Archos 504 80GB Portable Digital Media Player and Recorder (500870)

Other products by Archos

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1 x 3 inches ; 11.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000HAVWUA
• Item model number: 500870
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,362 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 16, 2007

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
With the Archos 500870 504 80GB Portable Digital Media Player and Recorder you have all the entertainment you need at your fingertips, in a package that stays ultra portable. The perfect companion for everything from long trips to short bus rides, from going to parties to just hanging out around the house, the Archos 504 lets you not only take your favorite music, movies, and moments with you, but helps you make new favorite moments wherever you happen to be.

With a screen size surface three times that of similar size PMPs (portable media players), the Archos 504 ensures you can thoroughly enjoy movies and videos. This unit uses a bright, 4.3-inch TFT LCD display with over 16 million colors to provide you a crystal-clear, sharp picture with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 480 x 272 pixels of resolution, as well as an intuitive GUI (graphic user interface) for easy-to-use navigation. The Archos 504 not only plays your videos and movies, but lets you store over a whopping 226 regular movies or 58 DVD-quality 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.

Not only is the Archos 504 a portable video and movie player, but a high-resolution 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 504 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 800,000 photos at a time, depending upon file size and what else you are storing at the same time. The Archos 504 can even read and display PDF documents for on-the-fly work situations, although it may not implement all PDF features.

For those times when you can't afford the distraction of watching high-quality videos, the Archos 504 can be your music player, storing and playing up to 40,000 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 Archos 504 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 Archos 504 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 Archos 504 can play back any of your movies or recorded TV programs on your television itself, also through the optional DVR station.

The Archos 504 has a built-in 80 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 504 also features a music playback time of up to 17 hours, and a video playback time of up to 5.5 hours on its built-in LCD display, all with its internal, removable lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery that charges via computer through its USB port, or more quickly with the optional docking adapter or DVR station, or a separate optional power charger. The Archos 504 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 11.15 ounces, and measures approximately 5.1 x 3 x 0.9 inches (W x H x D).

What's in the Box
Archos 504 portable media player, headphones, dedicated USB 2.0 cable, DVR station adapter, protective case, quick-start guide, and legal and safety notices.

Product Description
The Archos 504 80GB Digital Media Player has a large capacity and large screen Portable Multimedia Player, which supports all standard video formats in full DVD resolution. The bright, 4.3-inch TFT screen with 16 million colors, ideal for watching videos and viewing photos. Watch DVD-quality video playback on your TV with the optional DVR station. Also, record directly from TV in high-quality MPEG-4 with optional DVR station. PDF document viewer Audio recording - Voice recording through the built-in Microphone USB 2.0 High-Speed Device Interfaces (backwards compatible with USB 1.1) 3.5 mm stereo headphone mini-jack connections and TV output (Audio/Video cable not included) Battery life - Up to 17 hours Music playback time, up to 5.5 hours Video playback time on built-in LCD System requirements - Windows ME, 2000, XP or higher, Mac OS 10.3.9 and Linux with mass storage device support Dimensions - Approximately 5.1 x 3 x 0.9-inch, 130 x 78 x 23 mm / Weight - 315 grams, 11.15 ounces

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well made, but spotty support., September 28, 2006

By	Kevin K. Jones (Savoy, IL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Received my Archos 504 a couple days ago and I've been putting it through it's paces. The player is very solid and well made. The rocker buttons are easy to push with a tactile feel, but navigating the archos is anything but intuitive. Having to use 3 rocker buttons to navigate up, down, left, and right does not work nearly as well as a directional pad. The screen is very bright and crisp. Unfortunately, out of the box, the Archos doesn't play certain video codecs. MPG4 with AC3 and H264 with AAC both require codec plugins which are going to cost $15 per plug-in. So if you want full video support, add $30 to the price of the 504. The kicker, though, is that these codecs are not yet available and tech support has no idea when they will be available. Also the internal speaker volume is not very loud. Even at full volume, you have to listen closely to video dialog in a quiet room. If there is background noise, forget about it, plug in the headphones.

I really want to like the 504. The price is good for an 80 gig player, but be aware that Archos will nickel and dime you for accessories like an AC adapter (which is only available with the dock or dvr adapter), and the codecs.

