Chbax please ask them if they can add a feature to shuffle pictures and shuffle music. Would also like to be able to search for a specific video,song or photo.

You could also ask them if any newer models of the 604 wifi will be coming out shortly with larger harddrives ( I'm hoping for a 80 GB model)

Thanks Kerry

Following are some of the answers I got off camera which I remember from talking with the nice Archos representatives. Please keep in mind this is not the official replys to the questions, this is just what I can approximately remember. For some questions the Archos representative could not give exact replys so maybe sometimes I am adding some things that Archos doesn't really mean to say. I'd say that if you think some point here are a real problem, or that you really think it should be of higher priority for the firmware development, then please insist on this forum, but also you should always think of Archos being a relatively small company growing rapidly and that they have to decide upon priorities what to spend their valuable development time on. So really think in terms of which features are the most useful for the most people, and sometimes consider you might not even yourself really need some of the features you are suggesting.

- Volume: It is EU law and is becomming international law that analog volume output may not be over a certain decibel output. In USA some stores can be sued by consumers if the volume is unlocked to be higher than regulation. You probably cannot buy other devices with louder volume today, if you can, then those products are eigther illegal in EU, will become illegal in USA or could be means for law suit in USA. It has nothing to do with children or adults law, it's regulation to protect everyone from ear damage. For my experience with the fourth generation, I don't think the volume is too low, I use it at a little bit more than half volume and is fine for me even with Archos own low quality headphones. Sometimes I don't like that I have to up the volume to the max when using tv-out, but that can also depend on the quality of the external device. Normally analog audio-out to TVs or to car stereos should not be at maximum volume to have less distortion and best quality audio. Anyways I suggest that if you find volume to be a problem, try to insist in the forum, but also investigate volume of other devices sold in the EU and in mass market electronics stores in the USA, and check what exactly is the law, and if there has been court cases in the USA about volume limitations. Archos does not want to brake the law and does not want to be sued, nor do they want their resellers to be sued. And it would be bad for Archos image if some kids get their ears damaged because they listen to hours of south park or japanese cartoons with too loud volume.

- USB keyboard: currently not a priority, but could be added in firmware. Personally I am hoping for this for soon, cause I'd like to be able to type emails, chats and forum posts quickly using a foldable usb keyboard.

- Bluetooth dongle: could happen, not confirmed. bluetooth to gprs, 3g or 3.5g could be useful but is not widespread yet and data packages are not very user friendly everywhere. Stereo bluetooth headphones are quite expensive, and battery powered bluetooth keyboard can be inconvenient because of the battery.

- Ad-Hoc: not a priority since users can transfer more easilly using a usb cable and the docking adapter. Thus Archos does not believe much in the Zune wireless filesharing thing. Downloading and Streaming multimedia content is more what Archos is focusing primarilly on.

- NTFS: they are trying, but it is not easy, there is licensing with Microsoft that needs to be put in place. Maybe if it requires a licencing fee this feature could come as a plugin.

- Javascript in browser: not confirmed, might not be priority for the browser

- Flash in the browser: just wait and see (hehe) not confirmed yet officially. Still negociating licensing deal with adobe because using flash in a browser on a consumer electronics device is not free.

- Video Streaming: to be confirmed. hardware should support that. But when launching from the browser the hardware might not have enough memory to support it, depending on the format of the video and the way it might be embedded in the webpages. A different interface might become available. I'm hoping for typing in an IP adress for my home movie collection server, and with 1-2mbit/s at my home in upload I hope to be able to stream the DivX videos to any wi-fi hotspot where I connect with my 604 Wi-Fi worldwide. This feature is not confirmed yet. It can work, but Archos does not want to confirm it before it is for sure going to be added. I hope that when a DivX file link is clicked on, or a DivX browser plugin embed is detected in the browser, that the DivX video can progressively download and playback just like streaming, that the browser might have to go into somekind of sleep mode to let the complete memory and processor power available for video decoding and streaming over unstable packet transfer which video streaming sometimes can be depending on quality of the Wi-Fi connection, and of the broadband connection. The same I am hoping could work at some point for streaming or even progressive downloading wmv, quicktime, h264 and even mpeg. Though this is not confirmed totally yet.

- Remote control: could work on the proprietary port. Archos does not confirm this yet.

- 16/9 recording cropping issue: support for this is maybe something to do with how you configure your satellite box or receiver. Hasn't someone solved this on certain setups here in the forum?

- Video podcast downloader: not demonstrated yet, but I think this feature has been mentionned in previous press releases so wait and see.

