Archos 1796949 225436554 2008-07-13T18:10:54Z 99.243.193.169 /* Other */ {{refimprove|date=April 2008}} {{Infobox Company | name = ARCHOS | logo = [[Image:Archlogo1.png|center|220px|Archos Logo]] | type = [[Public company|Public]] EPA:JXR | genre = | foundation = [[October 4]] [[1988]] | founder = Henri Crohas | location_city = [[Igny]] | location_country = [[France]] | location = | locations = 8 office locations (2008) | area_served = worldwide | key_people = Henri Crohas, executive chairman | industry = [[Consumer electronics]] | products = [[Portable Media Player]]s<br />[[Hard disk]]s<br />[[Personal digital assistant|PDA]] | services = | market cap = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = Over 200, as of 2007 | parent = | divisions = | subsid = | homepage = [http://www.archos.com/ www.archos.com] | footnotes = | intl = }} '''Archos''' ({{pronEng|ˈɑrkoʊs}}) is a French [[consumer electronics]] company that was established in [[1988]] by Henri Crohas. Archos manufactures [[portable media player]]s and [[Data storage device|portable storage devices]]. The name is an [[anagram]] of Crohas' last name, and it is also [[Greek language|Greek]] for 'master' (''αρχος''). The company's slogan has been updated from ''Think Smaller'' to ''On The Go'' and the now-current ''Entertainment ''your'' way''. Archos has developed a variety of products, including [[digital audio player]]s, PVPs (portable video players), [[USB flash drive]]s, [[Hard disk drive|portable hard drives]], [[digital video recorder]]s, and a [[personal digital assistant]]. == Upcoming == Speculation over a 6th generation player started when Archos began a partnership with French based SFR to build a [[HSDPA|3G+]] device <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/13/archos-teams-with-sfr-in-france-for-building-3g-into-upcoming-p/|title=Archos teams with SFR}}</ref>. It continued when details and unofficial mock-ups of the device spread in March <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.4254|title=Is Archos making an iPhone competitor?}}</ref>. In July, Archos announced the holding of an event on the 10th, no details were given but it is speculated that a new device will be revealed as it is roughly a year following the announcement of Generation 5. == Current products == === Archos TV+ === {{Main article|Archos TV+}} The Archos TV+ is a standalone [[Digital Video Recorder]] station from Archos and is performs similarly to an Archos player with a DVR dock. It will also include the new [[Qwerty]] remote for navigation and internet use. The device was announced alongside the Generation 5 players and is presented as competition to the [[Apple TV]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.archos.com/corporate/press/ces2008.html|title=Press Room - Live News From CES|publisher=Archos|accessdate=2008-04-20}}</ref>. The Archos TV+ was released in January after some initial reviews from the 2008 [[Consumer Electronics Show]]. === Generation 5 === {{Main article|Archos Generation 5}} [[Image:Archos 605 wifi.jpg|thumb|right|Archos 605 WiFi]] Officially announced on June 14th, 2007, Archos released details of the new flagship 605 WiFi, as well as announcing the 105, 405, and 705 players. The 605 Wifi and 405 officially went on sale on September 1 2007. The 605Wifi comes in 30GB, 80GB, and 160GB models as well as a 4GB model with an added [[Secure Digital card#SDHC|SDHC]] slot. The 405 comes in 2GB with SDHC slot. A 30GB version was later added. The 105 is to be designed with some video capabilities but still mainly targeted as a small and affordable MP3 player. The 705 uses a similar design to the 704 with a slimmer profile and new 5th Gen features. The main upgrade in this series is the addition of the Archos content portals (ACP). Also the Opera web-browser became optional but added support for Adobe Flash mainly for the purpose of online video streaming. === Generation 4 === {{Main article|Archos Generation 4}} [[Image:Archos604.jpg|thumb|right|Archos 604]] The Generation 4 series is an upgrade to the previous AV Series. The 8 models include the 404, the 504, the 604 WiFi, and the 704 WiFi. All players in this series are [[Microsoft PlaysForSure]] compatible. Archos employed a philosophy of producing a modular player, making the standard 04 unit base price cheaper with the option of adding on additional features for additional costs. Using the DVR Station or the DVR Travel Adapter, each unit can record from TV and other standard video sources (DVD players, satellite systems and cable boxes among others). The DVR Station and DVR Travel Adapter are not included with the 04 units and must be purchased separately. Not all [[video codec]]s work right out of the box. Each unit is capable of playing [[MPEG-2]]/[[VOB]] videos with [[AC3|Dolby 5.1 Sound (AC3)]] sound and [[MPEG-4 AVC|H.264]] videos with [[Advanced Audio Coding|AAC]] sound, however separate [[plugin]]s must be purchased to unlock these capabilities. == Discontinued products == === PMA400 === {{Main article|Archos PMA400}} [[Image:OpenPMA-0.2-booting.jpg|thumb|right|Archos PMA400 booting [http://www.openpma.org/wiki/openPMA:Giraffe open''PMA'' 0.2 Giraffe]]] The PMA400 is a [[Personal digital assistant|PDA]] (Personal Digital Assistant) with a hard disk drive, audio