Customer Reviews

Archos 405 2 GB Portable Media Player (Silver)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought the 405 in September and the docking station shortly thereafter. To record t.v. you need the docking station and to download a proprietary t.v. program guide using the company supplied Archoslink software. The problem is that you can't download the tv program guide due to some defect in the Archoslink software. Archos has only told me that they have referred this problem to the engineers but I have heard nothing for a month I am not sure if this problem also effects the WiFi versions, but I would definitely not recommend buying this item until they have worked things out. Even then, the interface it very confusing and difficult to use particularly from the machine. The navigation is not at all intuitive and even once you learn the quirky system you still make a lot of mistakes at is that poorly designed.

The company web site shares the software's poor design. For example to download the Archoslink software you need to search create an account with the serial and model numbers of both the machine and the docking station, and then confirm you information and search around for the software. The web site does not save your log in and when you click on a download the archoslink software link it takes you back to the log in page. The website has not have a search function and the software is not under the downloads link where you would expect it.

The device also seems quite limited in they format of files it will play. You even need to purchase a codex to common types of files and many are not supported. There seem to be a number of similar devices out there that make a better choice. Do not be fooled by what at first seems like a low price for such a device. The added cost of the docking station and the necessary codex software significantly raise the cost and the time it takes to set up and frustration to use really add up.

First, I bought the 405 because I did not want to fool around with a hard drive (the 405 has a 2GB internal flash drive and an SD slot for adding memory) and I did not want to fool around with wifi. Hard drives that get moved around alot break and wifi for small devices tends to be unreliable.

That said, so far (one week) I'm very satisfied with this player. The screen (3.5") is easy to read. I use Microsoft Explorer to click-and-drag music files (whole albums and individual songs) onto the flash drive. You can sync with Windows Media Player, but it seems like an unnecessary hassle.

I understand the complaints of the other reviewers. The advertised DVR should work. But, unfortunately, the more complicated inexpensive electronics get the more likely they'll disappoint.

I also bought the mini dock...it allows you to plug the thing into the wall outlet to charge, you can hook up an external portable hard drive to hold more files, and you can patch out the picture on the screen to your tv.

For $129 and another $29 for the dock I'm very happy. I haven't downloaded any video files and don't know if I will. The ones they included (dumb unit info) play fine.

By the way, I posted a similar review a few days ago. I found out later that it wasn't posted because I wrote where to find SDHC cards cheap.

I picked this up from Ritz when they were closing one of their locations. Grabbed 4 of them for only $20 each, kept one and sold the rest on E Bay. It's a cool player with a high res screen that handles all kinds of media formats and with a separate doc can even double as a DVR for your TV shows which you can then watch on your TV or on the Archos 405. I use it for movies when traveling on a plane. I use a 16GB class 4 card in it for movies. It's a SOLID little device, built like a tank.

I don't usually write reviews but after hearing so many complaints about Archos players being picky about memory cards I decided to post the solution.
The Archos is video player first and foremost!!!
That means cheap memory cards won't work well, you need a card with a HIGH transfer speed: it will be marked HIGH, ULTRA, @4 or @6 (actually, the 4 and 6 are inside the @ symbol on the cards logo)
Transfer speed is important for high frame rate motion video or high quality audio tracks and your Archos may simply refuse to boot up and give you the famous 102-error code if the card is too slow. The A405 is more forgiving than the A605
And that it is that...
The brand doesn't matter.
The size (gigabytes) doesn't matter.
Just the card's speed!
Thanks for reading.
(PS: Of course, the higher the speed the more the card costs ... sorry)

I've had this unit for a month and on the whole, I like it. I paid $129 for the unit plus an 8GB SD card, which (added to the 2GB in the unit) gives me a total of 10GB on board. The sound is very good, and unlike hard drive based units, it will grow in capacity. When the 16GB cards come down in price, it will become an 18GB unit, and when the 32GB cards come down in price, it will become a 34GB unit. Other reviews complain about video recording issues, and maybe they're right, but I didn't buy it for that. I bought it for music playing, and an occasional movie on a long trip. I haven't done any movies yet, however. I think the interface is "quirky" but I'm used to it by now so that's not an issue. I also think it could be lighter, since it has no HD, but I would buy it again.

I started out with the Archos 605 WiFi and hooked it up to my Home Entertainment system. I wanted the same quality device without digging too deep into my pockets so I picked up the Archos 405. Gotta tell you: What a good deal. Same quality sound and picture as the 605 except a lot cheaper. Sure it has a small memory but that can expand via a SD card, and it docks just like the 605. It's smaller, lighter and attractive. I give this unit a big Yes!

The problem with the Archoslink software has still not been corrected. Archos advises that they know of the problem but has no idea when it will be fixed. Based on other reviews, this problem has been going on for a very long time. If you want to use the Archos 405 as a DVR it simply will not work due to the defect in the Archoslink software.

I just got this in today from a seller on Ebay who actually had it cheaper then Amazon. I bought this device specifically for UnBox Amazon-On-Demand. While this device is not listed in the compatible device list. I was able to transfer .amzn video types using UbBox to the Archos 405. UnBox gave me the option to either transfer to the onboard hard drive or the SD card. I transferred the .amzn videos onto the optional 8 GB SD card. The device plays them off the SD with no problems! (UnBox simply changes the file type from .amzn to .wmv. You can do it manually as well.)

I'm going to re-box it for Christmas so I'll be updating this review at a later date once I have more time with it. For now I'm happy I found a way to watch X-Files on the bus ride to work for under 80 bucks!

Received player as a gift and I'm very happy with it. I mainly use it for my pics and some music so if there is any problems with video/recording I'm not aware of it. It works great for my purpose, perfect size for "to go", easy to use, I did not even need to read the manual. No problem at all to run update from Archos website or downloading pics and music from PC. Little bit time consuming creating folders but I had fun doing it with little keyboard that pops up on your screen. Resolution is not the best but good enough for 3.5" screen size.
Overall good value for $130.

I got this item by mistake. I never ordered it and suddenly one morning I saw the email with the order and it was too late to cancel. I tried emailing Amazon but I could not stop it. It was sent to Venezuela and it was not worth spending on a return. Anyway, I decided to use it, copied music and videos on it but the technology was obsolete in less than a year. Since it didn't have any network connection, all media had to be copied by removing the SD card or connecting the USB cable. When I got my first smartphone, I stopped using it.