If Amazon begins shipping the Zen Vision W 60 GB model soon, I may return the 504.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Impressive Device, October 8, 2006

By	Buckwheat (usa) - See all my reviews

I've had the good fortune of owning 3 generations of this device. Starting w/the AV320, then the AV500, now the 504.
In my opinnion, this device is not a 100 out of 100, but pretty darn close.
I got the 80g version from Amazon for the great price of $359.00 - a real bargain.
I've converted a bunch of DVD's on my computer using iriverter, and just dragged and dropped them onto the player. Done the same with my music and photo files. All transfers were speedy and easy.
The device works great for all 3 functions. The video is bright, sharp and seamless on the 4.3 in screen. Audio sharp and clear. Pictures brilliant. You can watch a slide show w/effects while palying tunes.
Only minor drawbacks: Totally worthless carrying sack, lack of video codecs native to machine.
Navigational buttons take a little getting used to, but not bad at all once you get the hang of it.
I can't wait till the dock becomes available and I personally am not bothered by having to spend a few extra bucks to get it.
$359.00 for a player of this caliber is more than worth it.
I could go on and on, but I'll just say - I love this player.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In depth review (long), February 21, 2007

By	Brett "Gadgets Guru" (Memphis, TN) - See all my reviews

I love the Archos 504 player for many reasons, and the removable battery is certainly one of them. Unlike iPod, Zune, etc., the Archos has a truly removable battery that can be quickly and easily replaced with a charged one. Not only does this extend the life of the product -- it doesn't need to be shipped to Archos, Inc. once the battery has died -- but also extends your viewing time as much as you want! Transcontinental flight? No problem! Just buy a couple of extra batteries to swap out on the plane. Removal takes literally 2 seconds!

Ok, so now that you know the value of the interchangeable batteries, let's go over the actually battery itself. I believe that Archos claims a 5 hour charge for these products, and while that's a bit generous, I regularly get at least 4 hours of continuous video playback. And let's face it -- we bought the Archos 504 to watch video, not listen to MP3's.

That's my cue to talk about this unit's video playback. The only thing keeping me from giving this player 5 stars is the lack of supported video codecs. Sure, it'll play .h264 or .vob (MPEG 2) files if you buy the extra software plug-ins from Archos, but come on! Why nickel and dime us for these plug-in's when we're already forking over a chunk of change for the player?!?! Clearly, you've already developed the software, just include it for cripes sake! And what about Real Media? I realize that it's not the greatest of formats, but I have a TON of South Park episodes in RM that I had to convert to AVI's. It'd just be nice if there were more supported video codecs. That's my lone diatribe regarding the video codecs, I promise. It does play MPEG 4 .avi files encoded with DivX and XviD as long as you encode the audio with WMA v2 or MP3. Basically, any movies that you've downloaded should play fine.

And the screen is pretty fantastic. Not only is it bigger than any other portable player on the market, except for the Archos 700 series, but it also looks crisper than most. I don't recall the resolution, but movies look great on it. Obviously, you have to give it a good file to get a good picture, and I haven't viewed any MPEG 2 material on it, but AVI's look great -- good resolution and color.

One of the other areas that players can frequently turn me off for good is in the file transfer mode. I hate iTunes with a passion, and it's one of many reasons why I'll never own an iPod. I do NOT want to have to load files into a program that'll screw around with them in the process of transferring them to my device. They're my files; leave them alone! Thankfully, Archos provides two methods for file transfer: as an external hard drive or as a Windows Media Player device. Personally, I go with the external hard drive choice because dragging and dropping files is quick, easy, and intuitive. If you're into synching your player and want to use WM, great, but I love the fact that you can just drag and drop files into the folders that you want without using proprietary software. Transfer occurs via USB 2.0, and the connection requires a special dongle that Archos provides with the obvious caveat that you can't go pick up a conventional USB cable to charge this sucker. I don't know exactly why Archos chose this connection except for the obvious financial benefit of specialized equipment (an unappreciated iPod immitation). Charging is very slow using this cable, but Archos claims that the docking bay or DVR station allow for much faster charging.

Like the file transfer system, the menu system is pretty intuitive as well. Directional buttons as well as an OK (select)/back and tab/menu buttons comprise the column of five buttons that reside to the right of the screen. These allow you to navigate through the icons on the home screen. There are 8 icons for video, music, photos, browser, resume, tv scheduler, video recorder, and audio recorder. Obviously, video, music, and photos will take you to their corresponding media. Browser allows you to browse all folders in a file folder format (say that 10 times fast!) while resume takes you back to where you last left off, and the finally three deal with recording media. I have yet to record any media on this player; so, unfortunately I can't review that aspect. But the ergonomics of this player are easily a 4 of 5. It's a little clunky, but for a player with an 80 GB HDD and a 4 inch screen, how can you complain?

The proprietary dongle that connects via USB is a bit disappointing as well as the lack of video codec support straight out of the box, but you are provided with the dongle (don't lose it!), and the AVI support will account for the majority of most viewers' videos. My rating would breakdown like this:

design - 5
ergonomics - 4
functionality - 5
ease of use/format support - 3
value - 5

This is an awesome player and a great deal. If you're a frequent flyer and are the slightest bit tech savvy, which you are if you're checking this out, I'd highly recommend this unit.