Archos AV Series
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The Archos AV series is a line of
portable media player A portable media player (PMP) or digital audio player (DAP) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. Normally they refer to small, Electric battery, batter ...
s from the company called
Archos Archos (, stylized as ARCHOS) is a French Multinational corporation, multinational consumer electronics, electronics company that was established in 1988 by Henri Crohas. Archos manufactures tablet computers, tablets, smartphones, portable media ...
that was released through 2003 to 2005. This series introduced the
digital video recorder A digital video recorder (DVR), also referred to as a personal video recorder (PVR) particularly in Canadian and British English, is an electronic device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card, SS ...
for the AV500, an optional feature that would be compatible in subsequent players. Although the AV series did not have standalone
digital audio player A portable media player (PMP) or digital audio player (DAP) is a portable consumer electronics device capable of storing and playing digital media such as audio, images, and video files. Normally they refer to small, battery-powered devices ...
s, Archos did release them under the concurrently released Gmini series.


Products


AV100

The AV100 series were similar to the Jukebox Multimedia with some updates including recording capability and faster performance. Also came in a 40 GB model.


AV300

The device plays the standard formats (AVI, MP3, WMA, AVI, JPG, PNG, and BMP) and also comes in three sizes (20, 40, and 80 GB). The unit also features a line in source for audio ''and'' video, enabling users to record video ''from'' external sources, as well as recording audio from the combined line /
S/PDIF S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) is a type of digital audio interface used in consumer audio equipment to output audio over relatively short distances. The signal is transmitted over either a coaxial cable using RCA connector, RCA or BN ...
/ ExtMic input or through its built in
microphone A microphone, colloquially called a mic (), or mike, is a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal. Microphones are used in many applications such as telephones, hearing aids, public address systems for concert halls and publi ...
. The player was criticized for its low battery performance and lack of DRM playback facilities. The battery playback on the device is stated at 3 and a half hours when watching video or 10 hours when listening to music. This device was released in 2003, and weighs 350 g. The optional AVCam 300 turns the device into a digital camera and camcorder, with other selective addons available such as an FM radio remote control (which also enables radio recording) and a memory card reader. The 2004 edition Guinness World Records would state the 80 GB AV380 to be the multimedia jukebox with the largest capacity.


AV400

Running the same software as AV300, the camera has been removed and a
CompactFlash CompactFlash (CF) is a flash memory mass storage device used mainly in portable electronic devices. The format was specified and the devices were first manufactured by SanDisk in 1994. CompactFlash became one of the most successful of the e ...
card slot has been built into the product directly. Image preview slides and
DRM DRM may refer to: Government, military and politics * Defense reform movement, U.S. campaign inspired by Col. John Boyd * Democratic Republic of Madagascar, a former socialist state (1975–1992) on Madagascar * Direction du renseignement militair ...
WMA support, as well as WMV access are also included. The unit is sold in many hard drive sizes, 20, 40, 60, and 80 GB and the AV4100 which is 100 GB in size. The actual size of the unit depends on the capacity, the AV420 (20 GB) was smaller than all of the other models and also has a smaller screen size. The cradle enables users to connect their device to their television, DVD players and stereos with ease without having loose wires or problems locating the right sockets. Archos built a copy protection system into the video recording software to make sure that while protected videos can be recorded on the device, they can't be transferred onto computers or the Internet. One feature of the AV300 was its lack of security and ability to rip movies but this was disabled for the AV400. If one records a protected DVD, then one can only play it back on the device. An included remote control enables one to control the entire device. The device plays all the standard formats as the AV300 with the addition of DRM-protected WMA files and standard WMV files. The device also supports
Windows Media Windows Media is a discontinued multimedia framework for media creation and distribution for Microsoft Windows. It consists of a software development kit (SDK) with several application programming interfaces (API) and a number of prebuilt technol ...
's PlaysForSure platform. A limitation of the device at its release was that it wasn't specifically designed to play back ASP (Advanced Simple Profile) MP4 files, creating compatibility problems with several files encoded with the popular XviD and DivX compression techniques. This device was released Wednesday June 30, 2004, and weighs 290 g (20 GB model) or 320 g (higher capacity models)


