Archos 404 30GB Portable Digital Media Player with Camcorder (500867)
- Archos 404 Camcorder 30GB Portable Digital Media Player (500867)
- Lightweight and portable digital video, movie, music player and photo viewer with 3.5-inch LCD and 30 GB hard drive
- Integrated camcorder/camera for capturing video up to 640 x 480 pixels and 1.2-megapixel still photos
- Compatible with MP3, WAV, WMA and protected WMA music files, JPEG, BMP, and PNG picture files, and MPEG-4 and WMV video files
- Uses high-speed USB 2.0 for both file transfers and charging, and includes a rechargeable Lithium-Ion polymer battery with up to 12 hours of music and 4 hours of video life
Product Description
The Archos 404 Portable Multimedia Player not only has a built-in camcorder, but it is also the perfect campanion for people on the move to listen to music, view photos, watch movies or film your own. Record in standard MPEG4 format in VGA 640x480 or choose to take photos at 1.3 Megapixels. The 30GB Hard Drive Capacity allows you to store and playback movies on the 3.5-inch LCD screen in high resolution 720x576 DVD quality. Turn you Archos into a Digital Video Recorder with an optional DVR station to watch your favorite TV shows on the go anytime you want. Store popular music files such as MP3, WAV, WMA & protected WMA files and easily organize up to 15000 songs. Integrated Camcorder - Direct video recording on the 30GB hard drive in MPEG-42 up to VGA resolution (640x480) at 30 or 25 f/s, in AVI format Audio recording - Voice recording through the built-in Microphone Connections - 3.5 mm stereo headphone mini-jack and optional TV output Music playback time - Up to 8 hours batteries Video playback time - Up to 2.5 hours batteries on built-in LCD Lithium-Ion Polymer battery System requirements - Windows ME, 2000, XP, Media Center, Macintosh OS X or higher (with USB Mass Storage Class support), Linux with mass storage device support, For PlaysForSure video & subscription services and USB 2.0 port Dimensions - 3.09 x 3 x 0.59 inch (100 x 78 x 15 mm) Weight - 190 grams (6.75 ounces) Amazon.com 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.
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Archos 404 30GB Portable Digital Media Player with Camcorder (500867)
- Electronics: 0 pages
- Publisher: Archos
- Label: Archos
- Studio: Archos
- Average Customer Review:
based on 11 reviews
- Sales Rank in Electronics: #16987
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Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Safety issue with the battery and very poor customer service 2008-04-25
Comment: Archos can be added to the list of consumer electronics companies that will put faulty products in the market and then refuse to take responsibility for them.
I have experience with three of these units, only one of which is still functional. The first was a friend's whose screen cracked while the unit was in a protective case inside a bag. I realize electronics are more delicate than the average consumer product, but this thing was more sensitive than an iPod nano, which also happened to be in his bag and did not break.
The second unit I received as a gift and it worked well for about a month. I have to say, when it worked I liked it, with the exception of the really poor sound, which I crancked up to be able to hear anything. A few days ago I awoke to find my unit with the back casing distended like it was about to burst. I immediately unscrewed the back to release the pressure and found that the battery was inflated like a balloon. I put the unit in a sealed bag to make sure if it burst it didn't ruin anything else in the apartment. When I called Archos customer service, I was told by the goon on the phone that having unscrewed the back of the unit, despite the fact that leaving it as it was could have been dangerous, nullified the warranty. So now I am stuck with a month old unit whose warranty is useless.
Way to go, Archos. You've guaranteed I will never buy anything from you again.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Best bang for your buck 2008-01-26
Comment: This little bugger is great. While, like some of the other reviewers, I was torn at first with some of the bugs, I quickly downloaded the firmware updates from the Archos website. It fixed every problem I had and I just love the way this thing does it all pretty well. It's no camera or camcorder replacement, but the picture quality is better than most any cell phone camera.
The controls and UI are easy to understand and figure out with only minor exceptions (adding songs to an existing playlist took me a bit to figure out).
I downloaded the codec that allows you to play podcast and iTunes files for $20. Well worth not having to convert all my music.
Only con is that it doesn't come with a charger. It charges via the USB cable rather slowly, and the docking station/charger is sold seperately.
Considering what all this little thing does and its price, you can't really go wrong.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: My daughter loves her Archos 2008-01-03
Comment: My daughter really loves her archos and I am impressed with the features and the price. The only dislike is when I read the description and capabilities before purchasing this item, it was not very clear if you need the Archos 404 DVR station to record from the tv onto this device. Found out you need this station, but unable to locate one to purchase. When I finally found one it cost as much as the device. But overall, it is very nice.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Son loves it! 2007-12-31
Comment: My son loves this! The camera and video camera are a plus!! It does not have a touch screen though, so I would recommend one with a touch screen - it is much easier to navigate with the touch screen
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Archos Product and Customer Support 2007-09-22
Comment: The low price of this item is deceptive. Upon receipt, it will perform minimally as an MP3 player, but hardly anything else. Each added feature requires an additional purchase. One can expect to spend another $60 to $100 to bring it up to 'advertised' capability (recorder, multi-mode viewer, photo vault, etc.) .
My experience with Archos customer support was disappointing. In trying to replace a part for a legacy 402 Gmini, I found the support to be unfamiliar with the products and unwilling to help. I will not purchase another Archos product. More expensive products may actually be less expensive after factoring additional purchases for increased functionality and subsequent replacement due to nonsupport.
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