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Archos Jukebox Multimedia Reviewed

Posted by timothy on from the do-everything dept.

An anonymous reader points to Richard Menta's review of the Archos Jukebox Multimedia (mentioned in this earlier Slashdot posting). Here's a snippet from the review: "Right now my wife and I are watching an old episode of a TV show no longer broadcast in our area or available tape. How are we watching it? We are playing it off of a 9oz. MP3 player -- where I have digitally stored the episode -- hooked up to the small TV in our room and inconspicuously placed on top."

13 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. In other news by Junky191 · · Score: 5, Funny

    A fleet of rabid attack lawyers has been dispatched to the area regarding an alleged copyright infrigement. No comment on whether prosecutors will seek the death penalty.

  2. Picture Quality? by sssmashy · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Sounds great, but what kind of resolution are we talking about here? I wouldn't want to see fuzzy, pixellated video writ large on my TV screen, whether it comes from my VCR or a tiny MP3 player

    1. Re:Picture Quality? by rco3 · · Score: 5, Informative

      The picture quality is MOST DEFINITELY not full DVD quality. See this: Archos's website. It's limited to "MPEG4 video compatible with DivX? (CIF format - 352x288 pixels, 25 frames/sec.)".

      Thanks, but no thanks. The reviewer mentions some pixelization - I think I know why! :-)

      Rob

      --

      Ce n'est pas un vrai mouvement de robot!
  3. U == TEH THEIF! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Right now my wife and I are watching an old episode of a TV show no longer broadcast in our area or available tape. How are we watching it? We are playing it off of a 9oz. MP3 player -- where I have digitally stored the episode -- hooked up to the small TV in our room and inconspicuously placed on top.

    Hey, tell us about the time you robbed a liquour store too. "Because, shucks, that brand of booze wasn't available in my area, so, gee, I decided to STEAL SOME."

    Take your copyrite infringmeent tools elsewhere, pirate. Good thing oyu didn't say what show it was or the feds'll be no-knocking your ass in no time flat!

    I know what you're saying, as you nervously look down at your shoes and sweat: but officer, we watched the commercials, and it was such an old show....

    DOESN'T MATTER! You're in possession of a device that can fAST FORWARD over commercials! Even if you never push the fast forwrd button, it means you're a criminal, just like the DC sniper, who's taken EIGHT INNOCENT LIVES already!

    WHEN WILL YOU THEIVES LEARN?

  4. VCR's by asv108 · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Right now the Music, Film and TV industries are trying to push a bill in congress that would make it illegal to use digital recorders the same way we use our VCRs. They have decided that the Supreme Court's Betamax ruling (that says taping you favorite TV shows for later viewing does not constitute copyright infringement) shouldn't apply to digital recorders.

    How the hell would the Supreme courts decision regarding taping TV shows not apply to digital recorders? Does the MPAA expect there to be Supreme Court case for every format that comes out? There Supreme court would spend 1/2 its time dealing with formats: (S-VHS, DAT, MPG, Quicktime, etc.) IANAL, but I would imagine the previous decision covers the act of recording a show for later personal use and is not related to what format or media it is recorded on.

  5. your wife ... by s20451 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Right now my wife and I are watching an old episode of a TV show no longer broadcast in our area or available tape. How are we watching it?

    What does your wife think of you submitting a story to Slashdot while allegedly wating TV with her?

    "No, honey I do not love that computer more than you." Please, please don't ask about the laptop ...

    --
    Toronto-area transit rider? Rate your ride.
  6. 20gig? by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 5, Funny
    Make it 80 gigs, add some TiVo software with a bluetooth basestation attached to the cable box, and this can record shows whenever it's laying around the house.

    To dream a little further, integrate an iPod and Palm OS, add a build in projector, make it float in the tub and usable in the shower (pr0n?).

  7. CIF Resolution. by Grendel+Drago · · Score: 5, Informative

    Umm. Unless you have a really nice TV, it's only displaying 352x240 NTSC or 352x288 PAL. The quality is the same as a VHS tape---if there's "pixelization", the reviewer probably means the blocking artifacts that DivX has at too-low bitrates.

