Archos Do It Again! (Archos AV320 20 GB)

Member Name: TheDF

Product:	Archos AV320 20 GB
Date:	06/08/04 (638 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Expandability/Software Updates, Capacity, Range of Accesories

Disadvantages: Need to convert video, Price

Archos are a little know company, specialising in portable multimedia products, and in the Video AV300 range, they have produced a unique gem. Available in sizes of 20, 40, and 80 Gigabytes, the range is one of the first to offer a portable hard drive based video playback unit. I'm sure that you will be aware of the Apple i-Pod, and some of you may have looked into the Creative Zen Jukebox, but the Archos surpasses both of these products.

Whilst both Apple and Creative are offering simple MP3 players, Archos have loaded the AV300 range with a host of new trickery; MP4 video playback (in AVI format), BMP and JPEG viewing capabilities (excepting progressive JPEG's), MP3 audio playback, and the facility to use the unit as a portable hard drive. Comparing these features to the offerings of Apple and Creative, you can see that the AV300 series is a serious piece of kit.

However, this comes at a serious price, with the range starting at around £325 for the 20Gb version. I personally own the AV380 (80Gb), which I purchased for £400 on Ebay; I have had mixed experiences with the unit. However, before I go into my thoughts on the device, I will give you the features and specifications for the device (as quoted on the Archos website - please visit www.archos.com for more details):

Dimensions: 112mm x 82mm x 31mm, 350 grammes

Display: 3.8" LCD (QVGA, max resolution 320 x 240), or TV

Power: Internal rechargeable Li-Ion batteries (will playback 10 hours of MP3 or 3.5 hours of video on a full charge, charge

time 4 hours), external AC adapter.

Interface: USB 2.0, compatible with USB 1.1 (PC & Mac format)

Connections: Stereo analogue line-in, Digital SPDIF Line in/out, Composite Video, Earphone, Line Out, Built-in Microphone.

I could continue, but I do not feel that there is much more that would be of interest to the layman in the facts and figures. As you can see, it offers quite a lot o
n paper - although the above specs do not even scratch the surface of the units capabilites; the AV300 unit as supplied as standard with the Archos JBM DVR100 unit, which allows the user to connect any SCART or composite video source to the device and record video down to it. In addition to this, there are a range of accesories available to further increase the capabilities; from the CompactFlash and SmartMedia card readers that allow quick and easy transferring of digital camera pictures, to the AVCam 300 (a 3.3 MegaPixel digital camera add-on), there are a wealth of options available for the AV300 range.

Whilst the AV300 has this extensive range of features, it is the compatibility of the software that has caused me the most difficulty; I maintain an extensive media collection on my laptop, and I have found that there has been requirement for a lot of conversion of my video files. On average a 90 minute film in high resolution MPEG format will take anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the specification of your system. I have found that there are no such problems with either the MP3 capabilities or the image viewer. However, I feel that the use of MPEG-4 Simple Profile is not a bad choice, as there are a range of video convertors available that will allow users to reduce problems in conversion. Alternatively, the unit will also play Xvid 4.0 and DivX 5.0 movie files.

The use of USB 2.0 is an odd choice for a unit of this price, and I would expect to see the use of FireWire connectivity as well as a USB option on subsequent models that will replce the AV300 range. Additionally, the range of cabling required to connect the AV300 to a PC and a TV is extensive, and I feel that the use of a cradle which contains the cabling and charger facilities would be beneficial. This however is supplied as standard on the more expensive AV400 range; I feel that this is an oversight for a device of this price, regardless of the range of features.
Additionally, the lack of a remote on the headphones (which, I must admit, are surprisingly good for a portable device) is a shortfall on the device. The only other key failings of the AV300 range are small and can be worked around; the first of this is the lack of a keylock, meaning that it can be quite easy to skip through tracks in the MP3 mode inadvertently, secondly is the lack of covering for the LCD screen, which can be quite easy to scratch (thankfully I have not done this yet). Archos do manufacture a carry case for the AV300 series which is available through their website at the price of 30 Euros (roughly £20) I feel that this should have been supplied as standard though, due to the unit's cost.

In summary, the Archos AV300 series does offer some serious Audio Visual capabilities in a compact portable device; the price is high for a portable device, but the range of functions and the ability to expand upon this with add-on devices place the Archos in a unique market. However, for the majority of users, this may not be suitable; if you are looking for solely an MP3 player, I would recommend the Apple i-Pod (or i-Pod mini for those with smaller budgets) or the Creative Zen Jukebox. If you are looking for a full-blown multimedia device, I would recommend the larger capacity devices in the AV300 series, or waiting for the higher capacity AV400 devices. However, as the AV300 can be upgraded with software available freely from teh Archos website, I suspect that there is more to this box of tricks than meets the eye...

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