Archos AV320 Video and MP3 Jukebox Recorder

Archos AV320 Video and MP3 Jukebox Recorder

Product Description
From the Manufacturer
The Archos AV320 Video Recorder is the first handheld personal entertainment center. The AV320 combines a modular MP4 video player and recorder with an MP3 music player and recorder. The AV320 also functions as digital photo wallet or a data storage device that fits in the palm of your hand. As an MP4 video player, you can now enjoy up to 40 hours of near-DVD quality video with MP3 sound, approximately 25 full-length movies.

The AV320 comes bundled with the Archos DVR 100 Digital Video Recorder module which lets you record directly from your VCR, DVD or camcorder (records TV thru VCR or DVD connection) into MP4. Sporting the industry's only high-resolution 3.8" color screen, the Video AV320 offers the most enjoyable video play back experience in any portable device. As an MP3 Music Player and Recorder, you can record and play up to 300 hours of MP3 music from CDs or any other music source. As an MP3 Voice Recorder, you can record and play back up to 700 hours of voice recordings. The AV320 is a digital photo wallet. You can store up to 200,000 photos for easy viewing by your family, friends, customers or colleagues.

Cinema to Go
It's never been easier to watch movies on the go. You can store up to 160 of your favorite movies and view them on the high resolution 3.8" color LCD or on a TV. Record and store up to 320 hours of video (average with a AV380 80GB hard disk) from any standard video source, TV or VCR using the Digital Video Recorder plug. Simply record into MPEG-4, the new standard of compressed digital video. It is as easy as using a VCR and you don't need a PC. You can also download video content from a PC and watch your video anywhere you go. Photos and Video to Go
Take up to 800,000 digital photos with you and show them to your family, friends, or colleagues. Instantly transfer photos from your digital camera to the AV300 using the Memory Card Reader optional add-on. For the photo and video buff, the AVCam 300 add-on provides a top-quality Ricohä zoom lens. You can use the combined 3.3 megapixel camera and MPEG-4 camcorder to make your own movies and shoot high-resolution photos at school, parties, or other social gatherings.

MusicMatch
All of Archos AV products are bundled with the award winning MusicMatch software. You can use it to transform your CDs into MP3 files for playing on your AV. It can also help you tag your music or create a music library. View on TV
It has never been easier to show your best photos and video selections to your friends directly on the TV. The AV300 series is delivered with a standard audio and video cable that fits on any type of TV (PAL or NTSC). Impress your friends and family with a photo slideshow with background music. They will also be wowed by the near-DVD quality resolution of your videos. (TV not included!)

Data to Go
Use the AV300's 20, 40 or 80 GB hard disk to do easy back-ups to transport all your data with you wherever you go. The high-speed USB 2.0 interface allows you to quickly transfer your files from your computer. (PC not included!)

AV320 Video Recorder Features Summarized:

Capacity: 20 GB Hard Disk

Interface: USB 2.0, extra fast, compatible USB 1.1, PC & Mac . Optional FireWire cable.

Video playback: MPEG-4 SP with MP3 stereo sound, near-DVD quality. Resolutions 352x288@30f/s, or 640x272@25f /s, up to 640x368@20f/s. AVI file format, reads XviD and DivX" 4.0 & 5.0

Music playback: Stereo MP3 decoding @ 30-320 kb/s CBR & VBR, WMA @ 160 kb/s

Music recording: Stereo MP3 encoding @ 30-160 kb/s VBR

Photo viewer: JPEG (except progressives) or BMP of any size

Display: 3.8" color LCD (QVGA) 320xRGBx240 pixels or TV

AV Connections: Stereo analog Line In & digital SPDIF Line In/Out; Composite Video Earphone Line Out jack; built-in microphone

Playback Autonomy: Up to 10 hours of MP3 or 3 1/2 hours for video on built-in LCD

Scalability: Downloadable firmware updates from www.archos.com

Power Source: Internal: Rechargeable Li-Ion Batteries; External: AC charger adapter

Dimensions & Weight: 112 x 82 x 31 mm (4.4" x 3.2" x 1.2"); 350g (12.5 oz)

