Product Description

Archos AV420 20GB Video Player ... Read more

Product Description

AV480, 80GB Personal Video Player/Recorder and MP3 Player/Recorder; Photo Wallet/ Viewer ... Read more

Product Description

Stylish protective case. Protect your screen and access to audio and video connections. Convenient belt clip . ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Archos 20 GB MP3 Jukebox Player/Recorder Special Edition is an updated version of the original Archos portable MP3 Jukebox. You can record up to 300 hours of top quality music in MP3 format directly from any audio source--real-time and on-the-fly. Record directly from a stereo, CD player, portable radio, or microphone via the stereo line-in jack without needing a computer. It is also features a voice recorder with a built-in microphone that you can use to record music or other sounds from any analog or digital sources at bit-rates up to 160 kbps. When you're finished, you can copy your recordings to your PC without any specialized software.

The Archos Jukebox Recorder/Player has a real-time MP3 encoder, plus an MP3 Player and 20 GB hard drive that connects to a computer through an ultra-fast USB 2.0 interface with transfer data speeds up to 480 Mbps. No special software is required to download MP3 songs. Just drag and drop MP3 files using Windows Explorer. Merge your entire collection of MP3's and CD's into one hand-held device. Slip it into your pocket, and listen to all your favorite music wherever you go!

The Archos 20 GB MP3 Jukebox Player Recorder Special Edition can be used as an optional hard disk to store all your data, images, software, etc. With a simple click on the Archos website, you can upgrade the firmware and get additional software extensions.

PC and Mac System Requirements: PC: Pentium 233 MHz or higher. Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP32 MB RAM (64 MB recommended). CD-ROM Drive with digital audio extraction support. Mac: OS 9.2 or X. iMac, G3 or higher. USB Manager version 1.2 or higher.

This product comes with a 1 year warranty on parts and labor. ... Read more

Features

• 20 GB hard drive, with up to 300 hours of music and/or data
• USB 2.0 interface, USB 1.1 compatible
• Record audio from any audio source
• Rechargeable NiMH batteries with 10 hours of playtime included
• Compatible with 98SE, Me, 2000, XP, or Mac OS 9.2 or X

Reviews (138)

Solid, heavy, does what it should,
First off, if your buddy has an Ipod and you want to be cool like him/her then look elsewhere. The Archos is nearly twice as heavy, twice as thick and is a bit of an ugly duckling next to the Ipod.

With that said, it should also be mentioned that the Archos battery life is twice as long and you can get the same size capacity HD for less then half the price of the Ipod.

I have heard complaints about Archos quality, but I know plenty of people that have had theres for 2 years with out a bit of trouble. I have only had mine a few days, so I can not say how long term reliability is, but I will say that this unit is well constructed, although not the most ergonomic.

Very important is to replace the Archos OS with the free Rockbox OS. Just do a search and you will find it. Simply install the Rockbox OS to the HD like you would a song folder and the Archos will recognize it. With Rockbox installed, the Archos is very customizeable and the sound quality is superior to most postable MP3 players.

I would suggest this player to anyone who will pimarily use it in their car, sitting in their favorite chair, or hooked up to a Stereo system. I would not recomend this player to someone who plans on using it in "active" situations. Not that I feel the quality is not up to par, but because of the bulk.

At a higher price I would rate this unit as a 4 becuase the buttons feel a slightly cheap and the weight and size is above average. for the price it is 5 for 5!

UPDATE FEB 3, 2003
The more I use it the more I like it! Flashing rockbox to the Archos Rom decreases system turn on from about 12 seconds to 3 seconds. I really like the build quality and I have changed my mind about the buttons being "cheap". I think everything has a real solid feel and I think it is a great player. It is still bulky of course, but that is a tradeoff I am willing to take for the price. I would not except low quality and I have not had to with this player. GREAT!

Fantastic value for the money
I've been using this about three weeks now. Biggest complaints: Slow startup time. Slow to switch songs (FF/RW). Biggest likes: I replaced the built-in Archos software with Rockbox (rockbox.haxx.se). Rockbox is an open source OS for Archos jukeboxes. It is SOOO much better and VERY easy to install. It has 6 million more settings for everything and is MUCH faster when browsing or loading a playlist. So I highly recommend doing that - don't even bother using it with the Archos OS. Besides Rockbox, I like the keys on the Archos unit - usable even with gloves on (e.g. when driving). Sound quality is outstanding. Battery life is good (I really do get 10-11 hours on a charge).

Now when using this device, please don't compare it to an Ipod. This gizmo is fully HALF the price of the Ipod so they are not in the same league. The tradeoffs are it's a little slower to navigate songs and is easily double the weight. Also, it's not as flashy and trendy. Personally, I would rather pay HALF the price and get a replacement if I drop/break this one, than be completely screwed if it were broken or stolen.

Finally, the best thing about it is it acts as a simple USB hard drive. It's EXTREMELY fast to copy songs. Playlists can be easily created using Winamp or other standard MP3 players. No special software is required at all to use and set it up. I have not even installed the CD which came with it.

