Because we are dedicated to honest customer opinions Archos 404 - 30GB Slim Portable Multimedia Player (Electronics), we have also included Amazon's customer reviews for this item (of which 5 are displayed below). Amazon customers have given Archos 404 - 30GB Slim Portable Multimedia Player an average rating of 3.5/5.
Top Amazon Review
Simply Superb. I bought this just as another MP3 player with a huge size and lo what i found was - its marvelous
You can store most of your documents and pictures as well as your entire favourite music gallery and yet - there is always space in it...
It has never disappointed with its battery life so far - and is a wonderful and strong player compared to others....
However, people may find it difficult to carry - due to its bulk - for me this has never been a problem. I have a small wallet - large enough to zip my beloved archos in it and carry with me when i am jogging or on the move...
Its a wonderful library of movies, songs and ebooks for me - though i have never used it to read any of the ebooks!
Customer Review 1
Definatly the worst thing ive purchased. I got this archos in july last year as i wanted some different rather than an ipod huge mistake. in november i went to use it with out using for about 2 weeks and the back case had warped the battery had gone ( as in popped) and it wont even switch on nor charge or be reconised on my pc ive been trying to contact archos for about 2 months no replys to emails on there website its asking for 2 serial numbers i have one put the other one is in the harddrive which i cant access due to it not switching on what a waste of money if i was you AVOID this and get a ipod better manufacturer and can be repaired anywhere plus the battery life lasts forever compared to this which just eats it.
Customer Review 2
Good MP3 player but other range better for fims.. I already have the original Archos 500 and was delighted to find that the 404 is built to the same high quality. Being much smaller and bought mainly as a MP3 player but still a very strong movie player to.
The reason I bought this player is that the newer 405 only has 2Gb of memory, additional can be added but..
This player as 30Gb.
MOVIES
On this note if you want your film to be resized from your existing DIVX collection then try looking up and downloading the free program POCKETDIVXENCODER which doesn't convert to Divx just fine tunes the existing file to work better and be smaller (changing audio files and screen sizes). My 404 films coming out at 300Mb per film (lot more on hard drive if needed).
The only downside is that the screen is in 4:3 format unlike the other players in this series, this isn't a breaking problem but one to be aware of.
MUSIC
As always excellent in terms of sound and display while playing, which the encluded hard pouch it is hard to control the player, so invest in a better case as I have done that will allow access to these.
On a downside there is no spelling out of titles when searching for albums or tracks by the titles simply a list style, which is annoying in folders with over 900 tracks. No going straight to your chosen track.
Pictures
A nice thumbnail page greets you with the focus picture being enlargerd as you toggle through all your picture and when selected these go full screen in a good resolution to enjoy. You can also activate a slide show option of the folder if you want to better show off your holiday snaps.
Camcorder
This works as both a Video recorder and Picture camera.
Satisfactory but not better than a specific Digiatal camera of camcorder. DO NOT BUY THIS INSTEAD OF but to compliment any recorders you might have.
RECORDING TV
this can be done but with the seperate docking station, and as my 500 does this as standard I have no need to try out this extra, My personal preference is still to use software to convert film to DIVx perfectly and to stick to this option.
As for Battery life when the screen is off the audio playtime is mamoth, although in movie mode the battery life is a good 3 plus hours. Charging takes longer via the USB than the mains charged predessors, although I have heard and have ordered the docking station (NOT THE DVR station) as this has a mians feed and charges quicker.
On this front Archos have changed the charging leads from a standard 5v Mains plug to a fancy interface lead that connects to the mains/USB mains adaptor(not included) much like simple MP3 players come with.
So for tavelling save money and buy a MAins USB output plug for under a tenner.
Customer Review 3
Great bit of kit. Having used my Archos now for over six months all I can say is that it is my favorite gadget. I use it every day either recording something or playing something. I can carry around at least twenty films with me, how can I get bored?
If you want to convert from one format to another just look at sites like www.download.com you will find free software there to do the conversion. Although I am not a lover of Microsoft, Media Player converts any music or wmv files to the Archos without a problem.
The only real accessory I would suggest you need is the DVR station. This allows you to easily record from the TV, DVD or VCR. Yes sure if the data is right protected it remains right protected but still playable on the Archos this is how it should be. I record at least two films a week & can now remove the adverts before watching it (not explained in the manual).
If you are looking for the perfect gadget for a Christmas present don't delay buy this.
Customer Review 4
My worst ever purchase!. What a wonderful device, compact, easy to use, 30GB! Wonderful until the back panel warped and came away from the device leaving a massive gap. Then the screen packs in and then gone! 30 wonderful GB gone with it! Amazon were great at replacing it but as part of the return policy they asked me to contact Archos directly. I exaplained via email what had happened to the device and they responded with "I think your Archos is broken. please contact 00xx xxxxxxxx" This was after explaining I was in South America. Wonderful support! Anyway Amazon replaced the unit after I sent it back to the UK. The replacement unit lasted 5 months of very minimal use. The exact same issue. Back panel warped. At least I had my files backed-up this time around. Now I'm just stuck with $150 of add-ons which were pretty useless to begin with! Wonderful.
