Digital Cameras & Digital Photography

Richard Runion asked:


The Archos 604 multi-media player is available in two variants, 30GB and WiFi. Apart from the WiFi web access capability of the latter, the two players have common features. Therefore, I will discuss the WiFi model in this article.

The true test of a multi-media player is in its capacity to do all of several things.

So, in deciding whether this is a good product, let me first consider whether it is versatile enough. This device plays digital audio and video content, apart from displaying digital photos, on its built-in LCD screen. You can also display its visual content on a bigger television screen, or play its audio content on your home and car stereo players.

It is also a digital video recorder, has WiFi capability, and can perform many other functions when it is used with various accessories.

You can use it to record from television and other devices, and store and play back recorded content, in standard popular formats, either on its inbuilt screen, or on your TV.

Using the recording adapter the Archos 604 is able to record in MPEG-4, from various sources, including cable, satellite and DVD. MPEG-4, MP4, WMV9 play backs are possible, as well as WMV file formats. But MPEG-2 isn’t possible. H.264 and MPEG-2 files can be played on the Archos 604 WiFi model if one downloads plugins

Storage in MPEG-4 video compressed format is allowed by the memory of the Archos 604 which amounts in effect to more than a hundred hours of recorded video stored.

This player has the ability to access the internet, easily and quickly. Moreover, it can get audio and video files, with good processing speed, from the Internet, using the Opera web browser. It also has an adobe reader.

This device employs a docking station for digital recording. It has connections which allow it to play audio on your car audio system. It comes with a special docking station that you can use on the go, during a trip. A special helmet transforms the player into a camcorder useable with a digicam. Its other features include several headphones for WiFi use, a GUI, with a context-sensitive menu, an audio playback screen, a photo thumbnail page, and a TV scheduler.

The player has a scratch-resistant brushed metal casing, a 4.3 inch LCD screen, and a battery with a life of 18 hours, including 4 hours of video. The battery is removable. On the downside, the screen is a bit small, especially if you want to read web files. You may need to buy an external memory device to augment the 30GB memory. The player does not support some popular video formats, such as MPeG2. It comes with very few free accessories. It does not have backlit buttons. This will cause problems when you wish to operate it in the dark.

However, when you weigh the positives of this player against these negatives, it is a real winner, especially as its price is relatively low, for the value it delivers.

JR Lang asked:


The recording media for digital camcorders is one of the most important features that concern a camcorder consumer. There are several formats currently available, including, DVD, MiniDV, MicroMV, Flash Drive, Digital 8, VHS and Hard Disk.

There was a time when hard disk was referred to only in terms of computers. These days, hard disk also applies to digital camcorders, and has become one of the best recording formats for several reasons.

Hard Disk Drive digital camcorders are compact and record in MPEG-2 video that are saved to a built-in internal hard disk drive within the camcorder. The video is saved to the internal hard disc within the camcorder and then downloaded to a computer and burnt onto to a DVD.

The Super Qualities of the Hard Disk Camcorder

1. The biggest upside of this type of camcorder, versus other media formats, is the ability of storing huge amounts of video data by using compression. Models with a 30GB internal hard drive can record up to 7 hours of quality video or up to 37.5 hours of footage in extended recording mode. Models with a 20GB hard drive can record up to 5 hours of DVD-quality video or up to 25 hours of extended recording in economy mode. To put this into storage capacity, it would take 22 DVD type camcorder storage disks to hold 7 hours of video.

And, this is on going recording, without having to stop and replace the media, that is very convenient for recording extended footage, like plays, concerts or ballgames. Hard disk camcorders also provide quick random access to scenes for ease of operation.

2. Recording quality of most brands of hard disk camcorders is very high quality and yield a superb DVD quality video.

3. Fast transfer and saving of footage to a computer. Hard disk camcorders transfer recorded video from the camcorder to computer via USB cable and that enables a 10 minute transfer time for each 60 minutes of footage.

4. The hard disk camcorder has no moving parts and so there is less chance of mechanical breakdown.

5. Hard disk camcorders tend to be smaller and more compact than other media types of camcorders.

The first hard disk camcorders were introduced by JVC in 2005, and named the Everio series and there are currently 8 models in the JVC Everio hard disk series.

Today, there are several other manufacturers of these types of camcorders, including, Sony, who offers 9 different models of hard disk camcorders and Panasonic who offers 12 models.

The prices of hard disk camcorders vary, depending on the manufacturer, generally they range from $249 up to $1400 retail, with the ground breaker, JVC Everio series falling in the mid $400 range.