- Voip: the 604 Wi-Fi is more of a multimedia device than a pda. Though if certain partnership comes into place, it could happen. If you really want Google Talk and skype, I suggest you contact Google and skype and ask if they could contact Archos to work with them to do a port of their client if they aren't already, just as they did for the Nokia 770.

- Source code: not everything about Linux has to be open source. The PMA430 firmware has just been released under GPL as open source, and http://openpma.org are soon going to release a new open source firmware that enables any zaurus software to be installed among other things.

- PDA functionality: The 604 Wi-Fi is though of as a usefull device for the mass market. With priority put on multimedia features and with a strategy thinking about which features are the most important for most people to use in real situations. Archos thinks that people less need to synchronise their calendar than they need to check the cinema schedule or watch some video. It does not mean features like word processor, usb keyboard support is not going to happen, it is just not the priority for now.

- Video streaming from slingbox, orb, amd live, sony tv anywhere: Archos is thinking about it, cannot confirm if or when this kind of feature can be added. Features like this are very very compicated to integrate, so before Archos can make any promises they want to make sure that they can make it work and release the update to make it work safely for as many users as possible.

- Flac, Ape, Ogg: Even though those are free codecs, users using those codecs are a minority, so priority for these codecs to be added is lower. It is not certain eigther if those codecs are legal for commercial distribution of music. Since they might be constrained by some patents for commercial use in terms of decoding, encoding and distribution, just like XviD is. Those are probably legal for personal use but might have some patent stuff in their way for using commercially in a consumer electronics product and to promote the distribution of content in those formats.

- 16/9 televisions in France: most are actually physically 14/9 and those televisions are actually cropping the video feed themselves. It might be something to do with configuration of your video source if you want to be able to capture uncropped full 16/9.


I've got the 604 Wi-Fi now, and I must say it is great, very thin, I will post some video review of it soon. I have filmed a 7 minute interview with the Archos representative R├â┬®mi Durand at the Archos headquarters which I am now encoding and which I will post on http://archosfans.com later tonight in high definition and in other formats.

I have posted a little more reports over at the 504 and 604 thread here: http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?p=5618#5618

Concerning FLAC, I have some very good news for Archos :



:)

Did they say anything about subtitles?

Are you sure flac doesn't use any other companies patent in the way their codec works. Same with ogg.

About subtitles they told me it can not be confirmed.

Argh, im to slow, was about to ask that aswell. Yea yea, ill watch your video as soon as it goes online, but for now, GREAT WORK CHB

maybe losseless isn't that important because it supports 320 kbps but being able to configure the contrast of the screen is a must have. bluetooth and a usb keyboard would be cool too.

you should most definately make a video interview.

How small is the company?

Here is flac's licence faq page :

http://flac.sourceforge.net/license.html

Hopefully they will give us some new features soon.

Thanks for at least passing on our wishes, even though Archos won't promise anything...

I must say, however, that Archos is really missing the boat if they don't think swapping songs wirelessly "Ad Hoc" is not a big deal. It is the ONLY selling point of the Zune and a feature I personally think would be really cool to be able to stream music from another person's 604 or transfer songs without having to physically connect the 2 machines. Think of on an airplane or train or in a car...

I really hope they reconsider that one as I think they're going to be compared continuously to the Zune and if they can implement that feature (which should be relatively easy) they can kick that POS out of the water, since the limitation with Zune is 3 days only for each transferred song, and you can't stream a song from another player with Zune.

That's what I think.

Posted the video on the http://archosfans.com front-page.

I will add a video review of the 604 Wi-Fi soon, also comparing screen quality with the 504 using high definition video close-ups and testing lots of stuff on the 604 Wi-Fi.

It seems some javascripts work, for example it seems some parts of http://segovideo.com seem to work, so I need to figure out which kind of javascript does not work and which kind does.

That sucks. This is why we should all be fighting software patents.
http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/fighting-software-patents.html

Anyway, it still seems like a lame excuse since other companies like Cowon, iRiver, Meizu, Samsung etc. all support one or both of ogg and flac. You mean to tell me that Samsung would have ogg codecs on their pmp's if their lawyers were at all worried about ogg infringing on someone's patent?

If that's the real reason they aren't adding support for these codecs then I really think they need to get better lawyers. I think it's more likely they just can't be bothered. Or if you'd like a conspiracy theory - maybe it's pressure from Microsoft in exchange for providing the plays-for-sure crap or maybe that NTFS support.

What happened to all the questions you were supposed to ask? I didnt learn anything new from this video.

What about higher volume output? or javascripst or flash on the Opera browser? Browsing while listening to music???

Charbax, sorry to say but you are a lousy interviewer. It sounded like you were scared or nervous to ask questions.

