Rare Archos Av500 Mobile Digital Video Recorder

  

The Archos AV series is a line of portable media players from Archos that was released in June 2005. Three formats of the AV500 were manufactured, comprising either 40, 60, or 100 GB hard drive drives, each format using a different size and shape of battery. This one has a 60 GB hard drive. The AV500 performs a remarkable number of tasks.

It is an audio player and a recorder; a video player and a recorder; a voice recorder; a photo viewer; and a portable hard drive. And has the enviable ability to record TV shows at scheduled times - something few other Portable Video Players. Operating the Archos AV500 is relatively simple, thanks to its lovely icon-driven interface so you do not need to be a tech-savvy user to enjoy this awesome travelling companion. There's nothing average about its exemplary battery life either: 8.2 hours for video and 21.1 hours for audio - really impressive numbers for a device with such a big screen. Also comes with a good printed User Guide and a Quick Start Guide.

Along the top of the AV500, you'll find a TV/LCD button, which toggles video output; an USB A port for connecting digital cameras and compatible accessories; an USB B port for connecting to a computer; a DC-in jack; and a multi-connect jack for headphones, AV connections, and remotes, including an optional FM tuner/recorder. The two extra buttons in either corner are for rapid scrolling through lengthy song lists.

You can press either of them once to scroll a page at a time and hold them down to accelerate through the list. It plays Divx, Xvid and WMV9 video formats; MP3 and WAV audio files; and displays JPEG and BMP graphic files though it can still download other file types, such as TIFF and raw. It records video in the Divx format, either through its DVR function or through its mini-cam accessory (not included) and records sound either through its built-in microphone or through its analogue input. It can play and record audio and video to or from external sources via the mini-RCA jacks of its AV Pod. As an audio player, the AV500 covers MP3; protected WMA, including subscription content; and WAV, which is also the format used for audio recordings. The AAC format isn't supported. The AV500 provides all the typical playback and library options, plus on-device playlist creation and support for album art but note that the built-in speaker produces weak volume levels, so use the supplied headphones and don't plan on using it for your next party unless you connect some powered speakers. The case is made of brushed aluminium. And forms a solid, rugged, dense box with a generous built-in 4 LCD screen with great viewing angles yet is compact enough to fit in a pocket. It supports'PlaysForSure' audio and video and has superb audio quality. PlaysForSure' also encompasses video, so you can choose from a wide variety of TV and movie downloads.

It will work within iTunes and. You can stock up on whatever you like and not pay an extra penny. You can get movies on to the Archos AV500 by copying them from a DVD player.

And luckily, since Archos is Macrovision compliant, you can record copy-protected DVDs directly to it although playback is limited to the AV500 itself - unlike with other video content, which can be viewed on an external TV. Data transfer for the AV500 is provided through its USB ports. It can act as either an USB controller or an USB device, using its USB A and USB B ports respectively. For example, a memory card reader would be read through the USB A port, but a home computer would access the AV500 through the USB B port. The USB Host Adapter (supplied) allows you to connect an USB Mass Storage. Device such as, a digital camera (so long as your camera is an MSC, Mass Storage Class device) or an external hard drive and transfer pictures or data to and from the AV 500.

It also enables you to connect the AV500 to your computer as you would any external hard drive. Before connecting it to your PC, you need to decide what mode to put it in: Hard Drive or Windows Device.

The former enables drag-and-drop file management, effectively turning the AV500 into an external hard drive. In Windows Device mode, you must use Windows Media Player 10, which allows you to autosync audio and video and take advantage of'PlaysForSure' content. Note that Archos doesn't supply a software CD; everything comes on the device's drive, except the necessary DivX codec, which you'll have to find and download yourself. To access any of the bundled software - which consists primarily of the freeware video-conversion utility Virtual Dub and the Archos front-end MPEG-4 Translator, you will need to put the AV500 in Hard Drive mode.

Archos also supplies WM Player 9 (even though the manual focuses primarily on version 10 and autosync requires it). Archos periodically supplies free updates for the Operating System as well. The included TV Docking Pod provides an easy way to connect and disconnect the AV500 to or from your home entertainment system. This disc-shaped unit provides AV-in, AV-out, S-Video-in, power, and IR-blaster ports, the last of which is used for attaching an included sensor to your VCR or cable/satellite box.

The Docking Pod is a pass-through device, which means, once you connect it to your VCR, Cable Box or Satellite Receiver and your TV, it will pass the audio and video signals through to your TV or record from your TV to the AV500. If you wish to get a higher quality video recording, you can connect any standard S-Video cable (not supplied) from the AV500 to the TV Docking Pod. The Infrared Emitter Cable acts like a remote control, allowing you to change TV channels with the full-size Archos remote (included) and to make scheduled recordings. Whether or not the dock is connected, you can control the AV500 with the remote. When the Emitter is stuck to your VCR, Cable Box or Satellite Receiver, you can turn those devices on and off and select channels to record while you are away. Once you're actually playing video on the AV500 or an external TV, you can adjust the aspect ratio using any of these three settings: Auto, Maximized, or Full Picture. There is also a slow-motion mode with three speed settings, as well as a bookmark option. Basically, once you have playable video on the AV500, the device and its software are a true joy to use. Accessories for this model are freely available, mostly at very reasonable prices.

Some examples are: An optional mountable camera attachment (digital mini-cam) - a lipstick-shaped video camera that plugs into the AV500's main AV socket and is way cool enabling you to use it in a variety of situations, such as extreme sporting activities. The camera is powered from the AV500 unit via its single video cable, which has an in-line remote control in the middle of the cable containing a high-quality microphone and a begin/end recording control button for easy MPEG-4 recording which records video directly to the Archos' hard disk drive in Divx format. In terms of sharpness and low-light performance, video quality on this colour CCD camera is decent too.

You can add a matching pop-up stand to your existing leather case. The lithium-ion batteries are replaceable. You can upgrade the hard drive. What's in the box. AV500 with 60GB Internal Hard Drive.

AC Adapter/Charger with continental adapter. Infrared Emitter Cable (unopened with 5 new sticking pads). 4 LCD; 480 x 272 pixels; 262 colours and optimised TV output. MPEG-4 SP and stereo (ADPCM) sound. MPEG-4 SP with B Frames and stereo sound.

Near DVD quality up to 720 x 480 at 30 f/s NTC and 720 x 576 at 25 f/s PAL. AVI file format, WMV9 (including protected files WM DRM) up to 352 x 288 at 30 f/s and 800 KBit/s. From an analogue source in stereo for WAV (PCM & ADPCM) format. MP3, WAV, WMA, protected WMA (DRM). USB 2.0 - mini-USB Type A and B. English (default) French, Spanish, German and Russian. Removable, rechargeable, internal lithium ion with charger indicator.

Apple Mac OS X 10.2.4 or later, Windows.