Archos AV500 100 GB Multimedia Player and DVR Review

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(More customer reviews)Note: I have only had the player for a week. This is a first impressions report.
Overall: the Archos AV500 100 gb player is pretty impressive. It is a good size, the screen is bright, and the built-in interface is easy to navigate. It feels small and heavy at first. Built-in speaker is tinny but adequate for its size. 100 gb is a lot of space! It is a little heavier than the AV500 30 gb model, but I don't have one for direct comparison.
Functions tried:
(1) Links to Windows XP computer via USB 2.0 without a problem, can use as Device Player with Windows Media Player 10 (auto-sync libraries, etc), or can set to Hard Drive Mode and drag and drop files. USB 2.0 is fast.
(2) Transfer DVDs: Lots of stuff on the internet about doing this for Archos devices, but this is still complicated and some technical savvy is required. There is some built-in software that I didn't bother with.
The easiest (and legal) way is to just record direct from your DVD player; however, not the best quality by report and any Macrovision protection is preserved (can only view on LCD screen, not video out). I actually have not tried this yet, though.
If you have DVD's without copyright protection, one of the better (and free) programs (in my opinion) at this point is Auto Gordion Knot (or AutoGK for short) to convert these to the DIVX format. This works well; however, conversion is processor-intensive (5 hours on my 3000+ Athlon XP for 2 hour video). The picture is pretty good, some minor compression artifacting. There is a large community working on DIVX codecs. I used the XVID codec, which the AV500 is compatible with (even the Windows Media Player 10 didn't think so and refused to transfer without conversion).
(3) Listening to music was easy. Dragged and dropped a bunch of MP3's, worked well. Nice loud volume.
(4) Slideshow for pictures work well. JPEG and BMP only. Can't listen to music while looking at pictures, though.
Functions haven't tried yet:
(1) Camera record - can hook up lipstick camera (separate accessory) directly to AV500 and record.
(2) Direct file transfer from camera. (Has separate mini USB port and cable to hook into camera)
Drawbacks:
(1) Probably a little fragile - handle with care. Lots of people have reported issues with the previous AV400 models. Basically, this is a very fancy hard drive with a screen. In fact, if you take the battery off, you can see the hard drive sitting in there.
Running with it, or any activity with lots of vibration/shaking will likely cause early hard drive failure. It would be like running with your laptop. You might get away with it for a while, but those hard drives can't take a lot of jolting.
I can see mashing the small buttons could result in problems. This is not a ruggedized portable by any means. Even thought the case feels solid, the buttons are cheap-feeling and flimsy. My bet is that the buttons would be the first component to break on this device.
(2) Video transfer is still complicated. Could try Windows Media Player 10 for automagic conversion, but I like to have more control over settings. Video must be DIVX in specific format. This is not a Video Ipod. It takes some savvy.
(3) Note before you buy the file types it supports. Won't do AAC, Ogg or other music formats.
(4) Comes with a disc shaped connector hub for AV in/out connections, but no travel AV in/out. That is a separate accessory. So, if you want to see your video on a separate TV, bring the big hub, or spring for a separate set of travel connectors.
(5) Inadequate carrying case provided. I am already looking for a better carrying case.

