New firmware adds high-def video plug-in to Archos 5 / 7
By Darren Murph 
posted March 29th 2009 6:13AM
posted March 29th 2009 6:13AM
[Thanks, Trevor]
posted March 29th 2009 6:13AM
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This would be sweet...if I had one!
WMV-support, big deal....
We need 720p H264 support... it's a lot more popular than WMV-HD.
Checking it out now. Love my Archos 7... more people ask me about it in airports and long plane trips then when I first got my iPhone. It's just a sexy looking device, and it gets better and better with every firmware update. It's not cheap, but for people like me that spend a lot of time on the road and in the air, it's a life saver.
Hey Cash, how much do you pay for the internet Access a month?
Does anyone else know?
@sea urchin:
FYI, Archos doesn't charge for the Internet Access anymore. Another fine firmware upgrade :-P
This would be perfect if it had a TV tuner that worked with the new US digital signal, but in the USA it's too much to ask for to have a portable tv.
ATSC was never designed for mobile usage, which is why device manufacturers aren't making such devices.
From what I read on the Internets, they have one coming for North America around the Q3 time I tinks.
@ Erwos and for Patrick Joseph. Not 100% accurate, but who know about the quality of this thing. It's 16X9 with a built in ASTC tuner. Low res screen, but hey...
http://www.insignia-products.com/pc-235-14-insignia-7-portable-standard-definition-digital-lcd-tv.aspx
Get back to me when they support ad-hoc and bluetooth.
Why ad-hoc?
Archos has promised to present this year a new Archos 5 smartphone, produced together with Texas Instruments and running on the Android platform.
I'm still waiting, and probably I'm not the only one, I really hope that it will not become the next vaporware (nuviphone style)
you still have to pay $20 for the HD-plugin.
Still waiting for the GPS software they talked about when this thing first came out.
that was released with the 5/7 series and is also compatible with the 605
Check again - it doesn't actually work with it. Check user forums if you don't believe me.
Just bought a Archos 5 a couple days ago and love it. Fast at web browsing, awesome media player, and the screen is perfect in clarity and size. Only thing I don't like is the usb charger cable..wish it came with an AC charger instead. Overall, great product!
Welcome to the club of Archos fan frustration. I have A5 250GB and have already sent it in twice for some hardware job... at any rate, I haven't been using mine for some time now once I realized its limitations..
My A7 came with an AC charger...
Get the full featured iPod touch instead, it is more user friendly and runs OSX. It is also stylish as well and made out of aluminum and glass.
...and also requires iTunes. No thanks.
Archos 5 and 7 are geared towards people looking for a more advanced media player. The codec support and screen size/quality are amazing. Give it a look see. You may be surprised.
"Runs OSX"
Great so instead of that just being a marketing gimmick I can install and run any OSX software and application I like GREAT!
NO I can't which is why calling iPhone OS OSX is rubbish, iPhone OS is based on Tiger (PowerPC is much closer to ARM) and if it is in no way compatible with desktop OSX then why even talk about it ?
Don't really need HD support but what the Archos REALLY NEEDS is better flash support. There's so many site you can't access because they use Flash 10 where as the A5 and A7 only have some crappy Flash lite.
IKurt
The issue is the the may touch is 32gb.While archos 5 has 60gb/120/250gb while the 7 has 160gb/320gb.With the touch i do have one and i like it you really can not compare it with archos.
you're welcome engadget. courtesy of your friendly neiborhood hedgehog
[seriously. that was me :)]
iPod touch browser blows archie outta the water , n three is no denying it. Coupled with millions of docks available , archie will live a slow death here in USA, guardnteed. There is no pmp device out right now that can beat touch, remember engadgeters voted it best pmp. !!
what did I tell you. another ridiculous iphone comment and ill shank you.
*shanks shank*
*sigh* where's charbax when you need him
The Touch doesn't support nearly the same number of formats as Archos. Try again.
The Touch is good, but it's far from the best, I think Even the Zune could be better if Microsoft actually cared for it.
Apples needs to open up and start supporting more codecs, specially if they don't want competition surpassing them.
Shank, this isn't about a web browsing war. Most people that buy the Archos players get them for video. I have 55 movies currently on my Archos 5 WIFI. 4.3" touch screen goodness and ease of use.
Yes, it's true, there is no PMP out there that can touch the itouch's ease of use, absolutely beautiful OS, fluid web-browsing, and apps. But I think Archos is the closest any other player has gotten to the itouch in those respects, and it offers several advantages over the touch, like codec support, sceen size, and storage. I love the Archos 5, and I love the Ipod touch. In my opinion, they are evenly matched, but the Archos better suited my needs so that’s what I bought. however, know at least 10 people I see almost every day that have itouches and even more with Iphones, so I am pretty sure I have an unbiased opinion of the two. Everyone here needs to stop dissing one another and realize that each PMP has its advantages and disadvantages and get on with their lives.
Well said! Engadgeters need to learn there is a world outside of Apple.
you apple fanboys are hilarious. to you apple and mac are the shiznit so you shit on anyone else who begs to differ. get a life and a clue; not everyone likes apple products. get used to it. the ipod touch and iphone werent that good until they got jailbroken and ppl could add apps. you all shit about how apple has the app store and how anyone else who gets it is just copying apple. give me a break. cell phones have had their own apps stores since 7 years ago. i bet you freaks would even dare to say apple invented the wheel and sliced bread. pathetic.
Serge hates all Apple products because he lives in his mothers basement and can't afford them.
A little late on this, aren't you? This came out about a week and a half ago.
That is what I though BigD. I have (had - it is being returned on Monday) an Archos 7. Screen is amazing, storage is endless (320 GB) and the ability to use it as DVR is great; however, the interface is terrible. Web browsing is not nearly as good on the iphone/touch. I just wish the iphone/touch HD model with a big HD screen would come out already. By the way, iTunes is much, much better than Windows Media Player.
Drag n Drop or copy and Paste is much better than either itunes or WMP!
Apple itouch iphone are too restrictive, they cannot record TV, they dont support hardly any codecs, the screen is too small.
I cannot understand why so many apple fanboys think they are better than anything else.
I actually own an ipod, and although it is a nice product its not the ground breaking device that it is made out to be by the brainwashed out there that also believe mp3 is better than CD.
OK, Rant over.....
The hd plugin has actualy been out for maybe a week i think with the 1.6.03 firmware it was oddly just not "in stock".
make not "hi-def plugin" it doesnt come with the firmware, it just allows you to pay 20 bucks to get the hi def plugin, which basicly allows you to play MPEG-4 & WMV movies at no higher than 720 res.
even if i went through and converted all my hundreds of movies over to the specific specs they require for me to play back hi-def on my archos from xvid i have them in, i would still need to figure out why it resets every session i use it for no reason.
I got the hi-def plugin last nite, and kinda disappointed, it doesn't work.
I have a avi file that is 720p version of Finding Nemo, plays fine on computer but once i drop it in to Archos, it will play but will skips like hell.
The firmware update did me no good either, it made me do a scan disk from windows to fix supposedly hdd errors. Now I also get a message saying FAT file is corrupted.