Archos AV400 20 GB Video Player/Recorder and MP3 Player AV420

I just purchased this device a few days ago and I have to say I am very impressed. I had been thinking about this purchase for about 6 months, doing research weighing the pros and cons, etc. I finally deceided to take the plunge and I am glad I did. It does have a few drawback but the good far out weighs the bad. I won't bore you with the obvious stuff if you are looking at this device you already have a pretty good idea what it is all about. So I will just stick with the highligts and my thoughts.The Good StuffRecording VHS tapes are a snap no problems really at all quick and easy set up and you walk away and a few hours later, you have it.Playback is incredible, it is so clear it is almost easy to forget how small it is.The size, fits right in your shirt pocket. Can your portable DVD player do that?Music, just send it over create playlists and you are set. Protected music too. Just add the plug in.Pictures, again just send them over and start the slide show.The Not So Good Stuff.The Manual, I am pretty intuitive but even this manual left me stumped at times. But if you are patient and go over it a few times most things can be figured out pretty easily.The TV cradle and remote, I am still trying to figure out how to get the IR transmitter to work with my VCR after about 2 hours I deceided to try again later. You can still set up scheduled recordings you just have to leave your VCR on and on the channel you want to record, not the most ideal situation but workable.The WMP plug in, it doesn't say so but you have to download some stuff from the site and copy it to your ARCHO's then run the set up, after I figured that out it took no time at all.Overall this is a great device, the biggest knock most people have is the encoding and transcoding of movies (getting around the whole copyright thing). I am no fan of the number of restrictions that Hollywood and the music indrusty wants to force upon us. But that is not why I bought it. I want to record tv and vhs and dvd's and watch them on the Archos and for that it works just fine.One last thing on this whole coping DVD thing, one other nock I have heard is that to record a DVD you have to do it in real time. I hate to tell people this but to rip a DVD, it can take a few hours just to do that so the whole time issue is a moot point. DVD's take time.

As soon as the Apple iPod Video hit the market, reviews about it came flooding in. I don't own an MP3 player, and I have never used one. When I found that there was a device that could play video and was ultra portable, I knew I had to find out more. I read a NY Times review about the Apple ipod Video in comparison to its competitors. Brands mentioned were iRiver and Archos. I looked into both, but discovered that the Archos had better features and were better priced. Then, I landed with the Archos av420.Basically, this is a complex handheld device (approximately the size of a palm pilot) that has the ability to play movies (avi, divx, xvid, and others) record video files off the TV, VCR or DVD player, SCHEDULE recording sessions, (just like a portable Tivo!) store photos and data, PLAY MP3's. You can read all the perks above and take the product tour, which says all this, so I am going to discuss my reaction to the product.PROS: I could use this thing as soon as it came out of the box. Essentially, after charging the battery, you can plug it into your computer (PC or MAC through USB 2) and drag and drop files onto the device. It is THAT easy. Files copied very quickly, it took less than a minute to copy the movie "The Notebook" from my computer's hard drive onto the Archos av420. How do you get these files? You have two options: you can record movies from your TV, VCR or DVD's, or you can download files from the internet that you can play on the Archos, just like downloading MP3 files. The device has a crisp and clean screen, it is light and very sturdy feeling, and it COMES WITH headphones and all the various cables you'll need. I found it EASY to use and navigate, but be warned that recording takes time, as does copying DVD's.CONS: Too many cables. There are tons of different cables, the most annoying come from the dish that connects to the TV. Keep your cables organized, and you shouldn't have a problem.Besides that, this is an excellent product with a wide range of files available, unlike its competition, the Apple iPod Video. If you want something that can be used for portable video and music and photos, this is the gadget to get. I adored mine as soon as I got it plugged into my computer. I couldn't get over how nice the images were, and how EASY to use it really was. Literally, DRAG AND DROP. If you are confused by file formats or don't know how to download files, this is NOT the device for you. I was downloading movies and video files before I got this device, and now I can bring those files with me when I travel or go to work. It is much more convinient to use this than my personal DVD player, and takes up a 10th of the space in my backpack. Thank you technology!