Archos 704 WiFi personal media player: First Look
Sometimes bigger is just … bigger
ARCHOS 704 WIFI with DVR
Price: $500
What it is: A personal media player (PMP)--a category of device that offers all the controls and features of a video-capable MP3 player while adding a larger screen and the option to acquire content from more sources than a plain MP3 player can. For example, with the use of a $100 digital video recording (DVR) accessory, you can connect the Archos to a cable or satellite box to digitally record and watch TV programs. The DVR uses a TV-like onscreen guide for setting up, editing, and reviewing your recording sessions. It even has set-top-box control. You can watch content on the unit’s built-in screen or pipe it to a large TV screen or a computer monitor.
The Archos, which is 5.1x7.2x0.8 inches, has a sleek-looking brushed-metal finish.
Its 80-gigabyte hard drive can hold about 20,000 MP3 or WMA songs, or about 150 hours of video in the MPEG-4 format. Compatible with Windows and Macintosh operating systems, the Archos joins a growing number of media players, including Microsoft’s Zune and the Sansa Connect WiFi, that feature wireless connections.
Tipping the scale at over a pound, the Archos is quite a handful. But a retractable, rear-mounted leg-stand lets you prop the unit up on any level surface for hands-free viewing and listening.
For more information on PMPs, read our Video in your pocket report. And check our latest Ratings of MP3 players (available to subscribers) for models that can also store and play digital video.
Here's what we discovered so far about the Archos 704:
HIGHS
That big screen. You’re less likely to squint when watching video on the Archos’s humongous screen--which, at 7 inches, measured diagonally, is about twice as large as most PMP screens. Pictures, videos, and an Internet browser fill up the entire screen when they’re launched. You can view your pictures in slide-show fashion, accompanied by music from your library, as well as zoom in and rotate them.
Wireless capability. The Archos’s WiFi connection allows it to browse the Internet and retrieve pictures, videos, and music (non-copy- protected) from other computers on a home network--either by copying the files or streaming them from their source. But the Archos can give as well as take, by acting as a server to which files can be written from a network computer.
Easy navigation. The Archos has only two buttons, both on the left side. One turns the player on and off, the other switches between the built-in display and output to a TV. The remainder of the Archos’s functions are handled on the display, which is actually a touch screen that you tap with the included stylus. The main menu is sensibly categorized into Video, Music, Photos, Web, Video Recorder, and Resume (to quickly pick up where you left off). Details of your music library--artist, album, title, genre, etc.--are always in full view. A virtual keyboard pops up whenever there’s a need to enter data, though it might be necessary to refer to a user manual (which is stored on the player) occasionally to understand what some icons (action buttons) actually control.
It’s well connected. Besides using Wi-Fi, you can physically connect the Archos to any computer via the included USB cable as either a Windows Media Device or an external hard drive. Using Windows Media Player (version 10 or higher) allows you to sync your music and video files according to your preferences, with minimal fuss. Switching to hard-drive mode enables you move, copy, or delete files and folders quickly in drag-and-drop fashion. The Archos also accepts files directly from digital cameras, memory card readers, USB (thumb) drives, and other Mass Storage Class (MSC) devices--a big plus for vacationers who need to quickly make room on their camera’s memory cards.
LOWS
Costly options. The Archos comes with headphones, a remote control, a USB cable, USB host adapter, two styluses, remote control, AC charger, a protective case, and little else. In fact, you pay dearly for extras that shouldn’t cost extra. Besides the $100 DVR station, which you’ll also need to record audio from an external analog source, there’s a more compact “traveling” version without ports for a PC or home stereo that costs $70.
To play DRM-free AAC files (the default audio format for iPods and many podcasts), you’ll need to purchase a $20 plug-in. And you’ll need to spend yet another $20 if you want to listen to 5.1 surround sound on your home theater system through the digital audio (SPDIF) output of the optional DVR station. Both plug-ins can be purchase as a bundle for $30.
