My Review of Archos 605 WiFi
April 2008

Pros:

Cons:

Conclusion: If you want portable video and you're not afraid to experiment with ripping your DVDs - go buy one of these things as soon as you can!


Image from Archos website

This is my review of the Archos 605 WiFi 4 gigabyte SD flash memory unit.  I bought this unit solely for the purpose of video and photos, not for music.  For music, there is nothing better than an iPod...but the iPod is extremely weak when it comes to video and photos.

When my portable DVD player finally broke, I started pricing new ones to replace it...to get one with a 10" screen costs at least $150.  So I started thinking - what about a unit that will work not only in the car, but also in an airplane or anywhere else, and what if the unit didn't require carrying a bulky wallet full of DVDs?  That's when I started investigating the Archos unit.  The list price of this unit (the one that uses SD flash memory cards, not the hard drive model) is $199, so now we're in the ballpark.  So I bought it to see if it would fit the bill as an entertainment device for my 3 year old in the car and on an airplane.  It sure does...but before you rush out and buy one, there are a few things you need to know first.

The Archos 605 promises to play movies, music, and photo slideshows, in addition to being a home DVR and a WiFi device that lets you get on the internet at any corner Starbucks.  True, but not for the base price of $199.  To get full functionality of the entire device, you'll need to spend about 30 Euros (maybe $45) on the proprietary Archos internet browser, plus another $99 on the DVR dock, plus various other add-ons that allow you to watch videos in MP4 format with AAC audio.  I have not invested in any of these add-ons, so this review simply covers the basics.

I am extremely pleased with the Video and Photo capabilities of this unit.  The screen (4.3" diagonal) resolution is 800x480, which is higher than standard TV and DVD resolution, but less than the basic HD resolution of 720p.  No problem.  All of the DVDs I have ripped into DivX format at 720x480 look stunning when played on this screen, and just about any photo from any digital camera will knock your eyes out...it all looks great.

I have not put any MP3 music files on my Archos because that's what my iPod is for.  If all you want to do is music, stick with the iPod.  But if you want video, you must consider the Archos 605 over the iPod touch and iPod video models because the screen and resolution blow the iPod away.

I initially bought the Archos with a "regular" 4 gigabyte SD card (not an SDHC card, mind you) because I did not know if the Archos would support the SDHC card format - but it does!  You can use SDHC cards, and they come in capacities up to 16 gigabytes, and Panasonic recently announced their 32 gigabyte SDHC card, so more are on the way.  I predict that soon you will not need a hard drive-based model as SD cards get higher capacity and less expensive.  You can currently get a 16 gigabyte SDHC card for as little as $70, so the expansion capabilities of this will soon pass the 30 gigabyte hard drive models.  Another benefit of flash memory is that they do not consume as much power, and they simply don't break like hard drives do.  If you search for refurbished Archos products, you'll find them for the hard drive models, but not for the flash memory models - and there's a reason for that - flash memory doesn't break.

I've always loved the interface of the iPod - so easy to learn and use.  Although the Archos interface is different, it's just as easy to master, thanks to the integrated touch screen.  Just turn it on, then touch "Video" with your finger, then touch the video you want to watch, and you're on your way.  Very easy.  If you don't like touch screens, you can also use the rocker buttons on the right side of the unit - they do the same thing as the touch screen.

My only pet peeve about the Archos is that you cannot remove the battery and replace it with a fresh one, and to charge the battery (out of the box) you must use the USB port on your computer.  However, you can buy an "extender" battery from Archos that clips onto the bottom and acts as a second battery, and you can buy 3rd party chargers to charge the Archos.  I bought the combination wall charger and car charger from Gomadic, and they work great...for only $30 (for both) from Amazon.

The stated video endurance of the stock battery is 5 hours, but I haven't tested that yet.  I just hope on my next plane trip I can manage to squeeze that much out of it.  The Archos has a built-in speaker that works well, but I'm sure that's a drain on the battery compared to using the headphone jack.

The video codecs that the Archos will read out of the box (at least the ones I've tried) are DivX and WMV as long as it doesn't use AAC for the audio.

That about does it for my review of the hardware.  By now you must be wondering how I ripped some DVDs into DivX format and how do they look?  Read on.....

Magic DVD Ripper and ImToo DVD Ripper Platinum

So far, I have used Magic DVD Ripper (v5.2) and ImToo DVD Ripper Platinum v4 (the current version is v6) with mixed results.  I like the control that ImToo gives you (resolution, chaptering, etc) but it often ends up with choppy video or unsynchronized sound (where the sound is a second or two behind the video).  That's the one I prefer to use.  But when it can't rip the DVD right, I turn to Magic DVD Ripper, which has yet to fail me...it consistently rips smooth video that looks great on the Archos...it even has a profile specifically for ripping DivX format for the Archos 605 model.  I highly recommend both of them, but if you can only buy one, buy Magic DVD Ripper because it seems to never fail.

I hope this helps those of you out there looking into this technology.  I wish this review had been available when I was making my buying decision - I would have bought the Archos even faster knowing what I know now.