So in summary: It's a heck of a great machine for the money (even at $200 it's a good deal), *especially* with the Rockbox software. Just don't think you're getting a flashy new Ipod.

A good buy
I purchased my Archos 20 GB Jukebox in December 2002 because it was less expensive than an iPod. It has proven to be reliable and a good purchase.

It works fine with my iMac and with iTunes. I had to upgrade to iTunes 2.0.4 in order for the program to recognize the Jukebox. By using iTunes to convert CDs to mp3 files, the iMac is able to pull all the ID3 tag info off the 'Net as it creates the mp3 file.

The Archos appears on the iMac's desktop as a hard drive without having to install any drivers.(...)My complaint is the battery life. I am lucky to get 2 hours of use out of the AA NiMH batteries. Part of this comes from originally saving my music onto the Jukebox at a higher bit-rate. Thus the hard drive has to spin more frequently than it would if I had user a lower bit-rate. I purchased a power adapter from WalMart for use in my car. That way I can listen to the music and charge the batteries at the same time.

I created my playlists in iTunes since it is more familiar to me than the MusicMatch software that came with the Jukebox.

I usually hook my Jukebox into my car stereo system and listen to my favorite tunes as a drive. I also find it a convenient way to carry music with me when I am away from home. I have used the recording feature (and the included cables) to dub the audio from videotapes onto the Jukebox and into mp3 format.

How does this compare to my friend's iPod? It is larger, heavier, less expensive, and I can easily swap the AA NiMH batteries. I like the Jukebox carrying pouch because it fits on my belt and allows me to carry the Archos wherever I go. I don't find the size or weight to be unreasonable. After all, this is a much more convenient way to carry music than to have to lug a bunch of CDs, cassettes, records or 8-tracks around. By the way, I have several of the older Walkmans that were bulkier than the Jukebox will ever be.

Bad, very bad ... stay away!
I bought my Archos on 3/24/04 from Amazon bc I was attracted by the price and the rebate offer at that time. However, my problems started when I got it. First off it was quite heavy and broad, not very portable IMO. Second, the player makes very strange noises when playing the music and it often lags a bit [I think from the harddrive reading]. While the Rockbox upgrade did help with the speed and functionality as other users mentioned, it couldnt fix what was inherently wrong with the machine itself.

Today is 7/6/04 and the player unexpectedly died. I did not use it heavily, maybe once a week at most for ~2 hours. It has never been dropped, thrown, hit, or abused in any other way, I handled it like it should be handled, delicately. I did not use it on bumpy roads or the like either. It just suddenly died and the green light keeps blinking.when I try to turn it on. When you buy a player that retails for $180 and treat it gently would you expect it to last you more than 4 months? I surely would. I am now debating what to do with it. Ive aldready written an email to tech support. Maybe I can sell it as defective, but I am overall extremely displeased with the whole experience. I think I'll get myself an iPod or maybe something a little less expensive but more durable.

Sorry for the long message, but I thought people should know before they buy this. I will update if I [ever] get a reply from tech support.

worth every penny
I found this product to be an excellent value for the money.

Yes the Ipod is much more compact and a bit flashier, but the extra cost cannot justify the fluff.

I've had NO problems with the Archos jukebox; I've used it on both Mac's and Pc with ease. It is truly a joy.

Lows would be lack of an equalizer, a suitable carrying case, but other than that I highly recommend this product! ... Read more

Features

• The all-in-one MPEG-4 & MPEG-3 multimedia solution that fits in the palm of your hand. Enjoy your entire collection of videos, photos, music and data wherever you go.
• Store up to 100 hours of your favorite movies in near DVD quality and view them on the high resolution 3.8" color LCD or on a TV
• With the Digital Video Recorder, your AV380 becomes a portable VCR. Record directly from VCR, DVD or camcorder or from TV thru VCR or DVD connection.
• Store up to 1,200 hours of MP3 music
• Digital photo wallet: store up 800,000 digital photos

Reviews (14)

Much easier than dragging all those DVDs around
This thing is exactly what I was looking for to take on long trips. First, it replaced a portable DVD player and the need to take all my movies on DVD disks with me. Next, it replaced an electronic film vault as I can load JPEGs in from my CF cards, and the screen is much better to share photos with friends. And the size and weight of the AV380 compared to lugging around a laptop is pure joy!

I was concerned that movies would be "jerky" or "pixilated", but nothing could be further from the truth. Maybe it's not DVD quality, but it's so close I can't tell the difference.

This product is going to turn heads wherever you go. I see that Archos is releasing the AV400, which has CF built in, but it's not hard to do with this unit. Synchs right up to Win XP, and the USB 2.0 is great for moving files around.

Anything I don't like? I believe we'll see these PVPs really take off in the next year. On my wish list would be removable battery packs, a speaker, and a built in CF reader (all now available on the new AV400 which should be shipping soon, and more file acceptance TIFF, PDF, etc. A flip cover for the screen would also be nice, as the unit doesn't come with a case. Recording movies into the unit is a snap, but the process of doing file conversions on movies I've made with Pinnacle was more daunting than I was prepared for (no, I didn't major in computer science). Much easier to just output to disk or camcorder and then re-record into the AV380.

