iPod Archos Players

[Guitarius]

Okay, I've been doing research for the last couple of days on the Archos 404/504/604. All I want is a straight answer.

Will it play the AAC files I ripped off of my cds and into iTunes?

I know you have to download the pluggin, and I'm fine with that, as long as it will play the stuff.

I'm looking at the 404 because of size, but if this will not do for playing AAC, which one do I need?

Also, does it sync to iTunes? If not, not as big a deal. All I want is for it to play my AAC stuff, as this is the majority of my music.

 

[archurban]

I don't know. but why you want archos when you can get an ipod to play AAC? do you have any reason? as far as I know, the device does not recognize mac at all. but if you use windows, why don't you try Zune? zune is much better than Archos. plus, zune supports AAC files from itunes. but you can't sync protected AAC. Archos couldn't support AAC.

 

[rockthecasbah]

According to the tech specs on the Archos website they will play AAC files but not protected ones (obviously ). I have to add the question as well of why you would want an Archos player over an iPod... they're more functional, prettier, and have better performance. The only difference i see is that the Archos players can go up to 160GB, but the price must be a lot and i don't see the interface being as welcoming, especially with the whole button things on the right side of the player.

 

[Guitarius]

I can't get a Zune because I have an iBook.

I don't want an iPod because I already had one. And it no longer works. After about a year it decided to take a dump and stop working. I've tried everything to fix it, and nothing worked. Now all I get is the little sad iPod face, and that's when it's plugged in to a charger. If it's not plugged in, I don't get squat.

Once bitten, twice shy, you know?

 

[Sequence]

I currently have a 404 and it is one of the best purchase I've ever done... I also have an iPod 5G so I can compare both. The screen quality is awesome, the resolution is twice the one of the iPod and it supports almost any kind of video, including DiVX and QuickTime's .Mov - The battery life is pretty good, comparable to the one you'll get with an iPod at best.

The size of the unit is *about* the same of the iPod although it does feel a little more bulkier.

The new Archos interface (404,504,604) is very nice and functional and the side buttons work great, that is once you get used to them.

It works great with my Macbook although you won't get the kind of "integration" you have with your iPod + iTunes.

The 404, 504 & 604 all have exactly the same "base features"...
Same video / audio compatibility
Same battery life
Same DVR functionality
etc.

BUT

Archos 404: The most compact of the three, can't remove battery from unit, no stand, 30Gb MAX.

Archos 504: Up to 160Gb, size of the previous AV500, removable battery.

Archos 604: Widescreen, available with Wi-Fi, very thin, removable battery, 30Gb MAX.

I went with the 404 as I move alot and the 504 / 604 aren't "big" but they are not "small" neither. Think of a little more big than the zune (a little larger, same thickness) and the 604 is a lot larger but a lot thinner.

The ONLY downside for me on the 404 is that you have to buy the DVR travel adapter to use it as a DVR, but I think that's why it has such a low price (the AV500 had DVR built-in). Also, the battery is not removable without taking apart the unit.

 

[gloss]

The Archos units are far, far better video units than Apple's, which makes sense given that video isn't really much more than a bonus feature on the current iPods. They have DVR recording capabilities, much better format compatibility, sharper screens, etc.

Different demographic, but pretty much unchallenged within it until Apple releases an iPod AV.

edit: I guess I should read before I post.

 

[lilnyc]

According to the tech specs on the Archos website they will play AAC files but not protected ones (obviously ). I have to add the question as well of why you would want an Archos player over an iPod... they're more functional, prettier, and have better performance. The only difference i see is that the Archos players can go up to 160GB, but the price must be a lot and i don't see the interface being as welcoming, especially with the whole button things on the right side of the player.

I have an iPhone, but I use my Archos 605 Wi-Fi as a DVR. The iPhone/iPod cannot act as a DVR with an on-screen TV Guide menu. The video quality on the Archos is and has always been horrible.

 

[tedkitch]

Outside of wondering why someone would want to purchase an Archos player over an iPod does anyone know if there is an answer to the original question? Is there a way to sync and Archos player to iTunes on a Mac?

BTW, I just purchased a 605 WiFi 160GB and the DVR function is killer. By far worth the price of admission.

Hoping for some help not a bunch of criticism of my purchase.

TIA

 

[bloodycape]

aac(and a few other stuff) support is add via a 20usd plug in. It will not work with itunes per-se but since the device is UMS, OSX or any OS for that matter will recognize it as an external HD, so you can just drag and drop the files onto the device. However I would suggest looking at the 05 series as they have better sound and better quality on the buttons. For the 05 series they replaced the 504 with the 605 and can be option with a 160gb hd or 4gb flash with a SDHC(with 16gb and 32gb being so cheap now its not bad) slot and wifi standard.

Have you looked at Cowon, many of their devices have aac support(drm free that is) and can be had for a decent price and their A2 and A3 devices also have a built in video recorder, granted it isn't as good as the Archos, it is better in every other category. To the person who said the ipod has more functionality how is this so? Can the ipod record video, or audio? Can it play fm radio? Does it have support for a wide range of video and audio?

edit: didn't realize this tread is old.