AV500

''Variants'' - AV530, AV560, AV580, AV5100 Just before the PMA 400 was released, there was a name conflict within the models. The PMA400 was scheduled to be released as the AV500. Ultimately, the name went to a new model of
Digital Video Recorder A digital video recorder (DVR), also referred to as a personal video recorder (PVR) particularly in Canadian and British English, is an electronic device that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card, SS ...
(DVR). The Archos AV500 is similar to the GMini 500, but it has extra facilities (video recording and the new ''AV Pod''). The Archos AV500 series plays
Divx DIVX (Digital Video Express) is a discontinued digital video format. Created in part by Circuit City, it was an unsuccessful attempt to create an alternative to video rental in the United States. The format's poor reception from consumers resu ...
/ Xvid and WMV9 format video;
MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany under the lead of Karlheinz Brandenburg. It was designed to greatly reduce the amount ...
and
WAV Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or WAV due to its filename extension; pronounced or ) is an audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on personal computers. The format was developed and published for the first time in 1991 ...
audio files; and displays
JPEG JPEG ( , short for Joint Photographic Experts Group and sometimes retroactively referred to as JPEG 1) is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by digital photography. The degr ...
and BMP graphic files. It records video in the Divx format, either through its DVR function or through its minicam accessory, and it records sound either through its built-in microphone or through its analog input. It can play and record audio and video to or from external sources via the mini- RCA jacks of its AV Pod. The AV500 case is made of brushed aluminum and forms a solid, rugged, dense box with a built-in LCD screen. Three formats of the AV500 were manufactured, containing either 40, 60, or 100 GB hard disk drives, each format using a different size and shape of battery. Sometimes the specific format is referenced by combining the model name with the hard disk drive format, e.g., the AV5100 to designate the AV500 with a 100 GB hard drive. The AV5100 has an optional triple-life battery pack. Data transfer for the AV500 is provided through its USB ports. The AV500 can act as either a USB controller or a USB device, using its USB A and USB B ports respectively. A memory card reader would be read through the USB A port, for example, but a home computer would access the AV500 through the USB B port. An optional camera attachment (digital minicam) was available for the AV500 from late December 2005 to mid-2006, when Archos discontinued its production. The minicam records video directly to the Archos' hard disk drive in Divx format. The camera is powered from the AV500 unit via its single video cable. A control unit in the middle of the cable contains a high-quality microphone and a begin/end recording control button. The AV500 was released on Friday June 10, 2005. It weighs 255 g for the 30 GB Model and 315 g for the 100 GB Model. Archos has replaced the AV product line with its Generation 4 series.


AV700

The Archos AV700 was the turning point for Archos to change the way they sell these devices to the public. The previous
slogan A slogan is a memorable motto or phrase used in a clan or a political, commercial, religious, or other context as a repetitive expression of an idea or purpose, with the goal of persuading members of the public or a more defined target group ...
, "Think Smaller" was seen as inappropriate for the purpose, so they then changed it to "On The Go". The AV700 comes in 40, 80 or 100 gigabyte models. The built-in screen resolution is 420 by 234. It is a digital video recorder and it is possible to record video from an external source, too. Like the Gmini 400 series, the AV700 also has a built-in Mophun gaming engine. This device was released Monday May 23, 2005, and weighs 590 g. In 2006, Archos developed the TV-Edition from the AV700, the AV700TV.


PocketDish

The AV700 and AV500, along with the Gmini 402, were sold under the PocketDish brand of
Dish Network DISH Network L.L.C., often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. The company was originally establ ...
, though the original Archos logos remained. They were named the AV700E, AV500E, and AV402E respectively. While the AV700E and AV402E are listed as sold out, the AV500E is still listed as available even though the standard AV500 has been discontinued.


References


External links


Manufacturer's WebsiteOpen Source Firmware for some AV Series players
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archos Av Series Portable media players Consumer electronics brands