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Your movies, your games, your music, your photos -- all in one little device. That's the Archos AV500 100 GB Mobile Digital Media Player. This exciting media companion offers direct TV recording and the best of home cinema, gaming, digital music and more. Now you can bring all your entertainment with you wherever you roam. This 100 GB model, which is less than an inch thick, lets you store up to 400 hours of video, 250 movies, 55,000 songs or 1,000,000 photos. Using the AV500's rechargeable, removable battery, you'll get up to 15 hours of life for music and up to 4.5 hours forvideo playback on the built-in LCD.
Personal Video Player Used in conjunction with the included TV docking pod, you can record television programs, movies and home videos directly from your TV, VCR, DVD player, cable box or satellite receiver. Then watch themon the go whenever the notion strikes you. Plus, with the integrated scheduler you can program your recording schedule a week to a month ahead of time. Play back your favorite program on the 4-inch widescreen or on any external screen in near-DVD quality. The unit plays DivX, Windows Media, protected Windows Media, and MPEG-4 video files. You'll also have excellent control over your viewing experience with features such as slow motion, adjustable screen size, video editing, and a video bookmarking function.
Photo Viewer The AV500 is a great digital photo companion. Transfer thousands of photos directly from your digital camera, or another mass storage device using the built-in USB connection. You can also transfer from a computer using the AV 500's high-speed USB 2.0 interface. Then, organize your photos and watch them in slide shows on the unit's screen or on any external display.
Music Player The AV500 features Archos' newly-designed music player application. Now you can easily organize your songs and customize your view by artist, album, type of music, title, year, and play lists without having to use a computer. The AV500 also offers an audio recording application that records in high-quality WAV format from almost all analog stereo sources. You can also use the stereo microphone if you want to record notes, presentations and lectures.
ConnectivityThe player has a USB 2.0 port that enables you to copy, share, connect and transfer files directly from other powered mass storage devices. The unit is also recognized as a mass storage drive on your PC or Mac, giving you the ability to transfer any computer file using the high-speed USB 2.0 interface.
PlaysForSureThe AV500 lets you purchase, download, subscribe to or rent protected video and music content from Microsoft PlaysForSure websites. The Archos AV500 works with many online subscription and pay-per-download music services such as Yahoo! Music Unlimited and Napster To Go. The PlaysForSure designation ensures compatibility with Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP. Using the USB 2.0 interface, the AV500 will easily auto-synchronize this content with Windows Media Player 10 each time you connect it to your PC, or convert your Windows Media Player 10 library content to one of many compatible formats (MP3, WMA, WAV, protected WMA, MPEG -4, WMV and protected Windows Media Video).
Play Games AnywhereBecause the AV500 supports the popular Mophun gaming engine, it's designed to integrate with the Archos Web site for purchasing and downloading games. You can also connect an optional mini game padto kick your games up a notch.
What's in the BoxAV500, TV docking pod, remote control (with batteries), audio/video cables, USB 2.0 cable, USB hostadapter, AC adapter and charger, stereo headphones, protective case, user guide.

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Epson PowerLite S1+ Multimedia LCD Video Projector Review

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(More customer reviews)When searching for a projector I had the following criteria which the Epson S1+ met.
Low Cost - Best price I found - Amazon - 749.00
Low Noise - Epson S1+ is 33dB
Minimum 800x600 Resolution
Native 4:3 Aspect Ratio
High ANSI Lumens - Epson S1+ is 1400
Decent Contrast Ratio - Epson S1+ is 400:1
Low Cost Bulb replacement ($150-$200)
For the cost, there was no other projector on the market that could compete. I did not want the lower end DLP projectors, due to rainbow effects that can happen. I also wanted a projector that would be cost effective after the initial purchase. The S1+ bulbs can be found for $150.00 to $200.00, compared to $350-$400 for competitors. BTW: This unit will be used in a small church for Sunday services and cost was a big factor when investing and researching bulb replacement costs.
How does it work?
We get a great image for our church service with full house lights on, this projector is brilliant. Very, low noise. Most of the time it is used with PowerPoint presentations, but it also does a great job with DVD projection.
Image Size?
This unit projects a BIG image from a short distance, if you need a large picture, but do not have the space...this may be the projector for you.
Quality?
I am really impressed with the fit, finish and quality of the Epson projector and will be purchasing the Powerlite Home 10+ for my home theater.
How does it compare?
I have an Infocus X2 and and NEC VT470 projector and I would take the Epson S1+ over either one of these any day.

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With a footprint of just 14.6 by 10.4 inches, the S1+ sets up on nearly any convenient surface and weighs just 7 pounds, making transportation painless. An SVGA native resolution of 800 x 600 ensures that projected images retain their clarity even at great distances, while 24-bit color support of over 16.7 million shades results in accurate, true-to-life images.

A monitor out capability lets you display images on both the projected screen and on a monitor simultaneously, and compatibility with both PC and Mac operating systems ensures that your presentations a snap to set up, no matter which platform you're offered. The 500:1 contrast ratio provides sharp detail, and 1,400 ANSI lumens of brightness results in projections that are easy to see from anywhere in the room. The 130-watt UHE lamp provides over 2,000 hours of lamp life, while the internal power supply consumes 200 watts during normal operation and just 5 watts in standby mode.

The S1+ has a variable aspect ratio of either 4:3 or 16:9 and an adjustable projection screen size of 30 to 300 inches. The digital zoom/manual focus lens has an F-number of 1.4 and an f-number range of 16.6mm, which combine with digital keystone correction of plus or minus 15 degrees to help achieve accurate, in-focus projections across the entirety of the image.