All in all, the coolest product I've bought since the first portable DVD players came out a few years back.

Archos AV380 80 GB Personal Video & MP3 Jukebox Player / Rec
The archos AV300 series is a portable computer in addition to an awesome personal video player. All you need to do is install windows to a partition you make on the hard drive and you can run your computer from anywhere where there is a USB connection and a monitor. The simplicity and speed of the file transfer method is un-matched unless you need to install an upgraded USB hub. All you do is drag and drop. Immediately upon plugging in the Archos to a computer it recognises it as a USB mass storage device and you are ready to do your bidding. And get these while you can. The main problem is that battery life is less than 4 hours when watching videos. And since the battery is a proprietary non-removable Li-Ion battery, you can't just pop out the old battery and put in a new one. The unit does have a ability to turn off the LCD backlight while operating each time you skip a song or mistakenly press a button in your pocket. It has an excellent record timer, A nice surprise,so you can record a weeks worth of your favorite reruns. It is easy enough to get video recorded into it with the provided cables and DVR attachment, and easy to connect to your TV for playback. If you read the specs and don't have a problem with the size and other features, you will be very satified. Don't expect DVD quality playback on your TV. It has the wonderful AV recorder which comes inside the pack, makes video recording very easy. you wont need a video anymore. connects easily to the TV or VCR, but you should be careful of the cables connecting the AV380 because they turn out to be too plenty. The remote control (wireless) is excellent and makes life easier when placing the AV380 away from you. Finally, Archos gets it!! With this model, Archos has addressed most of the drawbacks of previous models. This product is actually in a class of its own! It does everything it claims to do, and does it well! The interface has also been drastically improved, though it is not obvious how to use the 3 "soft" buttons at first since the buttons are aligned vertcally at the right while the functions are listed horizontally at the bottom of the screen. However, a quick glance at the button descriptions in the quick-start guide is all you need to understand how everything works. Yes there is actually a quick start guide in addition to the well-written manual. The interface is much improved by the addition of a joystick. Also, the Operating System now allows file-handling functions such as rename, delete, etc to be done right on the jukebox, whereas a PC was required before. Also as with previous models, the jukebox looks like a hard-disk when connected to the PC which means transferring files back and forth is as easy as drag-and-drop (as opposed to using proprietary programs). The USB 2.0 connection is extremely fast and definitely a plus. The audio input jack doubles as line-in and mic-in. Live recording is now very clean with no hard-disk noise, even when using the internal mic. This model adds official support for playing WMA files. The latest OS update (free on their website) adds support for playing AND recording in WAV format (in addition to the MP3 format. You now have a full blown DAT recorder in your pocket! This update also allows you to do some basic audio and video editing on the unit itself. Video looks very good indeed on the large 3.8" LCD screen. May not exactly be DVD-quality as they claim, but its close! The included DVR module allows you to record MP4 video on the fly or you can convert videos to MP4 on your PC and transfer them to the unit. Pictures look great! The unit supports both JPEG (non-progrssive) and BMP. You can use the optional memory card readers to upload directly into the jukebox bypassing your PC, or you can download pictures from your PC. Also for the hefty price tag, Archos should have included the optional wired remote that adds FM Radio support. The lack of an included carrying case is puzzling especially since the cheaper Archos models all came with cases. Go out and buy a case right away to protect that huge LCD screen.
The Arcos is quality is miles ahead of any other competetors products.
Recommendation:If you like having alot of movies on hand, alot of photos on hand and the ability to play hundreds of song, then this is for you. I am a chauffeur for a living and this definately kills the sit and wait time assosciated with my job. Excellent for long trip, plug into the vehicle dvd player or music into the tape deck. Makes for a shorter trip.

Great Gadget, but Archos Customer service is the worst ...
At first I was impressed with my AV380, but then I realized my battery life was defective - approximately 90 minutes on a full charge. My AV380 is still under warranty, and Archos doesn't return my emails, and doesn't even have a telephone support line, so I'm at a loss how to get help!! I can not reach anyone at Archos, and my warranty is running out.
Before buying mine, my friend had warned me, and I had read reviews before that Archos customer support is known for being the worst in the business. But I figured I would take my chances - I did - and now I'm paying for it!
Incredible that this company is still doing business here in America... I understand they are based out of France.... Maybe that explains the lack of customer service... Buy at your own risk - Peeved in Hawaii!

Terrific, but why buy half a computer?
Given the popularity of HD-based AV devices recently, it was only a matter of time before Archos would deliver the ultimate in AV player toys. Archos has long led the way in MP3 jukeboxes, and being one of the first to mate an LCD to a hard drive enclosure instantly made them a star.

Buy this if you need 80Gb of storage and want to watch four movies while flying to Hong Kong or Australia, and then listen to 200 albums in your hotel. The add-on camera is just an amazing bit of grafting, and this device is far "freer" in its abilities than later Archos models, particularly the PVR model that restricts what formats you may use (and lacks the camera).