and video playback, and recording capabilities. It was released on Thursday [[May 26]], [[2005]], and weighs 280 g. The PMA400 was the most expensive within the line of products that they supplied. The product runs on the [[Qtopia]] Embedded operating system. === AV series === {{Main article|Archos AV series}} [[Image:Arcav340.jpg|thumb|right|An Archos AV340 Portable Video Player/Recorder]] The AV300 was released Monday [[March 22]], [[2004]], and weighs 12.3 ounces (350&nbsp;g). The optional AVCam 300 turns the device into a digital camera and camcorder, with other selective addons available such as an FM radio remote control (which also enables radio recording) and a memory card reader. The battery life of the device is stated at 3 and a half hours when watching video or 10 hours when listening to music. The AV400 runs the same software as AV300, the camera has been removed and a [[CompactFlash]] card slot has been built directly into the product. Image preview slides and [[Digital Rights Management|DRM]] WMA support, as well as [[Windows Media Video|WMV]] access are also included. The AV500 came just before the PMA400 was released; there was a name conflict within the models. The PMA400 was scheduled to be released as the AV500. Ultimately, the name went to a new model of [[Digital Video Recorder]] (DVR). The Archos AV500 is similar to the GMini 500, but it has extra facilities (video recording and the new ''AV Pod''). With the release of the AV700, Archos changed the company slogan from "Think Smaller" to "On The Go". In 2006, Archos developed the TV-Edition from the AV700, the AV700TV. === Gmini series === {{Main article|Archos Gmini series}} [[Image:Archos Gmini XS 202s.JPG|thumb|right|Archos Gmini XS 202s.]] Gmini 400 was introduced in October 2004. It has a color [[Liquid crystal display|LCD screen]] as well as [[digital photo|photo]], audio and video playback capacities. The Gmini 402 replaced the Gmini 400 featuring [[PlaysForSure]] compatibility. The Gmini 402 Camcorder was later introduced which includes a 1.2MP ([[Megapixel]]) digital camera, and has video recording capabilities, with up to a 2x digital zoom. The player also holds 3 [[Display resolution|resolution]] modes, which enables users to choose size over quality, as well as recording directly into [[MPEG4]] in VGA resolution. Just after the release of the AV500, the Archos Gmini 500 was released. It also has full support for [[Windows Media]]'s [[PlaysForSure]] system which allows users to play DRM restricted music. The Gmini 120 cannot play [[Digital rights management|DRM]]-protected [[Windows Media Audio|WMA]] files, and was also released as Archos Gmini SP. There is also an optional [[FM radio]] attachment available for this player so users can play and record directly from FM radio. The Gmini XS 100 group of players features a 1.5" screen, and full [[PlaysForSure]] capabilities. The Gmini XS 200 has a [[monochrome]] screen that supports [[gapless playback]]. It was replaced by the Gmini XS 204, which adds a color screen and image viewing capabilities. === Jukebox series === {{Main article|Archos Jukebox series}} [[Image:Archos multimedia mp3.jpg|thumb|right|Archos Jukebox Multimedia]] [[Image:Jukeboxrecorder2b.jpg|thumb|right|Archos Recorder 20]] The Archos Jukebox 6000 was one of Archos' first portable media players, containing a 6 GB hard drive. This player is only MP3 compatible, and was bundled with [[Musicmatch Jukebox]] to allow users to rip their music collection onto the jukebox. The Jukebox Studio succeeded the Jukebox 6000. The Archos Jukebox Recorder was similar to the Player/Studio models, but featured recording capabilities. The Archos Jukebox Multimedia is the first official [[portable media player]], which enabled users to upload from a camera attachment.{{what}} It also featured an audio and video player, an image viewer, and appropriate AV cables included. The player also has the ability to record audio from a line-in source straight into MP3 format. The player features a 10 or 20 GB hard drive and uses [[DivX]] [[MPEG4]] format for video recording and playback. === Early players === *'''FM Recorder''' Similar to the Recorder model, but featured a Li-Ion battery, an FM tuner and a slightly different case. 60 grams less weight. *'''Recorder v2''' Similar to the FM Recorder model, but featured no FM tuner (some of the earliest V2 models did in fact feature an FM tuner although it was not advertised nor used by the original firmware). *'''Ondio SP''' A flash-based MP3-player with bit-mapped 112x64 LCD. It is powered by three AAA-cells and features an MMC expansion slot and 128MB of internal memory. It is the smallest MP3 player in the Archos lineup. [[Rockbox]] is supported on the Ondio devices. *'''Ondio FM''' Similar to the Ondio SP model but also features an FM tuner and recording capabilities. == Portable Storage Devices == Though PVPs are their primary market, Archos has also released a number of different portable storage devices over the years. Their latests devices are the ArcDisk series from 2005. {| class="wikitable" <!