[mikeinmontreal]

Hey folks, I have an Archos 604 Wifi that I paid $300 for brand new from a local ad in mid-May. These go for about $400, but you have certain deals at BB and FS some weeks where they will throw the DVR station in. I have to say that so far I am impressed; it's a bit of a brick; though smaller than the PSP. Has a nice 4.3-inch touchscreen with a decent refresh rate (very little ghosting as compared to the PSP), WIFI, 30GB HDD, user-replaceable battery, comes with a case and 2 sytli and audio/video streaming from your PC to your TV/Home Theatre. Never got the streaming down from my iMac G5, but since I bought the Intel iMac this week, I tried it using XP a la Boot Camp, and voila, I was able to stream video from my PC to my Archos. All I need is the $10 A/V cable, and I can stream to any TV. I believe the max. resolution is 720x480 and it plays Divx/Xvid flawlessly. And with the DVR station, you can record from TV directly to the unit. Might be a good buy in the meantime for those waiting for the next generation iPod. There are better deals to come on this unit as the 605 series will be selling soon. Juste mes deux cents!

 

[mikeinmontreal]

I don't think any of those will play. Maybe the newer generation 605 will. Check the Archos website or the ArchosFan forums and you will get more info on capabilities. I use it exclusively for video. And now with the streaming, it is like having a mini Apple TV. I'd wait until the 605s come out; either you get one of those, a 604 at a discounted price (they are already $100 lower than a month ago and sometimes you get a good deal on a sale from BB or FS) or until the new iPod comes out to compare specs and features (and that may only be in January at MacWorld). And remember that the new 605s have 800x400 resolution but WIfi is an extra you pay for. And check that the battery is replaceable.

 

[mikeinmontreal]

Hey Unleashed, I am now able to stream from my Mac and from Windows XP using Parallels. So basically, I will be streaming from my Mac from now on and leaving Windows closed . I think the DVR station/base is a must as it has good outputs to TV, charges the battery and you can record to the unit also. Cheers!