Questions About The Archos Av500 100gb Player

[mastershake]

Here is my situation: my last mp3 player was an iaudio x5, and i loved it, however it was recently stolen, so im looking for a new media device.  I have decided that i could put out enough money to get the 100 gig version of the archos av500, but i have a few questions about it before i commit to this investment.  sorry if these have already been answered, or if they seem stupid, but i want to hear teh answers from real people who have used the device, not company specs because those seem to always be wrong.

1. are there any major problems with this player that i am overlooking, or any big flaws with it?

2. is the software easy to use, or do you have to go through a huge process for video conversions? (like with the x5)

3. is the picture quality really as sharp and good as they say, and is the contrast good, even at a slight angle?

4. is the backlight sufficient with lots of ambient light?

5. Should i buy an extra battery, or is there some sort of charger that can hold regulr AA batteries?

6. How is the battery life for music/movies

7. is the tv recording quality good? i have heard about it cutting off the heads of people, is there anyway around that? and does it do that for movies as well?

8. can movies play subtitles?

9. are there dead pixel problems out of the box, like with psps?

10. what is the best case to get?

11.  are there any similar players that you would recommend over this one, or any that are coming out soon that i should wait for?

12. how much room does the average 2 hour movie take up, after conversions?

I know thats a lot of questions, but im the kind of person who makes sure they know exactly what they are buying beforehand, especially for something this expensive.

thanks for the help


*Edit:
I almost forgot, is there gapless playback? for playing a whole cd, does it pause between songs, or if a movie is too big for one file, does it pause while loading the next video file, or does it play smooth like a normal movie?

[tripdad]

1. are there any major problems with this player that i am overlooking, or any big flaws with it?
Have not experienced any major issues.  i have noticed some delayed responses with the buttons, but not major.  I would like to see some firmware upgrades such as the ability to play music while viewing slideshows.

2. is the software easy to use, or do you have to go through a huge process for video conversions? (like with the x5)
I went through a big learning curve, but have the process down.  See other post from me.

3. is the picture quality really as sharp and good as they say, and is the contrast good, even at a slight angle?
I am very happy with quality of the screen.  Very nice!

4. is the backlight sufficient with lots of ambient light?
Does not do well on a sunny day, but don't think that is it's intention.  Works great in most well lit rooms.

5. Should i buy an extra battery, or is there some sort of charger that can hold regulr AA batteries?
Depends.  Video playback is 3 hours and music 10 hours.  If your doing longer flights for example, then yes.  I saw a battery back gizmo at http://www.newmp3technology.com/products.php?cat=42

6. How is the battery life for music/movies
Spec says 10/3 respectively.  Have yet to challenge it as I normally have AC available.

7. is the tv recording quality good? i have heard about it cutting off the heads of people, is there anyway around that? and does it do that for movies as well?
It is good.  You have different settings you can change that will cause issues as you indicate.  

8. can movies play subtitles?
Never tried it.  I could experiment.  Tu parles francais?

9. are there dead pixel problems out of the box, like with psps?
NBot that I have heard or experienced.

10. what is the best case to get?
I use the case that came with it.  I saw another at the link I provided earlier that i may get, but the one provided is sufficient.

11.  are there any similar players that you would recommend over this one, or any that are coming out soon that i should wait for?
Apple is coming out with a new iPod this Fall (I hear) that is similar in size to the AV500 with a touch screen.  Will probably be more expensive.

12. how much room does the average 2 hour movie take up, after conversions?
Walk The Line is 2 hrs 15 minutes 47 seconds.  I ripped this in two files that are 1.75 gb combined.  This is the highest quality setting for my software - Mobile Clone DVD.  Why two files? - Read the other posts.
Saw - 1 hr 43 minutes 9 seconds - 865 mb - this was ripped in one file using the same software at medium quality and then required translation with Archos software due to the length (long story).  Bottom line is you can get very high quality if you sacrfice the HD space.  At 100 gb there is plenty of space.


*Edit:
I almost forgot, is there gapless playback? for playing a whole cd, does it pause between songs, or if a movie is too big for one file, does it pause while loading the next video file, or does it play smooth like a normal movie?

I haven't figured out gapless playback - that would be nice.  It is a complaint I have with my nano as well.  I generally shuffle anyway.
Movies play smooth - it's not like they are downloading from the web.  For the movies I split into 2 or more files I create folders and place all the parts in the folder.  You can select an option to play videos sequentially within a folder.  This way part 2 opens immediately after part 1 finishes.

PM me if you have more specific questions.  My advice - Get one!  

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[mastershake]

thanks for answering my questions, and i definetly know this is the player for me.  One more question about video conversion:

what do i need to do to format videos for the av500?

I ripped a dvd using dvddecrypter, and i want to start fromatting all of my dvds for the av500.  I know this has probably been discussed 1000 times, but i want to know the program, and the procedures i need to do to make it work.  If anyone could just even give me a link to another thread or forum that shows how to do this i would be happy.

thanks

*Edit (again)  I just got a few more questions that i forgot to ask, even though my archos is in teh mail, so this really has no affect on whether or not i buy it, just curiosity.

1. What is the downside to recording movies straight from the tv and avoiding the whole process of ripping/converting/syncing?

2.  If you record a movie from your dvd player, will it automatically stop recording at the end of the dvd, or do you have to be there?

3. Does it have direct encoding.  I know that this was a feature on the x5, where you could plug it into say, a record player, and record teh record straight onto the device.

4.  Just one last little question.  can you edit names of files directly on the player, or do you need to hook it up to a computer to change song/movie names?

I know im asking a lot of questions, so thanks if you take the time to read and answer them.

[tripdad]

what do i need to do to format videos for the av500?
Read the thread titled " Archos 700 Video Playback Problems, Archos 700 video playback problems" this explains the process I use.


1. What is the downside to recording movies straight from the tv and avoiding the whole process of ripping/converting/syncing?
Time

2.  If you record a movie from your dvd player, will it automatically stop recording at the end of the dvd, or do you have to be there?
I assume you are talking about DVR versus ripping...You can program in duration.  It will end automatically.

3. Does it have direct encoding.  I know that this was a feature on the x5, where you could plug it into say, a record player, and record teh record straight onto the device.
It has an Audio Recorder feature.

4.  Just one last little question.  can you edit names of files directly on the player, or do you need to hook it up to a computer to change song/movie names?
Yes, but it is more cumbersome then using the PC.

I know im asking a lot of questions, so thanks if you take the time to read and answer them.
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[mastershake]

thanks for all your help! cant wait for it to get here now...

[tripdad]

Enjoy it!  I really like mine.  I have an iPod Nano as well, but I like the idea of having several songs available anywhere.  I have about 20 CDs remaining to to rip in my collection and I will have over 7,000 songs to chose from whenever.  I also have many of my music videos ripped as well.

Technology is great!

Tim