JBM DVR Features:

Connection: Plugs into AV320 expansion port; RCA jack for composite video or MiniDIN socket for S-video (NTS C or PAL)

Capture rate: PAL: 320x240 @ 25 f/s; NTSC: 304 X 224 @30 f/s

Video Input: Analog Composite Video or S-video

Audio input: Analog stereo audio Mini-jack - RCA

Video compression: Mpeg-4 SP with MP3 stereo sound in AVI format (can be read by XviD or DivX players)

Audio compression: Stereo MP3 96-192 kb/s CBR (Constant Bit Rate)

Dimensions & weight: 60 x 54 x 30mm (2.3: x 2.1" x 1.2"); 45g (1.5 oz)

Systems Requirements: PC: Pentium ii 266 MHz. Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP, 64 MB RAM; MAC: 9.2 or 10.2.4 iMac , G3 or higher

Package Includes: AV320 Video Recorder, USB 2.0 cable, AC adapter, Li-Ion batteries (already installed), ste reo headphones, AV cinch cable (SCART adapter in Europe), CD with MusicMatch, drivers and 6-language manual, Digital Vi deo Recorder, audio & video cables, remote control, and 6 langage installation sheet.

Product Description:
Music, photos, video and data on the go! The ARCHOS Cinema to Go is an amazing handheld personal entertainment center. It combines a modular MP4 video player and recorder, MP3 music player and recorder, digital photo wallet and data storage in a compact device that fits in the palm of your hand. With the enclosed DVR attachment, you can record off your television, VCR or camcorder directly into MP4. What you will playback is an AVI format file with MPEG4-SP VHS quality video and MP3 stereo sound. It's like having a handheld TiVo! With hard drive capacities up to 80GB, you'll have more than enough room to enjoy your favorite movies while you're on the move. Complete MP3 functionality is also included: record directly into MP3 from any audio source! Listen to your MP3 tracks while the unit is connected to your home stereo, or take your tunes with you. You never need be without your favorite music as your entire CD collection fits on the Jukebox' hard disk, in the palm of your hand! The built-in microphone also enables you to use the unit as a voice recorder, so you'll never lose track of important thoughts when you're on the go. With their sizeable storage capacity and large LCD display, these units are ideal for your digital photography needs. Store thousands of photos for easy viewing by your family, friends, customers or colleagues. Connect your Jukebox to a TV and view videos and photos at full screen size.

Archos AV320 Video and MP3 Jukebox Recorder
Average customer rating:

AV320 Good, but AV420 Great

Caveat Emptor:Poor Quality Control-Horrible Customer Service

So much better than an Ipod

Waste of money

AV320 Does Exactly What it is supposed to do!!

Archos AV320 Video and MP3 Jukebox Recorder

Manufacturer: Archos
ProductGroup: CE
Binding: Electronics

MP3 Players | Portable Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
Audio & Video | Refurbished & Used | Special Features | Electronics Features | Electronics
Archos | Custom Brands | Custom Stores | Specialty Stores | Electronics Features | Electronics | MP3 Players | Portable Media Players | Accessories
Portable Digital Media Players | MP3 Players | Audio & Video | Categories | Electronics
Accessories:

NETGEAR Wireless Digital Music Player

Sennheiser HD433 Hi-Fi Stereo Headphones

Aiwa HP-JS30S Stereo Headphones (Silver)

Aiwa HP-V061 Headphones

Linksys USBHUB4C ProConnect Compact USB 4-Port Hub

Product Features:

Combines a modular MP4 video player and recorder with an MP3 music player and recorder

Holds 40 hours of near-DVD quality MP4 video with MP3 sound

Record directly into MP3 from any audio source, including stereo-set or computer

Record video off of your television, VCR or camcorder directly into MP4

Functions as digital photo wallet or a data storage device that can store up to 200,000 photos

