(NaturalNews) Watching video on a portable video player is a great way to make the time fly by while engaged in cardiovascular exercise. So I recently decided to try out the new Archos 705 WiFi digital video recorder and player to see how well it work as a portable video device to use in the gym while exercising. This article contains my review.
Archos calls their 705 WiFi device a "generation 5" device and claims to have conquered "at least five major technological breakthroughs." After using the device extensively for two weeks, I can bluntly say that one of those breakthroughs apparently didn't cover the basics of any portable media device: Reliable operation and quality video recording.
I found the Archos 705 to be extremely buggy. Nearly everything I tried to do with the unit sooner or later resulted in a crash. Plugging it into the DVR adapter to record a video? It crashes. Trying to play back a video? Crashes. Trying to copy files to it from your computer via USB? Big time crash. The Archos 705 unit seemed to just crash randomly and unexpectedly at various times. (I installed the latest firmware update right out of the box, by the way. So this wasn't a firmware issue.)
But the random crashing of the Archos 705 was the least of its problems. It turns out that its video recording algorithm is fatally flawed: It introduces a video hesitation or "hiccup" every 15 frames or so. It sort of looks like a keyframing error in the video encoder. The result is that watching any
video recorded on the device is extremely annoying and fatiguing on the eyes.
The video encoding itself is also problematic. While you can set a video recording auto-stop timing function for, say, two hours, the
Archos unit sometimes just stops recording before the two hour time limit for no reason at all, forcing you to start over or just flat out miss whatever you were trying to record. Its built-in FAT32 file system also limits video files to 2GB, meaning it has to split larger videos into multiple files. This also means that if you're trying to use the Archos 705 as a portable video player, you can't copy any file to it that's larger than 2GB!
That's absurd. A full-length movie is going to be far larger than 2GB unless it has a lousy bit rate. Limiting file sizes to 2GB seems like a serious oversight. Why not adopt a better file system that would support larger files? FAT32 was invented in the 1990's. Maybe Archos should join the 21st century in its file system.
Not everything about the Archis 705 is broken or stupid, however. The
WiFi function actually works well. The screen resolution is outstanding, and the brightness is truly impressive. The battery is easy to reach, too -- a fact that comes in handy when you're trying to remove the battery to force a hard reboot.
But overall, the Archos 705 is a disastrous device that, in my opinion, doesn't do anything well that it claims to do. For around $500, it should at least record videos without keyframing artifacts, not to mention that it shouldn't crash more often than my Windows PC. This device makes Windows Vista look stable by comparison!
My recommendation? Skip the Archos 705 product. If you're looking for something to take with you to the gym and watch while you work out, your best bet right now is probably a portable DVD player (which also happens to be a whole lot cheaper than the Archos device).
While the Archos 705 makes a great effort to be a truly outstanding
digital video recorder and playback device, it falls flat on both counts. I give it one star, and that's for the great screen resolution and brightness. It's something you'll really come to appreciate as you're repeatedly watching the reboot sequence.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams created TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural living video sharing site featuring thousands of user videos on foods, fitness, green living and more. He also founded an environmentally-friendly online retailer called BetterLifeGoods.com that uses retail profits to help support consumer advocacy programs. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Email this article to a friend
Now Available from 