Most questions were answered off camera and you can read the answers earlier in this thread on page 1

Charbax

Great job! I appreciate your efforts on behalf of the Archos community (hopefully you'll disregard some of the mindless folks above). I think that Archos is trying a bit harder to please the audience with their latest products and part of the reason for this, I'm sure, is your diligence. The 604WiFi rocks as is, and can only get better.

Nice job Charbax - looking forward also to your 604 WiFi video review, although I have to confess I now have mine pre-ordered!

Hey! Who's the scary guy in the background - R├â┬®mi's bodyguard? :shock:

The FLAC thing sounds like ARCHOS being 'confused' by the whole open source software debate thing. There are companies who claim that certain open source software might infringe on their intellectual property. Specifically the biggest debate is that Linux itself might infringe on some people's intellectual property. Companies which have claimed this are most notably SCO and Microsoft. However no evidence whatsoever has ever been presented in this regard - and it was later shown that Microsoft was one of the biggest backers behind the SCO anti-Linux campaign too.

However at no time ever period without exception has FLAC, or ogg or any of the many other free open source software codecs EVER been a part of this debate - and indeed they were designed SPECIFICALLY as a means of bypassing this debate and providing a free fully legal and patent free way to playback music. FLAC and OGG codecs contain NO STOLEN, NO Patented and no otherwise licencing infringing code whatsoever - and for Archos to imply that it does is grossly misleading.

Moreover while not all Linux related code needs to be open source, that part (no matter how small - even if it is just a single line of code) that is covered by the GPL needs to be released and made available to the public. I don't care if it's just the kernel or whatever it is they have used - they need to release it, otherwise they are in open breach of the GPL.

In any case it is bizarre that ARCHOS would make these claims about Open Source software, because the biggest debate (even though that too is entirely bogus) surrounds Linux itself - which they clearly have no problems whatsoever in using. So they can't claim they are concerned about possible patent infringement and then use the very thing that the majority of these claims have been made against. It is simply nonsensical for them to do this.

It seems to me they just fobbed you off with any old answer, because they couldn't be bothered thinking up a real one.

AWESOME JOB CHARBAX...

Please ignore the negative comments from people that don't appreciate your effort and diligence in getting us closer with Archos and getting some answers to our main questions. This is all time consuming and let me tell you that I really appreciate all the work put into this. I'm pretty sure that you've have had more answers if the interview would have lasted longer; however, I certainly agree with the yours & Archos strategy of prioritazing requests & how that will translate to the consumer benefits for the wider audience.

Guys, it is not a fair comparison when someone says Archos does not support FLAC or ogg (etc.) as other products do (i.e. Samsung); well the other products cannot do many other functions that Archos does.

Let's be fair and objective, this is not a laptop, it is a PMP (entertainment device). Archos is a great product AS IS and the fact that they are thinking/working on other features like Flash support or Video streaming says a lot about Archos which to me they CARE about their CUSTOMERS. We know that ARCHOS will just get better and better. Archos has been a pioneer on this PMP market and it definetly has the best product in the market. I'm a proud owner of Archos products.

Again, great job Charbax, looking forward for your updates !!

Of course we appreciate Charbax. This is after all his forum. But I don't think rampant fanboyism really helps anything. Maybe (probably) the interview he had just wasn't sufficient to ask or answer all of the questions everyone had. I certainly never had any of mine answered with respect to a possible DVB-T TV attachment, or a consumer orientated, camera attachment - or any kind of docking system designed for car use.

I am also a passionate advocate of open source software - and frankly when people spread disinformation or FUD about this, it really annoys me.

So Charbax is perfectly welcome to ignore anything I have said, since it isn't directed at him - but nonetheless I hope Archos do not.

I will personally be happy to write a letter to them explaining in detail exactly why FLAC and OGG (and various other codecs) do not infringe on anyone's patents or IP - and why exactly these codecs were originally conceived as a way of ensuring that no one's patents were infringed - by providing a patent and IP free means to both record and play back music - and also why saying that they might be in some way infringing is a totally backwards way to look at things. Put bluntly they were specifically designed for the express purpose of NOT being infringing - so implying that they are is just silly and nonsensical.

I don't mind so much if they never include them. It would be nice - but lying about why they don't include them is just plumb pointless.

Thanks for the video interview Charbax.

Im not sure if there were realy any questions answered and it was obvious that they restricted what questions they allowed you to ask on film but either way i realy apreciate your efforts.

Did you happen to ask them about gps off camera at all? I would realy like to know thier plan with implementing gps since they show navigation functionality in thier road map video. I hope it will be an accesory for this generation of players.