ASIN: B00009XFVT
Release Date: 2003-06-16

Product Description

The ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 is the first handheld personal entertainment center. It combines a modular MPEG-4 video player and recorder, MP3 music player and recorder, digital camera and camcorder, digital photo wallet, and data storage in a compact device that fits in the palm of your hand.The ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 is the first handheld MPEG-4 video player on the market. You can now enjoy anywhere 160 hours of near-DVD quality MPEG-4 video with MP3 sound. The ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 features MP4 video recording. It has never been so easy to record video and then watch them wherever you are. What you will playback is an AVI format file with MPEG4-SP VHS quality video and MP3 stereo sound. While a standard tape can only hold 2-4 hours of video, your AV340 has a 120 hours capacity (with DVR). More than enough to enjoy your favorite movies while on the move or, to take video information with you for your work. Complete MP3 functionality is included: record directly into MP3 from any audio source (stereo-set, computer etc.). The built-in microphone enables you to use the ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 as a voice recorder providing 2, 000 hours capacity. Listen to your MP3 tracks from the ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 connected to your stereo set. You will never be without your favorite music- keep your entire CD collection on the ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 hard disk.The ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 can store up to 400, 000 photos for easy viewing by your family, friends, customers or colleagues. View videos and photos on built-in color LCD or TV. The 3, 8" built-in color LCD lets you comfortably watch videos or photos while on the move. For large screen size display simply connect the ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 to your TV.The ARCHOS VIDEO AV340 is based on a 40GB hard disk. Connect it to your computer and it will be mounted as an additional hard disk, on which you can store any type of data. The USB 2.0 auto-connection ensures extra fast data transfer to and from your PC or Mac.

Customer Reviews:

AV320 Good, but AV420 Great.......2004-12-19

When I first purchased my av320 a while back I thought it was a good product. The AV420 is leaps and bounds above the 320. First off the loading times for photos are much faster - almost twice so. The built in CF slot is also a nice feature. When viewing images on a standard television the quality is much better than the previous unit.

Loading video is much faster as well, and playback is in true DVD resolution.
and the following link is a great tool for getting your DVDs onto the AV420

Music playback is great and the new smaller size of the unit makes it more portable.

No matter how you get one of these multimedia players, I'm sure anyone looking for a top quality product of this nature will not be disappointed. Definitely consider the AV420 as well, the price difference may be worth it to you.

Caveat Emptor:Poor Quality Control-Horrible Customer Service.......2004-12-15

Anyone considering purchasing this or any Archos product should be aware that based on my experience (4 Archos jukeboxes) their quality control is spotty at best. This used to be bearable because they used to have a fairly liberal warranty policy and would repair or exchange defective products no questions asked. That has changed. Now you have to go through an elaborate process of providing documentation of purchase, mailing the unit back at your own expense, insured, and waiting in silence while they decide what to do. In my case the little joystick that is the key control of the unit fell off. When I returned the AV320 to them for repair (they would not simply send me the part) they decided to keep the 80 gb hard drive I had installed in my AV320. Because they claim installing the drive voided the warranty they now say that they will not return MY drive to me unless I pay them $125 for the repair. Won't take back the replacement they sent me, won't send me a replacement part, won't give me my property back. Worst customer service I've ever seen. I think it would be a serious mistake to buy anything from them.

So much better than an Ipod.......2004-12-08

When I first started researching mp3 players I was drawn to both this one and the RCA Lyra. I loved that I could play movies on either one of these instead of just music, like the Ipod. Although the Archos is slightly larger than the RCA Lyra, I think the Archos is a much better find. I've had mine for about 8 months and I love it! I bought it so that I could watch movies or listen to music on the bus for long rides instead of puling out my laptop and this has performed in every way possible. Archos has also updated the software for the player and posted it on their site so the operating system can be updated.

All of the reviews I read before buying said the controls were very confusing at first, I didn't think so. I liked that fact that there was a joystick-like cursor. I also love the DVR attachment becuase if I wanted to I could record movies or Tv shows and take them with me.

I already have almost 2,500 songs on it, 6 movies, and lots of pictures on it and have barely made a dent in the 20GB. One of the other things that really drew me to the Archos was that both the battery and the harddrive could be replaced, unlike an Ipod.

