracking number within 12 hours.
I will forgo the specifications etc., for this review since they can be found at the Archos web site.
My experience: The packaging was a simple bubble wrap (the kind you need a chain saw to open, at least I could be sure that it was a new unused unit. The box was a bit dinged up from shipping but no damage to the unit or accessories.
Although I knew the size of the unit I had never actually held one, it was smaller and lighter than I expected. The screen resolution was better than I expected, excellent for a small device. After examining all the contents of the box I immediately started charging it. You are supposed to charge it for four hours before use (you can use it after 1/2 an hour according to the instruction manual if it is plugged in), I am very picky about
battery life and conditioning so I let it charge for the full 4 hours before using it, well, ok, I turned it on just to see the screen. I was impressed.
After charging I wanted to utilize all features to ensure that my unit was indeed working and in good shape. The first thing I did was to record a program from my cable TV box. A couple of av connections and volia! my show was recording just fine. This unit records in real time, I am not sure if it has a timer, I just wanted to test it so I let it run for about 15 minutes. When I was done recording I went to play it back on the tv and did not get a picture, went to the menu, selected tv out, and the picture came up on my 32" set perfectly. As most have said a cross between vhs and DVD quality, just fine, in fact an amazingly good playback,sound and picture. Ok at this point I am happy, the unit does what I want it to do the most record from an av source. Although I haven't tested it with a DVD player etc., I would expect no problems.
Next I wanted to move some MP3 files to the unit to test the audio player, in doing so I put a fingerprint on the plastic screen. Off to Comp USA for a screen protector. Of course they don't sell one for this unit, but I got the ones for the largest PDA and it worked fine. There is a tiny edge not protected but for the most part I don't have to worry about scratching the screen. I also bought a s-video cable - the unit comes with all you need (rca cables) but I wanted the best picture and simplest connections to my av equipment.
Back home I plugged it in to my computer via the USB 2.0 cord, the computer immediately recognized it as a hard drive. I just dragged and dropped a dozen mp3 files
into the music section. I have windows xp so I did not need to install software or a driver for this. I then dropped some JPEG pictures into the picture section of the device to check out it's picture handling ability.
After completing the transfer, and using a "safe disconnect" for the av340,I was amazed at the quality of the mp3 player, every bit as good as the ipod. The pictures were fine, and loaded reasonably fast, and looked great on the screen.
Ok here is my opinion: I am a techno junkie. I have just about every imaginable toy there is. The Archos 340 AV is the best gadget I have ever invested in, without question.
Here is why:
1. It is like a mini DVD recorder, I can record off of anything
2. It has a great picture viewer and MP3 player
3. It is a regular hard drive (in other words if in a few years there is a better unit selling for whatever it will never end up in a drawer)
4. I will save the cost of the unit on all the DVD's that get scratched up and I can't use them, and I will take advantage of the huge payments to my cable company to record shows that I wouldn't be able to watch otherwise.
5. Since it converts av files to a avi format I can move them to my computer or another hard drive for storage or to view on my laptop.
6. It is extremely portable, less than the size of a paperback book
Ok, it was kind of expensive, and an indulgence. But I am glad I bought it and would recommend it to anyone that wants the capabilities that the unit provides.
As far as I am concerned there are no "cons", sure I would like it to have a 400 year battery life, picture resolution in the digital high resolution degree, a small speaker, a microwave oven for popcorn, and be 1/3 the size but with a bigger screen and projection capabilities.
But reality check here, for technology available today this is a winner. If you do get one, Ithink you will love it. It is already my favorite electronic device (and I
have quite a few).
UPDATE - 3 DAYS LATER
Ok here are some issues not discussed in other reviews I have seen;
1. You can adjust contrast, color etc., before you create a video file, but you cannot adjust picture after you have made the file and are viewing it. Picture brightness is all you can control once you have recorded video.
2. It is very easy on windows xp to move files back and forth from your computer to the Archos. So you really don't need a huge Archos hard drive since you can store your files on your computer or another portable drive and move them back and forth.
3. The software that comes with the unit is excelent and allows you to edit your movies, adjust picture quality etc.
4. There is no recording timer that I can find, so if you are not there to turn off recording it will just continue to record untill you do. Since it creates an avi file there is nothing you can do to clip off the end of the file but go to an editing program on your computer - this is a rather large flaw, since you have to monitor your recordings in real time.
5. I updated the firmware from the Archos site - a snap, real easy. The method they use for firmware updates ensures that improvements can be made to your unit (like a recording timer), if Archos decides to improve the unit.
6. This is the only unit available that will take a camera add on (not available yet), I am going to buy it when it is.
I am still very happy with the unit, and I will up-date this review if I uncover anything else.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 658.99
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
litefire
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Member: Robert Fleming
Location: East Greenwich, RI
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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