Product Reviews

The Archos AV320 Video Recorder takes the MP3 jukebox concept and adds the facility to record and play back MPEG-4 video. It's not the first device from Archos to have the ability to do this, but it is the first to have been designed from the ground up with watching video in mind.

The first thing you'll notice about the AV320 and its siblings - the AV300 and AV340 - is the LCD screen. At 3.8in, it covers virtually the whole of one face of the device, leaving just enough room for five small buttons and a tiny joystick controller. It has a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels and is similar in size to a handheld television.

At the AV320's heart is a 20Gb hard drive, and it's the hard drive capacity that differentiates it from the AV300 and AV340, which have 10Gb and 40Gb drives respectively.

In addition to the ability to record video in MPEG-4 Simple Format via an included add-on video unit, the AV320 can receive video from an optional video camera attachment, record and playback MP3 files, and also be used to play photographic slideshows. Video recordings can be made from any source, including a television tuner or digital box. The AV320 can also be set to record up to five clips at preset times. Audio can be recorded via a built-in microphone or through a mini jack line in, and is output via a headphone mini jack as there's no loudspeaker.

Underneath the Archos

The AV320 is not small, but at 60mm x 54mm x 30mm and 45g it's still very portable, although you'll want to carry it in a bag rather than a pocket. Navigating your way around the control system is fairly straightforward thanks to the graphical menu system, although at times this does look a little too much like Windows Media Player for our taste. Our main criticisms are that there's no way of locking the controls, and the joystick is easily knocked when it is being carried around. This results in the MP3 player skipping to the next track or to sudden changes in volume.

When connected via the supplied USB 2.0 cable, the AV320 mounts as a volume on the Mac's desktop, provided you're using either Mac OS 9.x or Mac OS X 10.2. MP3 files can then be copied by dragging and dropping songs into the correct folder on the device. There's also an iTunes plug-in included on the software CD, which should allow the AV320 to show up as a device in iTunes' Library. However,

The fact that the Mac doesn't support USB 2 means that file transfer is limited to USB 1.1 speeds, so filling up the 20Gb hard drive is a long and slow process. However, there is a proprietary FireWire cable available.

Using the device as an MP3 player, or to view video and still image files, is mostly straightforward, if a little clunky. However, recording video is more complicated. The manual doesn't cover this area at all and we had to visit Archos' Web site to find the necessary documentation. Connecting a video source requires two cables, both of which are included, one phono-to-phono for video and one mini jack-to-phono for audio. However, once connected the procedure is reasonably straightforward.

Sound advice

The playback quality of MP3 files is as good as anything we've heard, while video playback is also impressive. The quality of the MPEG-4 codec means that the AV320 can be attached to a larger output, say a television screen, and the quality of the recording is still as good as a regular VHS recording.

Battery life will depend on the functions and attachments you're using, but the large bright LCD screen consumes lots of power, so you'll want to make sure that the battery is fully charged before you set off on a journey. The battery is recharged via the device's DC in port.

This is the first device of its kind and is certain to create excitement in the run up to Christmas. Archos deserves credit for cramming so many functions into a relatively small box, and the playback quality of video, images and audio is excellent. However, not for the first time with an Archos product, we must criticise the Mac support. The inclusion of an iTunes plug-in is a definite step forward, but the fact that it doesn't work with iTunes 4 renders it next to useless for most OS X users. The fact that Mac users must source their own video codec is also disappointing. Overall, the manual is patchy and leaves almost as many questions as it answers.

None of this would matter greatly if the AV320 was a budget unit, but it's not. At £470, this is a serious investment for something that is, after all, an entertainment device. We wonder who will pay that much to carry recorded video around with them. Whoever does deserves a great deal more support than they'll find in the manual.

The Archos AV320 Video Recorder is a good first attempt at a portable media player and recorder, and for those who take the plunge, it'll provide hours of entertainment. But the price will have to drop considerably, and the level of support increase, before we can recommend it unreservedly.