But, the major selling point on the Archos was the AVcam. This is another attachment that turns the player into both a digital camera and a digital video camera. I love this part! I'm not a big picture taker so I wasn't looking for any high powered, high megapixel, super fast camera and this one works fine for me. The pictures turn out great and this video on the player is wonderful. The one disappointment about the camera is that it doens't take very good night pictures but if you change the setting to "flurescent" it works much better. I know that Archos is no longer making the AVcams but if you can find one and just want a simple digital camera I would highly recommend that.

After using this for a few months I have just a few complaints. When watching a movie during the day sometimes the screen is hard to see, but I guess that happens with all screens. Also, the missing case was a little bit of an issue becuase I used to throw this in my backback but when I bought the AVcam it came with a really nice case, otherwise use a PDA screen protector, they are the perfect size. My last complaint is about the AVcam becuase it takes forever to boot up into camera mode but as long as your not using it to take action shots it's fine.

Overall, even though it is larger than the other digital players on the market, I would say this is well worth the money.

Waste of money.......2004-11-08

Do not buy this!!!
It craps out in about a year, of course once the warranty is up.
Like several other people, mine doesn't turn on unless it wants to and it shuts off when it wants to. The battery life also lasts about 10 min. after four days of charging it. From the time I got it to now, it kept getting worse and worse. It is nowhere near the money that this thing is going for. Buy an ipod or something sturdy with good battery life. If you really want video, wait awhile until better video technology comes out, because you can only watch video on this in mpeg4, which is hard to encode and doesn't get a good picture.

AV320 Does Exactly What it is supposed to do!!.......2004-11-04

After reading so many of the poor reviews I wanted to through my hands up and scream. You people must have got hold of bad equipment,damaged it somehow or are just generally clueless. I've had mine for a month. I backed up my entire hard drive from my laptop on the AV320. I plug it into my TV and record old Seinfeld and Raymond shows...or Chapell's Show or South Park. I plug it into the DVD and record full lenght movies to take with me when I travel. I've already dumped my punny 500 song collection from my Dell DJ to the AV320 and I have tons of room to spare. Now, granted it gets complicated if you want to rip a DVD to AVI on your computer to later pull over to the AV320, but there are legions of 3rd party software out there on the market that make if doable if not exactly fun.

Stop your caterwauling or donate your device to a smart person today. (FYI I'm just having some fun with you here...no need to bomb my email or anything ;)

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	Cinema to Go It's never been easier to watch movies on the go. You can store up to 160 of your favorite movies and view them on the high resolution 3.8" color LCD or on a TV. Record and store up to 320 hours of video (average with a AV380 80GB hard disk) from any standard video source, TV or VCR using the Digital Video Recorder plug. Simply record into MPEG-4, the new standard of compressed digital video. It is as easy as using a VCR and you don't need a PC. You can also download video content from a PC and watch your video anywhere you go.		Photos and Video to Go Take up to 800,000 digital photos with you and show them to your family, friends, or colleagues. Instantly transfer photos from your digital camera to the AV300 using the Memory Card Reader optional add-on. For the photo and video buff, the AVCam 300 add-on provides a top-quality Ricohä zoom lens. You can use the combined 3.3 megapixel camera and MPEG-4 camcorder to make your own movies and shoot high-resolution photos at school, parties, or other social gatherings.
	MusicMatch All of Archos AV products are bundled with the award winning MusicMatch software. You can use it to transform your CDs into MP3 files for playing on your AV. It can also help you tag your music or create a music library.		View on TV It has never been easier to show your best photos and video selections to your friends directly on the TV. The AV300 series is delivered with a standard audio and video cable that fits on any type of TV (PAL or NTSC). Impress your friends and family with a photo slideshow with background music. They will also be wowed by the near-DVD quality resolution of your videos. (TV not included!)
	Data to Go Use the AV300's 20, 40 or 80 GB hard disk to do easy back-ups to transport all your data with you wherever you go. The high-speed USB 2.0 interface allows you to quickly transfer your files from your computer. (PC not included!)