As far as entertainment devices are concerned, this is the ultimate in A/V to go. There really isn't anywhere else to take these multidimensional A/V devices. That's the reason it lacks a fifth star.

This time next year, this device will be half the price, because it's only a minor leap of logic and savvy to see that a touch-senstive LCD and a full-blown OS is logically the next destination. The OQO product for fall of 2004 will fully realize the vision that IBM had for the "brick", whereby your hard drive becomes the center of all other devices. Dock it into a PDA-sized cradle, you have the OQO. Dock it into a laptop or desktop, and your data is still your data, only more so.

So what would you rather have, access to *any* format of your choosing, playable by a full version of your OS of choice, or the impressive yet still limited array of Archos-supported formats and abilities?

Buy it if you must, enjoy it while you can (and you will!), but prepare yourself for what comes next. No remorse here.

Fred

personal computer in your pocket
The archos AV300 series is a portable computer in addition to an awesome personal video player. All you need to do is install windows to a partition you make on the hard drive and you can run your computer from anywhere where there is a USB connection and a monitor. The simplicity and speed of the file transfer method is un-matched. All you do is drag and drop. Immediately upon plugging in the Archos to a computer it recognises it as a USB mass storage device and you are ready to do your bidding. And get these while you can. Archos is already under fire from the media industry for being able to record directly from your tv to the Archos. All you need to do is plug it in with the included adapter and press record.

The only issue I have with this is the low battery life and the lack of ability to turn off the LCD backlight. The screen turns on and wastes the battery every time you skip a song or mistakenly press a button in your pocket. ... Read more

Features

• Enjoy your entire collection of videos, photos, music and data on a device that fits in the palm of your hand
• Store up to 80 hours of your favorite movies in near DVD quality and view them on the high resolution 3.8" color LCD or on a TV
• Record directly from VCR, DVD or camcorder or from TV thru VCR or DVD connection
• Store up to 600 hours of MP3 music
• Store up 400,000 digital photos

Reviews (11)

Catching up with the future, the Swiss Army Knife of MP3
First let me say that I had delivery of my Archos AV340 one week PRIOR to the Amazon estimated arrival date! Way to go Amazon. Excellent price, too.

The AV340 is to the older Archos models as a kitchen knife is to a Swiss Army Knife. Sitting on mine right now are several hundred jazz recordings, hundreds of family photos, some family videos, the extended dvd versions of both Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, the complete stage works of Samuel Beckett (3 dvds)...well, get the picture? And yes, the video recorder does over-ride any copy protection, both vhs and DVD. The user interface is quite simple, though as with previous Archos models it does take several clicks to get to specific items much like a PC. But this is essentially a PC, so manuevering through screens seems quite natural. Loading tons of recordings onto the hd is painless, simply drag and drop. The hd shows up in XP just like any other drive.

I also purchased the camera attachment which is, again, quite simple to use. It snaps onto the side of the base unit and shows up immediately on the interface screen. The still and video quality is quite good with the proper lighting. Commercial videos copied to the hd look perfect on the small screen. Blowing up to a large screen is not the way to go. When viewed on my Toshiba 50+ inch screen the picture quality greatly diminished. Still photos looked okay, but you wouldn't want to watch a film that way. But why do this anyway?

The unit itself is a bit bulkier than the previous versions of the already bulky Jukebox series. This baby will not fit in your shirt pocket. I was rather disappointed that Archos did not include a carrying case, though curiously the camera attachment did come with a case for the whole shebang. I use the case from my Jukebox, which works quite well with the AV340.

Be sure to purchase a PDA screen protector. The unit itself is very solid but offers no protection for the screen. A case and protector are a must.

Archos reverts back to their previous ways by attaching the interface connector cover with a piece of string. Come on guys, for this price couldn't you spare a metal clip?

Last, a previous review states that the batteries are not replaceable. According to Archos they are not. However, there is an online company that sells replacements and instructions on how to do this. I have not purchased one, but it looks quite simple, and would certainly extend movie viewing time.

So what you get here is an MP3, WAV, and WMA player and recorder, a vcr (with a built in timer), a great clear screen, an excellent user interface, and a 40GB hd for about $100-$150 more than an iPOD. Throw in about another $175 (got mine for $150)and you add a video camera and a 3.3 pixel digital still camera. Oh, and it will work on any tv in the world and over-rides dvd region codes. Just like my Swiss Army Knife, the Archos AV340 is big and bulky, but I wouldn't be without it.

Archos AV340 vs. IPod- Substance over Style?
I started researching Mp3 players when a few of my co-workers picked up Ipods. Though I thought these were sleek and clean gadgets with a very nice feel and design, I really wanted something that did more than just play Mp3s. Then I found the Archos products and imediately knew this was what I was looking for. I wanted a product that had more substance than style.

