Basic question re Archos 504

alanwm406 · 20-08-2007, 10:37 PM

I have been considering buying the Archos 504 for a few weeks but have never actually handled a hard drive player. I have 2 questions
1: how long is it from pressing the on switch to viewing a file ie startup and
2:if you switch the Archos off in the middle of a film without bookmarking and switch back on later, does it recommence play from where you left off like an mp3 player or does it start at the begining of the file again?
Thanks Alan

frankmsl · 20-08-2007, 11:19 PM

The startup time depends on the size of the harddisc. I have the 160GB version and it takes about 15 to 20 seconds. I also have an AV480 and that one starts up in less than 10 seconds.

There is a 'resume' function icon on the main screen which will resume what ever you were last doing being watching a movie or listening to a song. So after you switch the unit back on just select 'resume' and continue. You can of course also bookmark, but even if you would forget the unit searches very quickly to material. I have found it easy to find back where I was the ;ast time.

I can really recommend the 504 as for watching video there is nothing that comes even close to competing with it. i bought my son a Video Ipod and the Ipod is a misery for video unless you purchase all the material from iTunes.

You may want to have a look at the '605' also which is the new generation with touchscreen, WIFI and internet browser.

choccy · 21-08-2007, 5:34 PM

Can these play divx and when you record do they have an EPG ?

frankmsl · 21-08-2007, 11:21 PM

The '4' series like 504, 604 and 704 do not have an EPG, but the new '5' series does. However it is a feature of the DVR station not the unit itself.

DIVx is really just a version of MP4. I have not tried it yet myself, but I believe it works. It easy to convert the formats anyway,so it is not a big issue.

FrankS · 22-08-2007, 9:57 PM

DivX works very well on the older AV500 and also the 404 so I can't see it being any problem on the 504 series. DivX is my preferred format when encoding DVD's and the picture quality on my AV500 is excellent.

alanwm406 · 23-08-2007, 4:26 PM

Thanks Frankmsl for your advice. Bought a 504 with docking station for £250 in Currys. Bargain. Everything fine about it. However will i be able to read data transferred from DVD recorded off SKY on it if i buy the cinema plug in? currently it says unrecognised MPEG 2 format.This is data copied over unchanged from the dvd.
Thanks

frankmsl · 23-08-2007, 4:42 PM

Alan, I did not buy the cinema plug-in yet, so can only guess that the MPEG2 data will work correctly with it. I usually just transfer the content of my SKY+ with the copy function to the unit via the DVR station. I do the same with DVDs as it can happen in the background without my interference

I am glad you are enjoying your purchase. PS if you are looking for an extra battery they are the cheapest on www.expansys.co.uk.

mitchelc · 23-08-2007, 9:06 PM

If you buy the plug-in you will be able to transfer the vob files from the DVD. However you will have to play each vob one at a time. You could consider converting the DVD to a single avi with something like pocketdivxencoder which has presets for the Archos. The files are also smaller.

Or as Frankmsl suggested use the 504 to record directly from Sky.

Whichever option just allow a bit of practice & trial & error with settings.