Archos Jukebox Multimedia

[MacRumors]

Archos announced their Jukebox Multimedia which sounds like an impressive device... it appears to accept modules to expand functionality... MP3 and Digital Photo modules will be available as well as a Jukebox Video Recorder:

Jukebox Video Recorder is similar to a VCR recorder. It can
record MPEG4 videos from an external video source (such as a TV) and can store
30-50 hours of video in CIF format on the 10 GB hard drive.

Sounds impressive... no pictures or pricing available yet...

 

[MacUser1]

what will happen

This is interesting. Although the standard is USB 1.1, FireWire and USB 2.0 are optional. Is this going to mean trouble for the iPod? (Of course price and size will have to be factored in)

 

[MasterX (OSiX)]

I'd doubt it. The iPod is definatly in it's own class anyway: right now w/music there's 3 variables: size, play duration, and cost. Big-long-expensive (HDD MP3), Big-medium-cheep (CD Players), Small-short-medium (MP3 Players), and the iPod is of corce Small-Long-Expensive. This new device fits into the Big-Long-Expensive catagory along w/the other portable devices with regular HDDs. Of corce I still think you could add FW modules to the iPod and use the iPod for power/storage.

 

[MasterX (OSiX)]

…and does anyone know about the iPod partition issue? (iPod has a 6GB HDD, 5Gb is for Music and 1Gb is apparently for the OS, very strange)

 

[MacUser1]

Very good points

 

[DannyZR2]

ipod

Mine shows the capacity to be 4.6 Gig, where are we getting 6? isn't it a toshiba 5G 1.8" drive?

 

[MasterX (OSiX)]

i thought it was 0.8

my guess is that 1GB doesn't equal 1000MB, it's 1024MB so a little space is lost per MB. But that'd bean that iPod would be like 5,856MB or 4,880 (not sure if it's 5GB or 6GB)

 

[Ensign Paris]

According to Apples site:

Technical Specifications
Capacity
5GB hard disk drive (1)
—  Holds up to 1,000 songs in 160-Kbps MP3 format (2)
—  Stores data in FireWire disk mode


(1) 1GB = 1 billion bytes; actual formatted capacity less.
(2) Capacity based on an average song length of 4 minutes and 160-Kbps encoding.

 

[AlphaTech]

The 5GB size is standard for the storage measure. Whenever a drive is listed in GB, it is using 1000MB=1GB. The reality is that 1024MB=1GB which would turn the 5GB iPod into a 4.88GB drive (depending on formatting factor and whatever else has loaded to it).

I would not be surprised if the software that runs the iPod takes up the .2GB (or so) that is the difference.

The number difference is the main reason why a 30GB hard drive really shows up as approx. 29.2GB before formatting (you usually loose some there too).

All said and done, for the size and form factor, the iPod is still extreme eye candy and worth considering. I know I want one, just a matter of having other purchases higher on my list. Such as a second monitor for my computers (sharing one for two desktops).

Peace