I just got my Archos AV340 and couldn't be happier. It really is like the Swiss army knife of Mp3 gadgets. It is so easy to use as a portable drive and to record both audio and video from any source that I'm sometimes amazed that it's that easy. I use it to record my live concert DVD's to hear and see at work deskside. The sound quality is absolutely amazing and it maintains that concert sound that I love so much. The image quality from the capture is also very good especially if you're viewing from the AV340. My plan is to capture all my favorite music videos and concerts on to it and then play them as playlists or random to have my very own custom MTV style channel while on the go. My channel will actually play videos though!!

Now all my Ipod friends are jealious and want to trade their's in for Archos AVs! Ipods look nice but this product is a solid and powerful piece of hardware that just does so much more.

A little advice to anyone owning an Arcos
The Arcos is fantastic! Although I do not own one myself, my friend owns one and I get regular use out of it... what a cool dude. But to the point of my entry: When you first get the Arcos, DON'T go straight into using it without charging the battery first. This is what my friend did, and we figured this is what cause the battery to be so pathetic. He re-ordered and CHARGED the new one first, resulting in a better battery. So remember to charge the Arcos BEFORE you use it 4 the first time.

Nice features but lacking in some areas
Now, I'm a gadget freak. I considered buying a portable DVD player so I could watch movies on the road without dragging along a laptop. When I saw this little beauty, it seemed an obvious alternative! I already had a decent MP3 jukebox, so video was my main draw here.

First, the good stuff. The quality of the video is great! Solid colors will show some artifacts, but nothing too horrible. Don't expect DVD quality here, but it's quite reasonable for the type of device and amount of compression being done.

The included recording device works great. A little tricky to figure out the interface for recording, but once I did, had no problems recording off my TV.

Sound quality of MP3s is fine. Nothing to write home about, but okay. There's a decent playlist feature and the usual play modes. I tend to get lost in the menus though.

So, some negatives. I'll try to include stuff other people haven't mentioned. A big one for me is that you can't bookmark a video! That means if you don't finish watching it, you have to remember where you were and forward to get to that spot! Absolutely horrendous. Even my little Palm device can bookmark a video. At least the new upgrade has fast forward feature that will get there quickly.

I also find battery life to be much worse than reported. My first one was so bad, I returned it thinking the battery was bad. The new one is just as bad, I get maybe 1-1/2 hour of video playback. Not even enough to watch most movies. Even most DVD players (known battery hogs) are better than this. MP3 playing is certainly better, with the screen off, but I definitely don't get anywhere near 10 hours (or even the 8 that some report). Worse, the new model has a button that does not seem to work well, I have to press extra hard to activate its functions. So there's a good chance this one will go back as well. Just wish there was a reasonably decent alternative!

The music functions are pretty inadequate. It doesn't seem to sort my records in proper track order (alphabetical instead), which is really frustrating, not sure if there is a setting for this, but any decent MP3 player should do it by default. As mentioned before, the menuing is really counter intuitive at times and I often find myself unable to find the playback screen to forward to the next song. No quick mute feature that I could find either.

Overall, it's main plus is that there just aren't many great PVPs out yet. It wouldn't take much to improve this one, but right now, it's a tough sell for me.

Watch Your Favorite Video/TV Show on the crosstrainer
Porbably 4 1/2 stars as nothing deserves five YET. Had the AV320 with the smaller drive thru HSN for more $$$ than the AV340 with twice the storage thru J&R for less $$$ (sent the other one back).
PLEASE don't forget to download the firmware upgrade at www.archos.com. It'll help if your music files are WMA like mine are. I just bought the stand and carry case thru their website as it could use some protection.
As my title states I tape directly from my cable box using the built in timer (leave the unit on) or if you start a show in a hurry there's a manual timer that is a snap to set.
There's a lot more to this unit that I have not checked out yet so maybe you'll get another review in 90 days or so.
I hope you enjoy it and it meets, no exceeds, your expectations. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review

Imagine being able to take your entire music collection with you everywhere you go. The Archos Jukebox 6000 portableMP3 player makes that dream real in a surprisingly small package and at a surprisingly low price. With its 6 GB portable hard drive (similar to the ones used in laptop PCs), the Jukebox 6000 can store over 100 albums and offers the tools you need to easily navigate and manage your tunes.

When we took the Jukebox 6000 into hand, we were immediately surprised at its small size. Measuring 4.5 by 3.2 x 1.3 inches and weighing only 12 ounces, it's much smaller and lighter than other similar players with 6 GB hard drives. The unit runs on a rechargeable NiMH battery that can deliver up to eight hours of playback on a single charge.

Installation went very smoothly, aided by the clearly written manual. We inserted the driver disk and plugged the unit into our PC's USB port. Windows found and installed the appropriate drivers, and the Jukebox 6000 showed up as a hard drive in Windows Explorer. (The Archos Jukebox 6000 is compatible with Windows 98, Me, or 2000, or a Mac running OS 8.6 or higher.) Transferring music files couldn't have been simpler--we just dragged and dropped files as with any hard drive. The Jukebox also works as an external hard drive for storing nonmusic files, making it perfect for making backups or transporting large files.

