Rating: 
Summary: Buy the RCA Lyra 2780 Audio/Video Instead!!!
Review: The Archos and the Lyra have very similar features, but the Lyra cost at least $100 less and is built with much better quality. I purchased both so I could compare side by side. I returned the Archos and haven't looked back. The Lyra doesn't have all features available at this time, but two firmware updates have been released less than 3 weeks apart, each enabling more and more features. The features available out of the box are adequate and the controls are easy to use and comfortable. The Archos is big and clumbsy and the battery life is worse.
Rating: 
Summary: Good features but too many problems
Review: The Archos AV300/320 holds a lot of promise as an all-in-one entertainment center that lets you play video, audio, photos, and more. It works well as a DVR (digital video recorder) and can be fun to use, but there are many problems that make the high price tag rather unjustified.First of all the documentation is rather inadequate and confusing. Same goes for the interface. Your second impression would be how "cheap" the device looks and feels upon unwrapping. Don't expect your friends to go "wow" when they see it, although the 3.8" screen, when turned on, can get their attention. On the other hand, two problems: first, the screen is passive-matrix, not active-matrix. And I thought nobody uses passive-matrix any more! Second, the "big" screen drains the built-in LiIon battery fast; I average about 2 hours watching videos. So don't expect to pack this with you luggage so you can watch a feature film on your next flight. Third this is a brick and quite heavy for a modern portable, even without the DVR adapter (which you need to copy CDs and DVDs) and the bulky AC adapter. Finally, customer support is rather inadequate, you get long waits on hold and unhelpful support technicians. On the plus side, you can indeed copy DVDs to the AV320, although that would be illegal. Any lawyers here to clarify the situation? Video and audio quality is pretty good, but again, because the built-in screen is passive matrix, it leaves much to be desired. Overall, there are a lot of problems with the AV320, even though it's expensive. If you are a total gadget freak and have to have video on the go, this may be worth the price tag.
Rating: 
Summary: They fixed the random/shuffle mode play bug! Great!
Review: They came out with a firmware upgrade and everything works cool now after they fixed the random/shuffle mode playing bug. This is a must for any gadget-freek and music lover. Go ARCHOS!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This is the greatest thing ever! It's Like a TiVo but with a portable screen. It looks excellent and lots of memory. This is one of the best video redorders ever!
Rating:
Summary: AV320 Good, but AV420 Great
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: So much better than an Ipod
Review: 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.
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