Archos 504 (80 GB) Digital Media Player

IT'S OK BUT IT'S NOT ZEN

By najee102  Jan 4, 2007 | 1 out of 1 found this Archos 504 (80 GB) review helpful

Pros: 80gb, Features, Price

Cons: Video & Photo Quality

I bought this product after Christmas and waited with eager anticipation. I also own a Creative Zen Vision W 30gb. I wanted this device because not only am i a music and photo junkie, i'm a video junkie, so i was mesmerized by the idea of all tho...se movies on my portable device and being able to directly record video. I was eager to give this a try with 80gb and a video recorder how could you go wrong!? Out of the box the Archos is a well built attractive device. The navigation is a little tricky (it's not intuitive at all), but for 80gb, a recorder and the price, I was willing to sacrifice. Sound quality is pretty good, but i was shocked at the video quality considering the Archos is first and foremost a video device. I probably wouldn't have been so critical if i didn't own a zen, but the zen has spoiled me, because in comparison the archos lacked color, crispness and depth in both videos and photos. It was just unacceptable in comparison. I don't know what the actual difference in technology is, but they both have the same resolutions so that's not it. If you've never seen a zen vision upclose and personal, you should! But don't do it if you're looking to buy something else, because everything else will pale in comparison. I also purchased the dvd station. The archos is feature rich, so that's not the problem. Well after playing with it for a few days, i returned it. I'm going to purchase the creative zen v 60gb. I would rather do the conversions to put video on it than to sacrifice the picture quality, and the creative does have a compact flash drive allowing it to accept almost anything, the archos is strictly usb. But overall if you need a portable media device that records inline audio and video, then the archos is will fit the bill. Read more Less