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Epson P-6000 80GB Multimedia Storage Drive, Photo Viewer and Audio-Video Player w/ 4-Inch LCD Review

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(More customer reviews)I've tried to go the cheap route when it comes to backing up my digital photos in the field, such as combining the (awful) Aleratec Copy Cruiser Plus with a large-capacity (16G) USB pen drive, and using an adapter and my iPod to offload the data from my CF cards. The latter solution works OK in a pinch, but has several limitations, including the iPod's small screen, the slowness of the process, and the very narrow functionality of the interface (great for music, not quite adequate for viewing, judging, and copying photos).
The Epson was designed from the ground up for duplicating digital photos (JPEG and RAW formats) on the road, a necessary task for photographers who prize their images as well as their sanity. It should fit nicely into any photo professional's 'out-of-doors' workflow.
The device works very well (and pretty fast: for instance, I just copied 322 Mb worth of data -- that's 100 JPEG photos taken with a 10-megapixel camera at the highest-quality settings -- in just over 60 seconds). The 4-inch screen is bright and draws beautifully detailed images. The controls, while not the latest in ergonomic excellence (the 'back' button in particular could have been better placed), are easy to press and a cinch to figure out (I never even had to crack the manual).
Like my Apple computers, the Epson multimedia viewers stand out for their plug-and-play elegance and simplicity. Push a CF card into the slot, or an SD card in a different slot next to it, and the viewer offers to let you browse the files on the card or copy the data to the P-3000's hard drive. You can also copy data to or from a USB device such as an external hard disk or a thumb drive. Want more? You can hide and password-protect folders; play slideshows with or without visual effects and with or without built-in music files playing as a soundtrack; give your photos a one-to-five-star rating to quickly separate the wheat from the chaff; look at EXIF data, blown highlights, and a histogram for each image; use an AV-out cable to show your images on a TV screen, and on and on.
Of course, when viewing a photo, you can zoom in (up to 400 percent) to check details and sharpness,
Later on, when you're ready to copy your images to your computer, just run the supplied USB cable from the Epson to your Mac or PC and the viewer shows up on your virtual desktop as a standard USB 2.0 drive. After a big job such as a wedding, this obviates the need to copy three or four or more memory cards to your computer via an external card reader. With the Epson viewer, all the backed-up data are already in one easily 'copyable' location.
The Epson also lets you copy and play back video footage and MP3s. I have little use for the latter (that's what my iPod is for), but the video-player capability, though hardly crucial for my purposes, makes the P-3000 a pretty sweet and versatile road tool.
I can't think of an actual feature that I'm missing -- OK, maybe wireless capability -- though that's not to say that this is a perfect product. The viewer is slightly unwieldy (about the size of the average automotive GPS unit); I have to think that top-notch engineering could reduce the dimensions a bit. I would have liked some kind of built-in protector that you can fold or draw shut over the fairly vulnerable screen. Speaking of missing hardware, the Epsons really should come with a stand that lets you angle the unit for optimal viewing. Also, it's a bit annoying that the device won't copy data to your computer's hard drive unless the unit's power adapter is attached, even if you have a full battery.
Still, other than my cameras and lenses, this is the best photo tool I've bought in a long time. If you're a professional photographer who, like me, doesn't like to lug a laptop around but could do with fewer backup worries after you're done shooting a big assignment away from home, the Epson P-3000 or P-5000 will bring both pride of ownership and peace of mind.

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Back up, store and view your images in vibrant color and detail, PC-free.An essential tool for on-the-go photographers, the Epson P-6000 features superior image quality and a high-capacity 80GB hard drive. The perfect partner to your digital SLR camera, this innovative product makes it easier than ever to download, view and share thousands of photos on the spot. Quickly store and backup images right from your memory card. Preview both RAW and JPEG images with the Photo Fine Premia LCD, exclusively from Epson. Displaying over 16.7 million colors, this 4-inch LCD supports 94% of the Adobe RGB color space, so you get incredible color accuracy.Zoom in to confirm focus and fine detail.Then, share your images the way they were meant to be seen ¿ just as you captured them.With both audio and video output, it¿s easy to create customized slide shows to share your work wherever you go. With the Epson P-6000, you¿ve got everything you need for all your photographic adventures.