    --grendel drago

    --
    Laws do not persuade just because they threaten. --Seneca
    1. Re:CIF Resolution. by rco3 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Does nice mean newer than 1940's?

      The NTSC format is, as I'm sure you're aware, 525 vertical lines. An average TV shows around 480 of those. Depending on quality, an average 19" TV probably is capable of better than 500 lines of horizontal resolution - the current version of my JVC 27" is capable of over 600 lines of horizontal resolution. Depending on how the signal gets to your TV, you may (OK, will) get lower effective resolution... but the source is what we're discussing here, isn't it?

      I've worked as a truck engineer in television production for the last 7 years, and regardless of what the local cable company may do to my signal you may rest assured that it's appreciably nicer than 352x240 when it goes up on the bird.

      Seriously. 352x240 on my home TV? If you've got $400 to spend on an Archos Jukebox, you aren't watching an 8" B&W portable.

      --

      Ce n'est pas un vrai mouvement de robot!
    2. Re:CIF Resolution. by sambo99 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      I own an archos mm, and about a week ago I gave up on watching movies using the archos. It just involves way too many steps, and the quality is not perfect.

      1. First you have to source the movie
      2. Then you have to convert it to a divx avi. not any divx will do, it has to have the exact divx format supported by the ajmm. archos recommend using virtualdub. virtualdub does not remember your last settings so you have to reload the settings from a file.
      3. occasionally you get audio syncage issues - to get a video right it may take a few encodes.
      4. if the picture is too big it will not work
      5. transferring a movie into the ajmm over usb 1 takes quite a while, I have still not got the usb 2.0 cable. and have not bothered chasing archos about it, yet.

      So what do I do? If there is a movie I want to watch on my tv, I will drag it into nero and burn to vcd. works almost every time on my dvd player.

      I use my ajmm to listen to music, sound quality is perfect, provided you throw the headphones archos bundles in the bin, and buy new ones.

      I use my ajmm as a file taxi, if i need to take any large files to my friends place. the ajmm requires no driver installation under windows xp. that is fantastic.

      I will be using my ajmm to download pictures from my sony memory stick while traveling. Have tested the whole process and it appears to be working (*the dsc-f707 has the option of saving a thumbnail with normal shots - watching large res pictures on the archos is painful cause rendering is too slow - so ill be using that option)

      I love my ajmm, with all its quirks. and no other device out there can play mp3s perfectly and copy files from my memory stick directly.

      --
      - Sam
  8. From the betamax ruling: by therealmoose · · Score: 4, Informative
    In summary, the record and findings of the District Court lead us to two conclusions. First, Sony demonstrated a significant likelihood that substantial numbers of copyright holders who license their works for broadcast on free television would not object to having their broadcasts time- shifted by private viewers. And second, respondents failed to demonstrate that time-shifting would cause any likelihood of nonminimal harm to the potential market for, or the value of, their copyrighted works. The Betamax is, therefore, capable of substantial noninfringing uses. Sony's sale of such equipment to the general public does not constitute contributory infringement of respondents' copyrights.

    This doesn't seem to restrict based upon the type of the device very much.

  9. finally by Nihilanth · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This unit has been availible for a while, i'm glad to see it finally getting the attention it deserves. I got kinda sick of pulling out my archos at a party, only to be asked if it was an ipod. UGH! I've used two incarnations of the archos jukebox, most recently the video capable described in the article, but if that's a bit too expensive for you, there's a 20GB MP3 player made by archos for only around 240-250 (i originally got mine for 300ish with shipping, but that was a while ago), and a 10GB MP3 player/recorder for around the same price range (they even cary these at radioshack, if you want to play with one before paying for it).

    The thought i'd like to leave you with is...buy one before they are outlawed! buy two! This may be the second-to-last, third-to-last, heck, maybe even last wave of these devices without DRM built in. Enjoy it while it lasts.

  10. Re:USB 1.1 by XaXXon · · Score: 4, Informative

    err, did you read the article beyond the first paragraph? It SHIPS with a 1.1 cable, but it supports USB2.0 *AND* IEEE1394.

    Please read *carefully* before posting.

    Thank you and have a nice day.