Of course, with so much storage capacity, organization becomes an issue. Since it's essentially a USB hard drive, we used folders to arrange our files. We made a Rock folder to store all our head-banging albums, a Jazz folder for the Louis Armstrong collection, and so on. The Jukebox shows the folder names on its backlit LCD display, making navigation very simple. Using the included MusicMatch Jukebox software, we could also create MP3 playlists of our favorite songs, an extremely useful feature for organizing music.

The buttons on the face of the unit offer quick navigation, and there's a menu-driven system for setting volume, bass/treble, and random and repeat modes. The Jukebox comes with a pair of plastic headphones that clip over your ears and have a headband that swings around the back of your head. We found them comfortable to wear, and they provided a clear, crisp sound. There's also a line-out for connecting to your stereo system.

The Jukebox is quite rugged and very resistant to jolts, and it comes with a carrying case, which adds further protection. However, the manual recommends you keep it within a 30-degree angle of a horizontal or vertical position. Unlike a flash-memory based MP3 player, which has no moving parts, the Jukebox might not be ideal for taking along while jogging or doing other intense activity.

The Archos Jukebox 6000 finally puts an end to the problem of which songs to put on your MP3 player by letting you include all of them. It sets a new standard for MP3 players, offering huge storage capacity in a small, well-designed package.--Ken Feinstein

Pros:

• Very small and lightweight
• 6 GB memory can store over 100 albums
• Rechargeable battery

Cons:

• Not ideal for active usage

Features

• Dual 6-gigabyte (GB) MP3 player and hard drive
• Stores over 100 hours of CD-quality music, or approximately 150 albums
• 2-megabyte (MB) memory buffer stores from 30 to 100 seconds of music to prevent interruptions
• Fast USB plug-and-play connection
• Dual stereo line out with stereo headphones

Reviews (184)

Archos Jukebox is the best out there...
Overall, the Jukebox is a great product, I love that it also serves as a hard drive, allowing me to give my mp3 collection to all my friends PC or Mac. Yet there are a few minor but irritable glitches on the Mac side at least. When I play the unit it creates a RESOURCE.FRK folder as the first item inside each of my folders. In addition, you can't run any other program at the same time as the Jukebox is connected to your computer. Sound became very good with 4.53g upgrade. I had a question, as reviews were mixed on the topic: can I not create a play list over 30 songs or one over 300?

Pros+ small/compact size rechargeable batteries (up to 8 hours playback) USB connection short start-up time 5-12 secs vs. up to 2 mins for Nomad Jukebox

Cons- unusual controls while playing Jukebox (very minor con) -adds weird named files wihle playing it (on Mac side)

I have no problem at all with the sound and overall this the best mp3 player and value out there; unless you particularly enjoy listening to the same 10-40 mp3's over and over and over and over and over again!

Archos Jukebox 6000 - Not quite ready for prime time..
Got it for Christmas and ran it through the test. Here's how I see it.. POSITIVE SIDE---- SIZE - Really does fit in the palm of your hand. WEIGHT - Just right. Don't think this type of product could be much lighter. Case is 99% plastic. LOOKS - Definately a 10 on the "HIGH TECH" look.. Lots of Ohhhh's and Ahhhh's.. SOFTWARE - Didn't need it, just used it like a harddrive and dragged 20-30 mp3's on it and listened.. NAVIGATION - No problem once I figured it out.. USB - Driver installed easily and computer recognized JUKEBOX each time it was plugged in.. BATTERIES: Important change - Now uses Nickel Metal Hydride which the manual now says gives 8 hours of playing time. Also came with an extra set of batteries. NEGATIVE Aspects: USER MANUAL: Confusing because there were many changes to the final product that didn't jive with what was in the manual. Not really enough information for a $350 piece of equipment. HEADPHONES: Not bad looking but really cheapened the product because of their poor quality. SOUND: This is probably the biggest heartbreak for me because I really wanted to love this player. If you don't like ANY bass and prefer a MEDIOCRE midrange then this is the player for you. The headphones contribute to this but I tried 3 other sets of high quality headphones ($30 to $600) and got the SAME results!! Oh well... If the sound could be improved upon I would keep the player.. But alas, I will be returning it and waiting for something with a little more (lot more in this case) bass and sound control. I really like everything about this player except for the what I feel is the most important aspect. THE SOUND QUALITY..

Piece of garbage..throw it against the wall
This product has OTB (out of the box) failures galore. I am not a demanding person of sound quality but here is the skinny: Shoddy workmanship on control button, lousy support, no documentation that helps with troubleshooting or even has simple instructions to shut it off, support software package failed to install on my computer and generaly faulty at birth. The hard drive immediately failed and the unit sounds like a mini 747 at take off when the hard drive is accessed. AVOID IT AT ALL COSTS..IT IS GARBAGE.

a pile of ****
ive had it for about a year and in the beggingin it ran great. now i cant even connect it to my pc. i have win 2k pro and win xp pro. as soon as i connect it, i get the bsod. ive never gotten the bsod b4 while runing xp or 2k. get a ipod, it costs more, but u get better quality and faster transfer speeds. in conclusion stay far away from archos products!!

