Archos 605 Wi-Fi Portable Media Player (80 GB)

My husband bought this for me last May and I can't begin to express how terribly disappointed I am. I own the DVR station and I can never get it to play video on my television or record from the television. I work in IT and I'm pretty savy, but this thing drives me nuts. I've tried component video and S-video and nothing does the trick. I have been successful with audio recordings, but the video recordings have been a nightmare. I've spent way more time frustrated by it than I have enjoyed it.

It costs more than it is worth (particularly since it hardly ever works right). And to add insult to injury, Archos charges you extra for everything! I have to buy add-ons if I really want to take advantage of the technology.

My advise is to save your money and wait for something better to come along. This Archos is a huge disappointment.

Ever hear the old saying "All brooms sweep clean when new"? Well, that's exactly the case with the ARCHO 605 Wi-Fi that I had (notice the past tense). Out of the box, it worked very well--not great, just 'very well'. But I shrugged off it's somewhat tempermental,
less-than-sparkling performance, b/c being older than 12 I'm something of the techno-dinosaur.

Alas, from there on it was all down hill with the 605. Nothing dramatic. No sparks or smoke, or things frying or fizzing. Nothing went bang. It just sort of casually,over time, just stopped working:-- here and there, with this and that, now and then. Until about two weeks ago it just stopped. Period. At which point I said, "Forget it!!"

I had already made a dozen calls to Archos, Inc., read the manual and on-line info till my eyes were swollen, had the computer guy come out twice to try and salavage the 605 (and he didn't make those two housecalls for free), till I realized I was close to spending half as much money to get this thing to run as I had spent on the gizmo itself. I had it for about a year-- with ever decreasing usage-- before I chucked it.

Now, don't get me wrong: The concept is good. The company (ARCHOS) was helpful, and their non-WIFI stuff may work like a charm. But I think I'll wait another year or so till the bugs are worked out on this little number. Life is too short for such aggravation.

I bought this as a tool for showing my art and animations to galleries and dealers. It is wonderful and sure is better than a paper based portfolio.

I bought this archos after a friend of mine raved aboiut his. It was very difficult to use and tech support was not that helpful but once I got my friend over to help me use it I saw the benefit of this compared to other mp3/media players including ipod. The fact that I can record direct from tv is great. I watch my shows on my long coommute into work everyday. Ive been using it for the past year and I have to say it still has not met my expectation. Cons: difficult to use, sound quality is not great and its a bit big and bulky compared to others.

I've had my Archos 605 for two years now and its the best portable electronic gagdet I've ever bought. Surf the net, download movies, show, music, pictures, or your own video in any format. Never have to worry about compatibility. Also, purchase the DVR you will be able to watch your stored movies on the big screen as well as recording your favorite shows and taking them on the road.