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Wolverine ESP 120 GB Portable Multimedia Storage Player Review

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(More customer reviews)I spent a while trying to find a multimedia device that could read multiple types of flash memory cards (Compact flash cards, SD cards), read the raw files from my Canon EOS 5D camera and have at least 80 GB storage.
This device met all those requirements and also has a big vivid screen. In addition to the above, it is an mp3 player, video player and has an FM radio.
I have the 100 GB version that I purchased from costco for $ 350. I took this along on a long trip (3 weeks), along with a couple of spare batteries.
It performed wonderfully. I downloaded the pictures from my 2 GB compact flash cards at least 15 times. It stored all my RAW files without a hitch. It could also read the raw files generated from my camera and display it. The download speed was very fast.
The Canon EOS 5D generates large files at it highest resolution and fills up my 2 GB compact flash cards quickly. It is too impractical and expensive to carry too many compact flash cards. This device really helps to bridge this gap.
It also has a tetris game, music and video capability in it, to keep my kids happy during long drives.
Highly recommended for digital photographers and also for people looking for a verstile multi media device that can do more than the ipod.

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Designed specifically for busy professional and amateur digital photographers, the Wolverine ESP portable multimedia storage device lets you store and view thousands of photos, songs, and video files in a single convenient device. Digital photographers typically have to purchase multiple memory cards if they want to take a ton of photos while traveling. With the ESP, however, you need only a single card, as the unit's 120 GB hard drive stores the rest. When your camera's memory card is full, simply pop it in the Wolverine ESP's built-in 7-in-1 card reader. With the press of a button, the device transfers all of your photos and digital camera video data into a portable, self-powered mass storage unit. Once the contents of your card are safely stored in the ESP's memory, you can re-fill your memory card with brand-new photos--all without going anywhere near a computer. And because the device is battery powered, you can literally save your data anywhere in the world. It's perfect for traveling, sharing data during meetings, and just about any other on-the-go situation.
The ESP also includes a razor-sharp 3.6-inch LCD screen, letting you view stored photos and videos without plugging them back into your camera. Among the compatible photo formats are JPEG, Bitmap, Tiff, Text, and RAW images, while compatible video formats include MPEG-1, MPEG-4, WMV 9, and XviD. And as with many digital cameras, the ESP prints directly to a printer to save time and energy. The device is no slouch from an audio perspective, either, with support for MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, ACC (MP4 audio), and CDA formats. In addition, the unit's drag-and-drop functionality makes it easy to transfer music files from your computer and play them instantly. As a final bonus, the ESP includes a built-in FM radio with 18 presets that lets you listen to and record your favorite FM programs.
Other details include zoom, rotate, and slide show functions; an included A/V cable for connecting the ESP directly to any TV, projector, or stereo system; and compatibility with a separately sold cradle system that lets you record directly from a TV, DVD, VCR, camcorder, or other video source. The ESP measures 5.3 by 2.8 by 0.9 inches (W x H x D), weighs 10.2 ounces with the lithium-ion battery, and is backed by a one-year warranty.
What's in the BoxWolverine ESP (with battery), AC charger, USB cable, A/V cable, earphone, carrying case, software CD, user's manual.

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Cowon V5 16 GB MP3 Player (White) Review

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(More customer reviews)The windows-mp3-scene bloggers have slammed the Cowon V5-HD, so let's just get this out of the way first:
It's not a phone.
It has no "apps".
It has no wireless.
Nope, no blutooth.
No accelerometer.
Resistive touch screen, not capacitive.
It's not an iPhone, iPod Touch, PocketPC, or PSP competitor; but rather a pure media player, unlike most others on the market. The V5-HD is for watching movies, and listening to music, period - and it excels at both I'm happy to say. There really isn't anything out there in the same league.
Battery: I get almost 10 hours of video time. As a comparison, my netbook gets 2.5.
Video: I rip my film dvds using Xilisoft DVD Ripper, set to: XviD, 2500 kbps, 800 x 480, 23.976 fps, letterboxed, 256kbps mp3 audio. I also tried a similar profile with H.264. Either way, the results are STUNNING on the V5-HD. The picture is sharp, vibrant, saturated, with smooth motion and minimal artifacts. Viewing angles are good enough to allow some leeway. Just a gorgeous screen, and at 4.3" horizontally it's the right size for truly portable movie watching. I can't watch movies on a 320x240 screen, and even 480x272 just drops too much detail for me. 800x480 doesn't leave me feeling deprived.
Sound: W.O.W. It sounds good on Normal, it sounds good on BBE Viva, it sounds good on Jazz, it just sounds good no matter what you pick. I liked the sound of my Cowon D2+ set flat, but the BBE effects really mucked up the sound too much to be useful. Not so on the V5. Almost all the presets sound great, and go from subtle to not-so-subtle. Even flat, it's lively, dynamic, and rich. This is now my favorite mp3 player, bar none, and I only wish it was practical to carry it around - but it's a bit big for a daily carry, unless you're wearing a coat. For reference, I only use 320kbps mp3 files, and my headphones are Sony MDR-V6.
The much-insulted interface design doesn't bother me. Yes it's cutesy, but it's functional, and I was navigating it in the store in a few seconds with ease. Browsing media has some of the usual Cowon quirks and difficulties, and a few very minor bugs (id3 tag for genre="Jazz" produces "Jazz" + some korean characters in the display). But overall the display and interface don't detract that much.
Summary:
Hassle-free drag and drop organization in windows, wide format support, sdhc memory slot, truly useful battery life, brilliant audio and hi-res widescreen format video. If I want to play games I use my PSP, and I surf the net on my HP Mini 110. I still haven't run across a portable all-in-one that does those things as well.