Waste Of Money
I received a 6GB Archos in November of 2000. The original I received was defective and was returned for a different one; which wasn't much better. I didn't want an mp3 player so it sat on my shelf for 3 months collecting dust because I had no Mp3s to put onto it. I then started using it on and off for a while because it seemed easier than hauling around CDs. The batteries that came with it started dying after about a year and I was forced to replace them. It stopped after a year and a half charging to the electrical outlet cord. I then had to remove the batteries from the unit to charge. The battery connectors inside the Archos were poorly made so with the slightest movement the Archos would shut off and then sometimes it'd shut off for no reason. It crashed multiple times in a day. It finally died for good, not even reaching it's 3rd birthday. I was happy that day too, just had to wait awhile to find a replacement Mp3 player, I went with a Verge 256MB (Excellent!) which costs around 150 and is extremely light and easy to use with any Windows system and I also have a 3rd Generation 20GB iPod, also wonderful just because of the protection file sharing software it can be a pain and it can also be a pain to set up with a PC. Don't buy Archos products they're pieces of crap, look else where! ... Read more

Features

• Store up to 20 GB of MP3 music, voice or data recording, and carry it anywhere
• Up to 700 hours of voice recording capacity
• Record your favorite songs directly off the radio, into MP3 format
• Thirty second retro-record memory buffer, for better recording
• One-button erasing

Reviews (37)

Trying to Answer Some Questions
Let me first state that my family has two Archos devices the 20 GB Jukebox and the FM Radio/Recorder. These devices work wonderfully well if you understand computers and use the device exactly as told. I will try to describe some of this here. Unfortunately the manual that comes with the machines is not worth the paper it is printed on.

First before you ever download music from your computer, charge the batteries on the device for at least six hours. The hard drive is easily corrupted as the battery power runs down during tranfers. Additionally, you should keep the recorder charging while you are transferring music as this will help prevent corruption. NEVER remove the device from your computer without going through the safely remove process for removing peripheral devices from your computer for Windows XP or 2000. This will corrupt the hard drive.

Finally a few tips. You can listen to music while you charge the device if you push the start button and hold for five seconds. To put music in a playlist go to the song you wish to safe and hold the play button for three seconds until the cross appears next to the song. Then go to the menu to save this in the playlist. If you wish to move from the radio to the Jukebox, you must turn off the radio by pushing stop on the device. You can change the volume while listening to a song by pushing the up and down buttons on the recorder while the song is playing.

Hope some of this helps. If you use this correctly, it is much more cost efficient and as good functionally (not asthetically) as the iPOD.

It's weighs a ton, but what a cool toy!
I've had one of these for just over a month. It's bigger and heavier than the I-pod, but 1/3rd the price. 20 Gig holds a LOT of music - I have 200 cd's on mine and have used up under 7 gig! The USB 2 is FAST. It takes only seconds to copy songs. The device shows up as an external hard drive called "jukebox" - you just drag and drop your audio files.

The quality could be a little better - I have had no problems, but the controls seem a bit flimsy. The volume could also be louder. As with most portable devices, you're well advised to purchase a set of good quality headphones. Don't plan on wearing it on a back support belt or clipping it on pants - it's too bulky or heavy. It had a belt loop on the included neoprene pouch - this will fit a standard belt, but not a belt for the gym. I keep mine in a pocket or carry it around.

It's a great buy!

Followup (3 months later) - still love this thing! Found a couple of software bugs, but these are addresses in frequent updates.

buy this player
Just bought the archos. Amazing. Buy this now! Although it is about one and a half times as thick as the ipod, it is about the same height and witdth, and it has twice the features for half the price!

If you buy this, upgrade to the rockbox firmware. It is much faster and works a lot smoother. Unlike an ipod, almost every feature is customizeable, and there are plenty of accessories at low prices.

Almost all of my songs (about 2,000: 9 gigs worth at average 2hundred something kbps) are recorded off of cd's in variable bit rate, and the archos recognizes all their bit rates perfectly. The sound is awesome and you don't have to scroll through any menus menus to get to the features that you use most.

I don't know why people complain about battery life. IT'S A HARD DRIVE! OF COURSE IT IS NOT GOING TO PLAY AS LONG AS A CD PLAYER ON A SINGLE CHARGE! Once I upgraded to the rockbox firmware, it worked for 13.5 hours playing continuously(which is comparable, if not more than the ipod). Just make sure to charge it completely before you use it for the first time.

My only gripe about this player is that the fm tuner sometimes is a little more static than a regular cd player and sometimes the player takes about a half a second to access the hard drive. (however this can be changed by adjusting spindown time; you can legnthen it, but it drains battery life.) However, the FM tuner works as well as you would expect it to in a portable device.

The hard drive can hold anything. I was in the process of switching to a new computer, and I backed up my entire hard drive onto the archos and it is recognized as a hard drive by any machine, so it is easy to transfer files.

