The Ultimate Portable Audio, Video & Photo Experience - MP4 Player (Archos AV320 20 GB)

Member Name: perkulator

Product:	Archos AV320 20 GB
Date:	17/02/04 (660 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Can play videos, photos, audio!, Can record videos, photos, audio!, First of its kind!

Disadvantages: Take care with the screen and sharp objects

There are 3 choices of mp4 player in the Archos Av300 series, each with different storage space, av320 = 20gb, av340 = 40gb, av380 = 80gb. However this is not what you get once the drives have been formatted. Read on to find out actual space allowances:

What it can do:

Play Audio (mp3,wav),
Record Audio (mp3) using intenal mic, or external mic socket
Display Photos/Images (bmp, jpeg, (but not progressive Jpeg)
Take Photos (jpeg of different qualities), with Camera Module (usually sold separatly around £180)
Play Video (avi only) comes with mpeg ->avi software converter
Record Video (as avi) using DVR module (usually comes with it, BUT CHECK)
Record Video (as avi using Camera Module (usually sold separatly around (£180)
Can play all media out to a Television with cables included

Modules & Add-Ons:

Firmware/Software - regular updates available from Archos website, easy to install
Camera Module - allows mp4 player to act as a digital camera (3.3 megapixel) and digital cam-corder (avi format)
DVR Module - allows recording of incoming video signals, eg TV, Video, DVD, Satellite, etc.
Flash Card Reader - allows quick transfer of images between digital camera cards to the unit

Specifications:

The player/recorder is basically a minature computer, it has a laptop hard drive and a slimline internal rechargable battery inside.

Hard Drive - As I said before you don't get teh amount of space archos says you get, (eg. av320 should be 20 gb, but once formatted, which it needs to be, is around 18gb) Basically to work out the amount of space you get, take the overall drive size and take off 10%.
So 20 = 18, 40 = 36, 80 = 72. Roughly.

Battery - The unit has an internal rechargeable battery, comes with recharger, but has nowhere to attach an exterior battery if the units going to be away from the power supply for a long time.
Battery life depends on what you
are doing - Video - 3 Hours, MP3 - 10 Hours Roughly.
A full charge on a dead battery takes around 4 Hours. You can use the machine while it is charging.

Screen - LCD Screen 3.2 Inches with brightness control for different weather conditions and battery condidions. Screen can SCRATCH EASILY. Acrhos sell a protective pouch for around 20 Euros from their website which could save you money in the long run as replacement screens would cost just as much as a new unit! I simply wrap my mp4 player in cling film and replace it whenever it gets dirty which is a way cheaper idea and makes me feel more comfortable about taking it out the house.

If you want any more info/pics etc. Just email me - ian@ambleweb.com

Summary: