Archos 704 80 GB WiFi Portable Digital Media Player
by Archos
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Category: Network Media Player
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: ArchosBrand: Archos
Edition: Electronics
Audio: English (Original Language)
Model: 500936
Color: silver
Publisher: Archos
Studio: Archos
Music Label: Archos
Product features:
- Portable media player with 80 GB hard drive stores up to 70 DVD-quality movies
- Integrated 802.11g wireless networking for connectivity to desktop PC, downloading videos from online stores
- Bright 7-inch LCD touchscreen for input from fingers or included stylus
- Plays MP3, WAV, WMA and protected WMA music files; also compatible with JPEG, PNG and BMP image files
- Measures 7 by 5 by 0.75 inches; weighs just 22 ounces
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Archos 704 80 GB WiFi Portable Digital Media Player
Customer Review: Excellent all round media experience.
Summary: 5 Stars
This machine is a fantastic time-shifter DVR - I can take my essential TV viewing (or favourite Divx and Xvid videos) to work with me, watch programmes and movies on my 50 minute commute to work, and again at break times. I am so up to stream on my favourite TV programmes as a consequence of the Archos.
I also do a lot of photography, and it is great to use as backup - the Wifi is powerful enough to upload to your favourite website. Ideally it would support viewing of the RAW image format, but if you shoot (as I do) with JPEG simultaneously selected, the JPEG's effectively act as thumbnails which the ARCHOS cannot generate from the RAW format.
MP3 and WMA format music are supported, plus AAC anc AC3. The onboard speakers are a tad tinny, but effective. An equaliser exists to make optimum use of the sound. On a plane, and in a car, use of headphones with gel attachments allows you to push the sound deep into your ears, thus excluding any engine hum or annoying announcements.
Recording from TV - and playing back video/music - could not be simpler if you take the docking-station accessory. The DVR portion of the 704 records direct to Divx 4.0 format. The file-sizes it produces are approximately twice the size of Xvid (so, I reprocess afterwards, to get more onto my 80Gb, but in general, no post-processing required). However, as it compresses video to Divx on-the-fly, it is the fastest and most direct method of making small and manageable, high-quality, digital .AVI files. This is what makes it so compelling in keeping yourself current with your TV viewing - as I often leave it on overnight: it has its own infrared Satellite-Box channel changer, so you can record any programme, from any channel on your digibox, directly into the ARCHOS.
Managing the files is a cinch - in the docking-station, just set to USB File Server, and use it as an external drive on the computer to which you have it attached; or, set it to synch with Windows Media Player - this process it will quite happily spend the night doing whilst you sleep.
The touch screen is quite accurate, requiring something more pointy and sharp than a finger - but quite often, if you have forgotten the supplied stylus, a finger-nail just does the trick.
It has an incredibly large screen for a PMP. Which is great imho - 800x480 - and exceptionally clear if you use PAL or NTSC formatted video. I have heard that video with a resolution smaller than the screen can look poor, which is only to be expected. There are new products on the market now to allow much easier carrying of this giant (it fits neatly into my bag for work, but I have to select a large-pocketed garment when I do without the bag). The neat pouch can sometimes be unwieldy, and a strap is a good idea - I have seen such a product, and it can now neatly hang over my shoulder, should I want it to.
Firmware tweaks attempt to deal with one or two minor niggles - one being that it can randomly lose all sense of date and time, thus completely trashing your auto-recording setups (!!!), and once in a while, it stops recording on its own, and then resumes again just as randomly. Its a small price to pay for what I can only call a stunning multimedia experience - for my use, the wifi is just enough - newspaper headlines, email, and uploading/downloading of media files. I am not overly bothered by not being able to MyTube, but apparently the 705 has taken care of that. Oh, and if you raid Project Gutenburg for all those free books, you can store them, and read them, in Adobe's PDF file format.