Web limitations. Though Web browsing is a relatively pleasant experience overall, especially when you’re checking e-mail, you’ll run into trouble at media-rich sites such as YouTube.com because the Archos browser doesn’t support Macromedia Flash or Java. You can browse the Internet wirelessly once you find an open wireless access point or have an authorization to use a secured one, but it can be a hassle to connect to password-protected networks, at least for the first time. With many other Wi-Fi devices, you type a short ID and password, and onboard software translates it into the longer, 16- or 32-character string that networks use to keep out hackers. The Archos lacks that software, so you’ll have to translate your regular passwords into those long hexadecimal codes before gaining access to those networks. (Fortunately, you’ll only have to do it once with most networks.)
Ho-hum performance. Video quality is decent, though, the highly reflective display can be difficult to view from some angles, especially in outdoor light.
And video playback time was also a middling 5 hours. Other players--including the equally capacious, $350 Apple iPod--run for 7 hours or more on a charge. And while audio quality was excellent from the headphone jack, it was only fair--the worst among all portables we’ve tested lately--using the included headphones. The audio quality of the player’s built-in stereo speakers was equally unimpressive.
Where’s my stylus. Most PDAs and smart phones with touch screens have a cavity in which to conveniently store the screen stylus, which is easily lost. The Archos lacks such storage, offering only a less convenient stylus pocket in the protective case. Misplace the stylus? You can use your fingertips, but that will probably mar the display as well as your viewing experience.
THE BOTTOM LINE
While the Archos’s multimedia capabilities and well-proportioned screen are generally impressive, we can’t think of a compelling reason to own this $500 device--which is really $600 and over if you want to take full advantage of its video capabilities. Though more portable than a laptop, the Archos is still much too big for a pocket.
Smaller, less-costly, and better devices include its sibling, the $425 Archos 604 WiFi, which has 30-gigabyte capacity and a 4.5-inch display, and the video-enabled iPods ($250 for the 30 GB model; $350 for 80 GB). The iPods’ screens are only 3 inches (diagonally), but you’ll have access to an impressive variety of TV programs--commercial-free--on iTunes, which you can download at any time for $2 a pop. And if you’re a true movie buff, a portable DVD player ($100 and up, and only a little bigger) can fill in nicely. This Archos does allow you to bring along recordings of your favorite TV shows. But how big a plus is that these days, when most hotels and even airplanes have cable or satellite TV service?
What it is: A personal media player (PMP)--a category of device that offers all the controls and features of a video-capable MP3 player while adding a larger screen and the option to acquire content from more sources than a plain MP3 player can. For example, with the use of a $100 digital video recording (DVR) accessory, you can connect the Archos to a cable or satellite box to digitally record and watch TV programs. The DVR uses a TV-like onscreen guide for setting up, editing, and reviewing your recording sessions. It even has set-top-box control. You can watch content on the unit’s built-in screen or pipe it to a large TV screen or a computer monitor.
The Archos, which is 5.1x7.2x0.8 inches, has a sleek-looking brushed-metal finish.
Its 80-gigabyte hard drive can hold about 20,000 MP3 or WMA songs, or about 150 hours of video in the MPEG-4 format. Compatible with Windows and Macintosh operating systems, the Archos joins a growing number of media players, including Microsoft’s Zune and the Sansa Connect WiFi, that feature wireless connections.
Tipping the scale at over a pound, the Archos is quite a handful. But a retractable, rear-mounted leg-stand lets you prop the unit up on any level surface for hands-free viewing and listening.
For more information on PMPs, read our Video in your pocket report. And check our latest Ratings of MP3 players (available to subscribers) for models that can also store and play digital video.
Here's what we discovered so far about the Archos 704:
HIGHS
That big screen. You’re less likely to squint when watching video on the Archos’s humongous screen--which, at 7 inches, measured diagonally, is about twice as large as most PMP screens. Pictures, videos, and an Internet browser fill up the entire screen when they’re launched. You can view your pictures in slide-show fashion, accompanied by music from your library, as well as zoom in and rotate them.
Wireless capability. The Archos’s WiFi connection allows it to browse the Internet and retrieve pictures, videos, and music (non-copy- protected) from other computers on a home network--either by copying the files or streaming them from their source. But the Archos can give as well as take, by acting as a server to which files can be written from a network computer.
