Archos 404 30GB Portable Digital Media Player with Camcorder (500867) Review

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(More customer reviews)I hate writing reviews like these.

Why? Because this little guy has so much potential...! And I was so excited to finally get this thing! But, at the end of the day, it's a bit of a mixed bag.

Some back story: I'm a Mac guy who had given up on a widescreen iPod (thanks a Steve!), but stumbled upon this. All the reviews on the Archos 404 from the "in-the-know" sites like Wired and CNet gave it really good reviews: "Great little screen...! fairly spacious hard drive...! decent camera/camcorder...!". Sure, it was a jack-of-all trades they said, but it was a darned good one.

So I bought one. And, well, it's not bad! It wasn't too expensive. It certainly does have a great screen. And the camcorder and camera aren't too shabby either. Even the interface, for a Mac user, wasn't the worst thing in the world.

But then I tried to play a movie.

It's supposed to play .mp4 movies "right out of the box", and it does. Sortof. I had transferred a movie I own (and watch way-too-much: "Office Space") w/ Handbrake (a great program) and saved as an .mp4. But I could only watch the first 20 seconds on the Arcos. Anything after that the sound still played, but the picture froze. And fast-forwarding or rewinding just made it angry. Always kicking me out to the video menu.

So I put some smaller .mp4s on. But not only did it have trouble playing them, when I scrolled down the list, the unit restarted! I thought I was crazy, but it did it over, and over.

So, undaunted, I download the "Podcast Plugin" from Acrhos: $19.99. It allows you to play H.264 video (a better compression) and AAC audio, which is darn good too. I was impressed at the Mac friendliness of the offering to boot.

I then re-ripped my movie in Handbrake using the H.264 setting, and it played. Finally. Without crashing. And it looked, and sounded great. Yay. Whew!

But then I tried the camcorder.

I've got to give Archos a bit of credit here, because for what it is, this is a cool little camcorder. You can even get this optional little "snake cam" (which I bought: $129). Stock, even though it doesn't have a zoom, it makes impressive video.

The only problem is the resulting .mov movies don't play in Quicktime. Or iMovie. Or anything else I can use. While the video looks fine, the sound stutters uncontrollably. And it sortof plays in VLC, but while the sound is good, the video glitches.

Well, it says right on the box that it's a Windows Media Center® device, and I began to wonder if some of the files I was trying to work with were just a little to "Appley".

Hmmmm, I thought. And I did a little "get info" and I found that the sound on the camcorder's .AVI files uses DVI ADPCM compression. Both very Windows®-esque formats. And while Quicktime, etc, does support most AVI files, it doesn't support DVI ADPCM.

I called tech support. And after a looonnnngggg time on hold, a sleepy guy finally answered and curtly answered "sorry, you can return it who you bought it from" to every one of my questions.

So I emailed tech support. And I got the same answers, plus an offer for a "repair" (I think it was the same guy!)... but I kindly explained that it wasn't broken, but simply needed some support and firmware upgrades.... To no avail.

So, bottom line is the Archos 404 is has got a severe case of the yinyangs. On the one hand it's simple, beefy and gorgeous. On the other it's twitchy, finicky and handicapped. Especially for us Mac people. In fact, I'd like to go on the record andsay this is an EXTREMELY Windows® friendly device... And for a guy who got this primarily to quench his iPod jones, that's a bit of a heart breaker.

Archos, if you're listening, you need to offer a free plugin for Quicktime so the sound works, pronto. Or, a firmware update that allows for a different on-deck sound compression option. Or better yet, do both.

Until then, this will be a crippled unit. Another could-have-been in the handheld what-have-you category. Another iPod casualty. A frigid lover. Especially for us Mac users.

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Product Description:
With the Archos 404 Camcorder (model 500867), you not only get a 30 GB portable digital media player that can handle all your photos, tunes, and movies, but you can also shoot your own photos and videos via the integrated lens on the back. You'll have all the entertainment you need at your fingertips for everything from long trips to short bus rides, in a package that approaches iPod size. Additionally, you can use the 404 Camcorder as a digital video recorder (DVR) and record your favorite TV programs from your cable or satellite TV box for viewing on the go with the optional Archos DVR Station dock.

