Archos DVR Station for Archos 5 and Archos 7

by Archos

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 2 x 4.2 inches ; 2.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001D089ZY
• Item model number: 501187
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,143 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The DVR Station is the perfect bridge between your TV and your Archos 5, Archos 5G, or Archos 7 device. Record your TV programs and turn your TV into a real multimedia platform connected to the Web. Just insert your Archos into the DVR Station and enjoy all the functions of your Archos tablet on your home TV.

Turn your TV into a real multimedia platform connected to the Web. Click to enlarge.

Features a variety of inputs and outputs for recording from most any external video source and viewing on the device of your choice. Click to enlarge.

Remote control with a built-in keyboard and a mouse pointer that will let you experience Internet on your TV just like on your PC. Click to enlarge.

TV Recording
Easily record your favorite programs with the included TV program guide. Select your program on the program grid and schedule the recording with a click of the remote control. Record from most any external analog video source, such as your satellite receiver, Digital TV adapter (DVB-T), VCR, or cable box. Plus, you can charge your Archos device quickly.

HD Content Playback
Play back HD videos up to 720p from your Archos to your TV (with the optional Hi-Def plug-in).

Full Internet Experience
Browse the Web comfortably and write your emails using the included remote control. The remote features a built-in keyboard and a mouse pointer that will let you experience Internet on your TV just like on your PC.

Archos Media Club
Discover a large library of movies, documentaries, music albums, and games. Buy or rent your content in a few clicks and get instant access to it on your TV.

Stream from PC
Stream any of the music, movies, or photos from your PC to your TV using your Wi-Fi home network.

Multi-channel Sound
Enjoy your films with 5.1 Surround Sound on your home cinema system through the SPDIF output.

What's in the Box
Archos DVR Station for Archos 5 and Archos 7, remote control, power adapter/charger, US plug, 2 S-Video cables, 2 audio RCA cables, user guide.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better but with room to grow, January 8, 2009

By 

Eric Laffoon "ubergeek" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Archos DVR Station for Archos 5 and Archos 7 (Electronics)

I had an Archos 605 wifi and DVR dock. So my review is for those of you thinking of upgrading. First off my support experience online with the Archos 605 was awesome. Support for the new one has been terrible, but fortunately firmware upgrades have been great. The first problem I had was that the 5 series DVR dock was a pass through. Just put it in between your tuner and your TV and it would pass the signal. Right up front I found not only did this not work, but there was no reference to it in the manual on the new 6th generation unit and I could not get any confirmation if this was behaving as intended from tech support. Fortunately it's a non issue in modern systems if you have ample connectors.

I'm getting my big screen next week so I have this into a SD TV from a Directv HD DVR. This will work as a DVR but there is the logistics of pointing at your cable/satellite box and running the wires and the fact it won't work if you are out of town and have it with you. Granted they have TV portation. I got the Dock so I could have remote control access on my TV and record from the TV to the Archos 5. I'm currently using RGB from my DVR to my sound system, then to the TV. I'm bringing video into the DVR dock with S-video and audio with stereo while I use coax to bring surround sound from my DVR to my receiver. So effectively the signal path is duplicated in and routed to alternate audio and video out. When I get the new TV I will switch up and run HDMI out and RGB in.

I do have a 720p capable TV in the other room and I tested the HDMI output. It's really spectacular even though Archos still hasn't delivered the HD plugin. I'm still waiting and will buy it when it comes out. Even standard resolution video looks clearer and crisper with HDMI. What you will notice a huge improvement with is viewing photos and browsing the web. The browser is virtually perfect in HD with nearly double the pixel width of the Archos. There is also virtually no distortion you would see on a CRT showing the browser in SD.

On to the differences.
Pros:
- way better visuals with HDMI set to 720p
- much nicer menu organization on screen
- exit to main screen is sweet
- context sensitive operations show good design
- remote layout much more user friendly
Cons:
- sometimes clicking to activate something doesn't work right leading to requiring the mouse emulation more
- context sensitive menus obscure things like the fact that you can edit video with the remote

I use mine to record clips from MadTV orsave my favorite science or history shows. With the old one I had to tab through the TV schedule and todo list. Now I got to TV and the record sub menu. It's way cleaner. There are other nice touches on the menu. The 5 vs the 605 has the up button to go directly to the home screen and so does the remote. Copying files off USB could leave many clicks to get home on the old unit. The remote layout is so much more intuitive that picking up the old one after a few days gave me a moment of terror trying to remember how to work it. The only sacrifice is the new one no longer can right click the screen.

Clicking to open a folder or a video with the select button with the nave keys occasionally doesn't work. On the screen you would double click. Double clicking the button sometimes does more than you expect, like opening a folder and the first file in it. Using the mouse emulation means as soon as you move the cursor it appears and then you can click with the click button. It's nice, but not as fast. This is something that they can fix with a firmware upgrade and probably will as they are good about that.

In summary I suggest if you watch TV and you have an Archos 5 or 7 you need a DVR dock. Especially if you have HD on a flatscreen and wifi you have an awesome web browser that is just sweet to use. If you don't have a DVR and HDTV this gives you a DVR and is ready for when you get HDTV. When the HD plugin is available you can feed it in via RGB and stereo with the DVR dock and you can play back with the potential for surround sound. It makes your handheld device meld seamlessly into your entertainment system. Get one!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Better Pray The Unit Works When You Get It, February 17, 2009

By 

Wayman H. Benton "benton" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Archos DVR Station for Archos 5 and Archos 7 (Electronics)

Better pray the DVR Station works when it. Amazon does not take returns on a open box and my unit did not work when got it. So I had to sent it to Archos for repair. Archos does not exchange defective units, so it took 30 days for them to return the unit. The returned unit has another problem and needs to be send back again! The HDMI and RGB output did not work. The IR emmiter which changes channels does not work

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars No video passthrough -- does not work like previous models, August 17, 2009

By 

Renee A. Stdenis "traveling tv-aholic" (Roseville, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Archos DVR Station for Archos 5 and Archos 7 (Electronics)

I have 3 other Archos products with DVR stations. The 5 is a nice product, but when I hooked up the DVR Station I could not get video from my component system through it to the TV like with previous versions. I called Archos support and the tech, after researching the issue, said that the capability does not exist -- it was removed from this version. The tech said the removal of this capability was "preposterous" and I agree.

If you are used to having an Archos DVR dock between your components and TV and being able to use the TV, don't buy this model.

FYI, the tech said that there is no plan to put this capability back for the next version. I'm disappointed... I love my Archos products, but I won't upgrade without this capability. Instead, I bought a refurb unit from Archos with a larger capacity than any of the ones I currently have.