Archos 704 WiFi Media Player

[Rob Williams]

In midst of the media player war, Archos has released their 704 with includes WiFi support and includes a large 7" screen. Among a few of the included features is video support, music listening, web browsing, network sharing, photo viewing and more.

You can read the full review here and discuss it here.

The headphone jack on the left side of the device doubles as AV-Out, so you can connect the Archos 704 to a TV without the DVR station. I do it all the time.

Oh, I forgot to mention that the USB Host port isn't just for digital cameras (as stated in the review). It's also great for thumb drives, external hard drives, other Archos PMPs, and most UMS-compliant gadgets. You can copy content through the "Browse" option. Handy when there isn't a computer or WiFi access nearby.

I use the Host port to charge some my MP3 players too. You can't listen to music while surfing the Web on the 704-WiFi, so a separate music device is essential if you don't like to surf in silence.

[Matt Serrano]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

The headphone jack on the left side of the device doubles as AV-Out, so you can connect the Archos 704 to a TV without the DVR station. I do it all the time.

I wasn't aware of that. I'll see if I can test it, but my original complaint still stands - not having the ability to record seems a little foolish.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Oh, I forgot to mention that the USB Host port isn't just for digital cameras (as stated in the review). It's also great for thumb drives, external hard drives, other Archos PMPs, and most UMS-compliant gadgets. You can copy content through the "Browse" option. Handy when there isn't a computer or WiFi access nearby.

I use the Host port to charge some my MP3 players too. You can't listen to music while surfing the Web on the 704-WiFi, so a separate music device is essential if you don't like to surf in silence.

That's true. Any USB On-The-Go supported device will work, including USB external hard drives. But at that point, I'd rather carry around a laptop.

Previous models form Archos used FAT32 which splits up movies or high quality into multiple files. Does 704 support NTFS?

can anybody out there give me the bottom line on this: is the Archos 704 WiFi compatible with the Dish Network DVR?

If the Archos 704 WiFi unit could hold 96 Khz/24 bit word-length audio, I think it would sell a lot better. I would think the 80 gig unit could hold a lot of even that material. Very specifically, Dr. Mark Waldrep is now selling his great www.aixrecords.com DVD-A content on the web at www.itrax.com. The software does not exist to easily burn that content to discs. Minitonka DVD-A authoring software cuts off at 44 Khz if you are burning 5.1 channel material, e.g. I just want to be able to download the lossless audio from the itrax site, carry the device out to my great-room, and run it with a USB or ethernet cable into my receiver. About the only way to download 5.1 channel lossless audio right now is with Niveus and other home media servers that start at $3,200. Hey Archos- make it so it can hold lossless audio in 5.1 channels, please.