The Archos 404 Camcorder features an integrated lens on the back for capturing both video and still photos. Easily pocketable, it measures just 4 x 3 x 0.5 inches (WxHxD). Record your own videos in standard MPEG-4 format in up to VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels) with the integrated camcorder and upload to blog sites. You can choose from low/medium/high bitrate compression settings, as well as choose QVGA resolution (320 x 240 pixels). The 404 Camcorder can also snap 1.2-megapixel still photos--the perfect size for sharing with friends and family over e-mail and posted to the Web. The lens has a 4.31mm field of view (equivalent to 36mm on a 35mm film camera) and it includes a 2x digital zoom. It also offers five white balance settings (auto, daylight, cloudy, fluorescent, and tungsten) for both video and still photo capture. To activate either the camcorder or still photo capture modes, simply select one of the two icons on the Home screen.

The icon-based Home navigation screen offers easy access to the camcorder and still photo features. With a screen size surface twice that of similar size PMPs (portable media players), the 404 Camcorder ensures you can thoroughly enjoy movies and videos. This unit uses a bright, 3.5-inch TFT LCD display with over 16 million colors to provide you a crystal-clear, sharp picture with a 4:3 aspect ratio and 320 x 240 pixels of resolution, as well as an intuitive GUI (graphic user interface) for easy-to-use navigation. The 404 Camcorder not only plays your videos and movies, but lets you store up to a whopping 85 movies on its hard drive in either MPEG-4 or WMV formats at up to DVD resolution. You can also purchase and download optional plug-ins from Archos' website that will allow you to play H.264 and MPEG-2 formats up to DVD resolutions as well.
In addition to its video playback features, the 404 Camcorder acts as a photo viewer as well, complete with features such as zoom, music, and transition effects. You can easily download photos from your PC, or transfer them directly to the 404 from your digital camera via the optional docking adapter. This unit is compatible with JPEG, BMP, and PNG file formats, and can hold up to 300,000 photos at a time, depending upon file size and what else you are storing at the same time. The 404 Camcorder can even read and display PDF documents for on-the-fly work situations, although it may not implement all PDF features.

Enjoy a bright picture on the 3.5-inch TFT LCD display, and easily access all functions and content via the tactile buttons. For those times when you can't afford the distraction of watching high-quality videos, the 404 Camcorder can be your music player, storing and playing up to 15,000 songs so you can keep working, walking, or doing whatever you need with your own private soundtrack. This unit displays the track, artist, album, and album cover of whatever you are playing, and supports stereo MP3 decoding from 30 to 320 kbps CBR and VBR, as well as WMA, protected WMA, and WAV (PCM/ADPCM) formats. Furthermore, the 404 Camcorder can play AAC music files, and AC3 stereo sound files with the additional of optional software plug-ins that can be purchased and downloaded from Archos' web site. And just in case inspiration strikes or you want to make sure you don't forget something important, this handy media player lets you make voice recordings through its built-in microphone, or via the optional DVR Travel Adapter or DVR Station through a stereo line-in jack in WAV format.
The 404 Camcorder is fully compatible with DVD-quality VOD (video on demand) and online music stores, allowing you to purchase and download new music and movies directly online rather than having to transfer everything from more traditional media sources. This media player can also record directly from TV in high-quality MPEG-4 with stereo sound via the optional DVR Station, so you can take your favorite television shows with you wherever you go. And if you are at home, the 404 Camcorder can play back any of your movies or recorded TV programs on your television itself, also through the optional DVR station.
The 404 Camcorder has a built-in 30 gigabyte hard disk so you have plenty of space for anything you need, and includes a high-speed USB 2.0 connection for transferring files. This unit features a 3.5-millimeter stereo headphone jack mini-jack and TV output, and dedicated connectors for hooking up optional adapters or the DVR station. The 404 also features a music playback time of up to 12 hours, and a video playback time of up to four hours on its built-in LCD display, all with its internal lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery that charges via computer through its USB port, or more quickly with the optional docking adapter or DVR station. The 404 Camcorder is compatible with both PCs and Macs with a USB port and Linux, Windows ME or higher, or OS X or higher, and requires Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or higher and Windows Media Player 10 or higher for use with PlayForSure video and subscription services. This media player allows firmware updates to be downloaded via www.archos.com, weighs approximately 6.75 ounces, and measures approximately 3.9 x 3 x 0.59 inches (W x H x D).
What's in the Box
Archos 404 Camcorder portable media player/camcorder, headphones, dedicated USB 2.0 cable, DVR station adapter, pouch, quick-start guide, and legal and safety notices.