Description of Archos 704 80 GB WiFi Portable Digital Media Player
CL) MU) ARCH 704S WIFI PORT MED PlayMore than just a Portable Media Player (PMP) with a bright 7-inch screen and the ability to store all your favorite movies, tunes and photos, the groundbreaking Archos 704 is also outfitted with Wi-Fi capabilities (802.11g). Through your home wireless network, you'll be able to browse through your multimedia library stored on any computer on the network. You'll also be able to connect to online video stores to download content directly and wirelessly to the 704 WiFi. It features an 80 GB hard drive (providing capacity for about 70 DVD-quality movies), a 7-inch bright LCD touchscreen, and integrated speakers. Additionally, when paired with the optional Archos DVR Station docking station, you can easily connect the 704 WiFi to your TV to watch movies and photo slideshows on a larger screen as well as turn the 704 into a digital video recorder (DVR) to take your favorite programs with you wherever you roam. It measures 7 x 5 by 0.75 inches and weighs just 22 ounces.
 Amazingly compact at 7 by 5 inches, the Archos 704 WiFi is also easy on the pocket with a weight of just 22 ounces. |
The Archos 704 WiFi features a wide, high resolution (800 x 480) 7-inch color touch screen that allows you to navigate through menus easily with a stylus or even a fingertip. The size of screen enables a great visual comfort.
WiFi
The integrated 802.11g wireless interface is perfect for those who want to access their media wherever they go, including surfing the Web, sending and receiving email from Web-based mail applications, and connecting the device to a home network to transfer files or play content directly from the network.
 With 704 WiFi, you can set it in your living room, hook it up to your home entertainment system with the optional DVR Station, and wirelessly stream movies and music stored on your PC. |
Video player
The Archos 704 WiFi is the perfect companion for people on the move: its 40/80 GB hard drive capacity allows you to store up to 50/100 movies encoded with a PC. Play them on the built-in 7-inch LCD color screen or playback on TV in high resolution up to 720 x 576 (DVD quality) with the DVR station. Play a large variety of video files, including MPEG-4, WMV and protected WMV and read MPEG-4 AAC/H.264 (.MP4 QuickTime files), MPEG-2, and VOB with optional software plug-ins (available on this website). The Archos 704 WiFi also offers many more functionalities such as slow motion, adjustable screen size, video editing and even a video bookmarking function.
Record TV or external video sources
Transform your Archos 704 WiFi into a Digital Video Recorder with the optional DVR station. Record TV or most video sources such as satellite/cable box, VCR, DVD player or camcorder in MPEG-4 format. Set up the DVR station by connecting it to the external video source; simply slot in your ARCHOS and record instantaneously or make scheduled recordings with the included infrared receiver that controls the external video sources.
Turn your ARCHOS into a camcorder
ARCHOS allows you to transform your device into a camcorder by connecting most digital cameras to your Archos 704 WiFi, or by connecting the optional high resolution helmet camcorder. The Archos 704 WiFi records video directly on its 40 GB hard drive in MPEG-4 format, up to VGA resolution (640 x 480).
 The Photo Wall shows thumbnails of all your stored photos. |
Transfer your photos directly from a digital camera with the USB 2.0 Host interface. Store and view up to 800,000 photos (JPEG, PNG and BMP formats) and display slideshows with music and transition effect. Manage your files and folders directly on the device for a better mobility. Enjoy the large size of the screen and the cool sleek design of the product to display the Archos 704 WiFi in your living room and use as digital photo frame.
Music Player
Store up to 40,000 songs on the hard drive and play most popular music files such as MP3, WAV, WMA and protected WMA files. Easily organize songs with the enhanced ARCLibrary and customize your view by artist, album, type of music, title, year, and create your playlists without having to use a computer. Use the voice recorder to store notes quickly for a later use.
Charge and sync
Charge your Archos 704 WiFi with the included power adapter. Purchase, download, subscribe to or rent protected video and music content from online stores on your PC, and, using the high-speed USB 2.0 interface, the Archos 704 WiFi will easily auto-synchronize this content with Windows Media Player 11 each time you connect it to your PC, or convert your Windows Media Player 11 library content to one of the many compatible formats (MP3, WMA, WAV, protected WMA, MPEG-4, WMV and protected Windows Media Video).
What's in the Box
Archos 704 WiFi, headphones, USB 2.0 cable, USB 2.0 host adapter, DVR Station saddle, 2 styli, remote control, power adapter/charger, protective pouch, QSG, legal and safety notice