Overall, I find the archos to be the best player out there for the money. If I had to do it all over again, given a choice between two of these or one Ipod(the ipod does not have an fm tuner and also has a smaller hard drive for twice the price), I would definitely go archos, wouldn't you?

Found A Fix to My Problems - Now Love the Product
Initially, I had my share of gripes with this product as when I listened to my mp3's every 27 - 45 seconds, the hard drive would make a metal "sliding" or locking sound which would also make the right & left equalizer bars to lock up for a few seconds (even thought the song did not lock up). I sent the jukebox back to archos for repair/maintenance twice (first time, they replaced the recharable batteries which didn't help at all and the second time they replaced the hard drive). Both times, their help desk reccommended I reformat the hard drive after I received the product back from them. Neither times did it fix the problems. I was ready to sell the thing and purchase an iPod when I came out to AMAZON and read on the reviews the same problems I was expiriencing were corrected if a different software (ROCKBOX) was installed. I went out to their website, downloaded the software, reformatted the hard drive, installed the ROCKBOX software and then reinstalled my songs. Since then, the product has not only been not locking up or making sounds but the software has additional features (fonts, display formats, clock timers on/off, etc.) that are wonderful!!!

I would suggest to any person who's been even a little bit discourage with the lack to performance with their ARCHOS to checkout the ROCKBOX website and see if what I have mentioned in my review corrects their problems.

I will say that I would give ARCHOS'S help desk a B- grade as they were very friendly, quick response turn around time in getting email/verbal correspondence as well as quick return of my product. The only issue I had was that when I contacted them the second time with my problems, at the time, I had not had the item for more than 6 months and I asked for them to replace the item. They explained to me that their policy is repair 3 times, after this, then they replace. I'm hoping I won't have to do this now.

Great Player
I say this is well worth the money. If you use the rockbox system on it, it allows you to do TONS of extra features including having a playlist over the normal 999. Definitely but this product. 5 Stars

http://[...] ... Read more

Features

• Write CDs at 24x
• ReWrite CDs at 10x
• Read CDs at 40x

Features

• Up to 3,600 kbps Data Transfer Rate
• 16x Audio Extraction Speed
• Includes drag and drop mastering software, USB cable, carrying pouch and 12V AC adapter

Features

• Combination modular MPEG-4 video player, MP3 music player and recorder, digital wallet, and date storage device
• Enjoy anywhere 40 hours of near-DVD quality MPEG-4 video with MP3 sound
• Built-in microphone enables you to use the AV120 as a voice recorder providing 1,000 hours capacity
• Stores up to 200,000 photos for easy viewing by your family, friends, customers or colleagues
• Compatible with Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP, or Mac OS 9.2 or X or later

Reviews (2)

Great Player, But Bad Batteries!!!
Well, I bought a AV120, and I have filled half of it already. It has great tech. Videos & photos can be seen clearly in color, and the screen isn't that small. All the description Amazon fives explain what it does clear enough, but the only problem it has are the batteries. In a way, it'd be better to have a discman or cd player, for you can change when they expire, but with the Jukeboxes, you have to charge them. On the manual, it says you have to do it for 3hr, but it doesn't explain or tell how much they will last. I charged it for 2hr, and that was how long it lasted, but what if you go on an 8hr trip, and there is nowhere to charge the batteries? Try changing the batteries? that's a good idea, but you have to take the screws, and that ain't as easy. But besides this little defect, it id great. If you'll use it for short trips, it's a great aid to keep you entertained

Does everything it says it does
The Jukebox works fine and does every thing it can perfectly. Its quite an amazing device giving the fact that you can watch clear DVD quality movies on that little screen and record directly off of a TV, computer etc.This is alot more convenient than buying a portable DVD player and bringing that on an airplane, train etc.
It is extremly simple to use, if you have a current version of Windows (or mac) , than all you have to do is plug it into your computer's USB, and it will then instantly pop up as a second harddisk on your computer screen (for example, in the My Computer folder in windows).Archos definitly hit the spot in the Ease of use catagory. GREAT as a Laptop companion. I have been able to store more than 45 CDs on my Juke box (I have the 20gb model) and I still have used up only 1/4th of the space on Mp3 format(yes, the music plays clearly and their is a whole menu where you can adjust Bass, Treble, pitch etc. Great on Storage

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The only problem I have with jukboxes (yea, all jukeboxes) is that you still can not take this to places where you will be away from AC power, or places where the Jukebox could get damaged. I have recently taken the Jukebox to Austrailia and back, and it has been great on those long flights, but you would have to watch your battery life. (with a cd player, you just have to replace those affordable Alkaline batteries, not with Jukeboxes). It has also has been great on space. It is nearly a hundred times smaller than a CD player + all the CDs you have to carry with it. .

So in conclusion the Archos AV 120 / 140 is PERFECT for home and office use, short trips and short airplain flights. It is also good for vacations where you know you would be visiting a AC power socket for re charging the battery. The only place where the Jukebox does not belong are places where it could get damaged (example, boating) or places where you would be away from power, in those cases, you should take your more durable CD player.

I find Archos AV 120/ AV 140
A Highly Recomended Product ... Read more