Hi guys,
Forgive me if someone already posted about this, but I didn't see it mentioned...but then again I stopped reading after page two as my temples started to throb. <JK>
Anyway, With all the successful Arcdisk usage, I decided to try the ARCHOS AV320 (20GB) video player to see if it would work. Well, I tried and it worked perfectly. I could access the drive and see all the files. Now I didn't do much more (yet) becuase this was only HALF my project. The othber half was taking the 20GB drive out of the AV320 and putting an 80GB drive in....as per these instructions:
http://shanebrinkmandavis.com/homepage/Arc...HowToHDSwap.htmNow the Archos is not a small (or light) beast, but with 80 GB storage and the fact that it comes with the JBM PVR100 (for recording off any av output to MPEG-4) I thought it was a worthwhile companion to my 6000L.....Of course the Z can play movies and MP3, but encoding a movie is a 4 to 6 hour process, whereas with the archos, it is only as long as the show you want to record, be it a DVD or a TV sitcom.
Now there is a NEWER Archos (the AV420), but the 20GB version has a very small footprint harddrive and is NOT (at this time) upgradable to 80GB, not too mention that there is/was a DIVX 5.0 codec issue that I don't know if it has been resolved.
The AV320 is discontinued, but some places like CompUPlus.com have them for about $350, which is alot unless you plan to buy more than one arcdisk, in which case, you're getting pretty close. As for the 80GB hard drive, DELL sells a nice Toshiba Slimline drive that is what I am using (Approx $120, if you wait for a deal). Remember you can sell the old 20GB for cash to offset a small portion of the cost.
Now does it work? Well, unfortunately I am still formatting the 80GB drive thru the Archos, so I will have to come back and update. It's taking forever, so I may restart the format or let it run overnight.
UPDATE: I reformatted using a desktop PC and copied the files over from the old drive to the new 80GB drive and then reflashed ARCHOS firmware. IT WORKED MUCH FASTER. (This is noted as an alternative solution, but after restarting format and being 5% done in 6 hours, I decided to try the PC way, insteaad of using the ARCHOS for format. Obviously the Archos does a rreal low level format). Anyway, so far so good, the 6000L mounts the Archos and see the full 80GB. Still need to put some files on it (at a breezy USB2.0 speeds I might add. )Anyways, I would think it everything should work quite well, since it is only a different hard drive and all the USB comminication stuff is the same (siince it is the same mobo).
More updates to come....Please let me know if there is anything in particular you want me to try. I should mention that this ONLY works when both devices are ON, which means that the drain on the 6000L battery should be minimal.
Here's a picture of the Archos AV320:
Also, the specs say the AV320 battery is internal and non-user-replacable...this is total BS, there is a single screw holding battery in and replacements cost $29 at LaptopsForLess.com
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