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HD Video and audio player with FM tuner, voice recorder, and text and photo viewer; 4.8-inch TFT LCD 800 x 480, WVGA with 16.7M colors; Up to 45 hours of music playback (10 hours of video) on one charge; AV Out: HDMI, Composite; BBE+ support

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Archos 43 - 16 GB Internet Tablet (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a video demo and testing of the Archos 43 - 16 GB Internet Tablet. Overall, I am very happy with its improvements over the Archos 5 IT. I have also changed the rating to a 5 stars after updating the OS to Android 2.2 with the Adobe Flash 10 player installed. This gadget rocks !
12/21/10 update
- I have been using this gadget on a daily basis since my original post for checking emails and surfing the web for news in the morning while still lying lazy on my bed. So far so good and it has replaced my iPhone for such use as it is lighter and has a wider display for full web-site surfing. The only issue I have is the short battery life which I have to circumvent by disabling the Wifi when not in use.
Overall feel and handling
The unit is extremely light and fits easily in a shirt pocket. It is much more portable than the Archos 5 IT and even the i-Phone. The single-touch resistive screen works quite nice also. I also noticed that the camera has a small clear plaster cover on it which should be removed for better recording.
OS and applications
12/01/10 Update
- Updated OS to Android 2.2 ! This gadget is a lot more stable and works faster after the update. We would need to reinstall the latest Google Marketplace app from the Archos fans site as the previous version does not work with Android 2.2. The Adobe Flash 10 player would also needed to be installed (from the Google Market place) in order to view flash videos from the websites.
Archos 5 used to have an application called Thinkfree office installed which allowed us to view PDF, excel, and word document. I am not able to find this same application on the Archos 43. However, this application and the Adobe viewer could be downloaded from the Google Markletplace. Do some research on the Archosfans website and you would be able to get the instructions on installing the Marketplace app.
Video and display
The display is very nice and sharp. In the demo video, I also showed a side-by-side comparison between an i-Phone and the Archos 43. The display area for the Archos 43 is 32% larger than an iPhone. Whereas the Archos 5 IT has a 65% larger display area over the iPhone with its 4.8" screen. Even though the display area is not much larger than the iPhone, the viewing experience is notably different. The video camera recording is of average quality. It does OK in well lighted area but the video is pretty grainy under poor lighting conditions. I also found some issues with the Amazon's Kindle viewer. The right side text was chopped off by the menu bar.
Sound
The external speaker is much better than the Archos 5 IT and produced much more sound in comparison.
WiFi and internet connection
There are major improvements in the Wifi connection as I experienced no trouble connecting the WiFi to my home wireless network. This was the most annoying problem I had with the Archos 5 IT.
Batteries
Charge time is much better than the Archos 5 IT. Took about 2-3 hours for a full charge. It lasts for about 2-3 hours of constant uses. If we leave the Wifi on, it seems to drain the battery charge rather rapidly. I did another benchmark testing by playing only video with the external speaker at 50% volume. It ran for a good 6-7 hours on a full charge.
It uses a standard micro-USB cable for connection to the PC.
Overall, I am quite pleased with this gadget particularly its light weight and larger screen size than my iPhone.

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A connected Android palm-sized tablet. Just a simple tap on the home screen of the ARCHOS 43 internet tablet and you\'ll be accessing all the major functions you need throughout the day wherever you are: HD video playback, HD camcorder, apps, emails and full Internet browsing.

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