Easy navigation. The Archos has only two buttons, both on the left side. One turns the player on and off, the other switches between the built-in display and output to a TV. The remainder of the Archos’s functions are handled on the display, which is actually a touch screen that you tap with the included stylus. The main menu is sensibly categorized into Video, Music, Photos, Web, Video Recorder, and Resume (to quickly pick up where you left off). Details of your music library--artist, album, title, genre, etc.--are always in full view. A virtual keyboard pops up whenever there’s a need to enter data, though it might be necessary to refer to a user manual (which is stored on the player) occasionally to understand what some icons (action buttons) actually control.
It’s well connected. Besides using Wi-Fi, you can physically connect the Archos to any computer via the included USB cable as either a Windows Media Device or an external hard drive. Using Windows Media Player (version 10 or higher) allows you to sync your music and video files according to your preferences, with minimal fuss. Switching to hard-drive mode enables you move, copy, or delete files and folders quickly in drag-and-drop fashion. The Archos also accepts files directly from digital cameras, memory card readers, USB (thumb) drives, and other Mass Storage Class (MSC) devices--a big plus for vacationers who need to quickly make room on their camera’s memory cards.
LOWS
Costly options. The Archos comes with headphones, a remote control, a USB cable, USB host adapter, two styluses, remote control, AC charger, a protective case, and little else. In fact, you pay dearly for extras that shouldn’t cost extra. Besides the $100 DVR station, which you’ll also need to record audio from an external analog source, there’s a more compact “traveling” version without ports for a PC or home stereo that costs $70.
To play DRM-free AAC files (the default audio format for iPods and many podcasts), you’ll need to purchase a $20 plug-in. And you’ll need to spend yet another $20 if you want to listen to 5.1 surround sound on your home theater system through the digital audio (SPDIF) output of the optional DVR station. Both plug-ins can be purchase as a bundle for $30.
Web limitations. Though Web browsing is a relatively pleasant experience overall, especially when you’re checking e-mail, you’ll run into trouble at media-rich sites such as YouTube.com because the Archos browser doesn’t support Macromedia Flash or Java. You can browse the Internet wirelessly once you find an open wireless access point or have an authorization to use a secured one, but it can be a hassle to connect to password-protected networks, at least for the first time. With many other Wi-Fi devices, you type a short ID and password, and onboard software translates it into the longer, 16- or 32-character string that networks use to keep out hackers. The Archos lacks that software, so you’ll have to translate your regular passwords into those long hexadecimal codes before gaining access to those networks. (Fortunately, you’ll only have to do it once with most networks.)
Ho-hum performance. Video quality is decent, though, the highly reflective display can be difficult to view from some angles, especially in outdoor light.
And video playback time was also a middling 5 hours. Other players--including the equally capacious, $350 Apple iPod--run for 7 hours or more on a charge. And while audio quality was excellent from the headphone jack, it was only fair--the worst among all portables we’ve tested lately--using the included headphones. The audio quality of the player’s built-in stereo speakers was equally unimpressive.
Where’s my stylus. Most PDAs and smart phones with touch screens have a cavity in which to conveniently store the screen stylus, which is easily lost. The Archos lacks such storage, offering only a less convenient stylus pocket in the protective case. Misplace the stylus? You can use your fingertips, but that will probably mar the display as well as your viewing experience.
THE BOTTOM LINE
While the Archos’s multimedia capabilities and well-proportioned screen are generally impressive, we can’t think of a compelling reason to own this $500 device--which is really $600 and over if you want to take full advantage of its video capabilities. Though more portable than a laptop, the Archos is still much too big for a pocket.
Smaller, less-costly, and better devices include its sibling, the $425 Archos 604 WiFi, which has 30-gigabyte capacity and a 4.5-inch display, and the video-enabled iPods ($250 for the 30 GB model; $350 for 80 GB). The iPods’ screens are only 3 inches (diagonally), but you’ll have access to an impressive variety of TV programs--commercial-free--on iTunes, which you can download at any time for $2 a pop. And if you’re a true movie buff, a portable DVD player ($100 and up, and only a little bigger) can fill in nicely. This Archos does allow you to bring along recordings of your favorite TV shows. But how big a plus is that these days, when most hotels and even airplanes have cable or satellite TV service?