-- style="font-size: smaller; text-align: center; width: 100%; table-layout: fixed;" --> |- !style="width:13%"|Model !style="width:11%"|Capacity !style="width:40%"|Main features !style="width:9%"|Connection !style="width:9%"|AC Adapter !style="width:9%"|Weight !style="width:9%"|Release |- !ArcDisk |20,40GB | |USB 2.0 |Optional |96g |[[May 17]], [[2005]] |- !ArcDisk 4 GB |4GB | |USB 2.0 |No |40g |[[May 13, 2005]] |- !MiniHD |20GB |20GB storage drive at release |USB 2.0 |Optional |180g |[[June 4]], [[2002]] |- !QDisk |40,60,80,100, 120,160,250GB |Uses a laptop hard drive amd comes in various sizes |USB 2.0 |Yes |780g | [[Sept 17]], [[2002]] |- !ArcFire Zip |100,250MB |Uses [[Iomega Zip drive|Zip Disks]] |FireWire |No |55g |[[Nov 9]] [[2000]] |- !FireHD |20,40GB |[[Hot swapping|Hot swappable]] |FireWire |Yes |750g |[[Oct 17]], [[2000]] |- !ArcFlash |128MB |an early [[USB Flash Drive]] |USB 1.1 |No |14g |[[Sept 5]], [[2000]] |- |} *'''ArcDisk 4 GB''' A 4 Gigabyte portable USB disk drive which provides [[data]] transfer to personal computers. The device plugs into the computer's USB socket and will be recognized as a "Mass Storage Device", enabling the user to transfer data to and from the unit and the computer. The USB plug is retractable to the unit and neatly folds down to the disk to prevent protruding edges and possible damage. The device is [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Apple Macintosh]] and [[Linux]] compatible. *'''ArcDisk''' Comes in 2 capacities: 20 GB and 40 GB, and has a [[USB]] 2.0 interface. The unit does not require a power supply, and is fully compatible with Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh and Linux. == Partnerships == === Content Portals === Released along with the Generation 5 and Archos TV+ devices in 2007, the Archos Content Portal (ACP) provides video on demand purchase or rental directly to the internet enabled devices. However, there is no PC based software for the service such as [[iTunes]]. A major difference from similar services is that given "portals" are serviced by different distributors, such as [[CinemaNow]] in North America. Archos has numerous ACP partners worldwide but they vary by region === MoovyPlay === In the summer of 2007 French-based Cinebank announced MoovyPlay. The device runs on a [[kiosk]] to harddrive rental service with Archos building the 40GB player. The Drive attaches to a Dock similar to those seen in Archos players and connects to a Video Display. The device was launched in France in [[December 10]], [[2007]] with initial success. It is currently expected to move to other markets in [[2008]]. === PocketDish === [[DISH Network Corporation]], which owns 19% of Archos since 2005, sold Archos PVPs under the PocketDish brand. There were three versions, the AV700E (AV700), AV500 (AV500), and the AV402E (Gmini 402). While the original products are no longer available, on [[December 18]] 2007 Dish Network released info on a new similar deal with the current generation 605 WiFi and 705 WiFi, allowing high speed transfers to the devices from their current HD receivers. Unlike with the original PocketDish, the products will not be sold a Dish rebranding, instead the software plug-in was made available for free for the two products. They are expected to be sold alongside Dish products in January.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://biz.yahoo.com/iw/071217/0340852.html| title=ARCHOS Portable Media Players to Connect With DISH Network}}</ref> In 2008 Dish Network's PocketDish page was updated to show the new service and products. Recently, Dish Network changed their anti-piracy software on their DVRs to disable transfer of HBO and Cinemax programing. The software glitch causes the transfer process to hang and will not move the programs rendering it impossible to watch HBO or Cinemax programs on your PocketDish.{{fact|date=January 2008}} === Other === *'''American Airlines''' In May 2007, [[American Airlines]] revealed plans of offering modified Archos 604 and 704s to first-class passengers for entertainment during their flight. *'''Opera''' [[Opera Software]] has provided the web browser for Archos devices since the PMA400. They are a version of [[Opera (web browser)|Opera]] for Devices similar to that seen on the [[Wii]] video game console and the [[Nokia N800]] Internet appliance.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.opera.com/products/devices/ | title= Opera for Devices}} </ref> On Generation 5 devices [[Adobe Flash]] support was added. An update to full Flash 9 support was announced in April 2008 from the current Flash 7. *'''SFR''' In late 2007, [[SFR]], a French mobile phone company, announced to be building a new device with Archos that ulitizes [[3G]] communication. It is rumored to be released as a sixth-generation player. Information about the device was revealed on July 10, 2008. A NDA is in place until August 2008. == See also == * [[List of European companies]] * [[Portable media player]] == External links == *[http://www.archos.com/ Archos official homepage] *[http://www.archoslounge.net/ Archos unofficial Forum (french)] == References == {{reflist}} {{CAC Small 90}} [[Category:Portable audio player manufacturers]] [[Category:Digital audio players]] [[Category:Portable media players]] [[Category:Companies of France]] [[Category:Brands]] [[Category:French brands]] [[Category:Consumer electronics brands]] [[de:Archos]] [[fr:Archos]] [[it:Archos]] [[nl:Archos]] [[pl:Archos]] [[tr:Archos]]