some things I'd Like,


RELISTICLY:

- to be able to see folders in "video"

- the ability to choose whether to enable volume up/down when buttons are locked

- less time needed to be taken when pressing the off button - you have to keep your finger there for quite a while

- to be able to password protect folders

- when pausing a movie, to be able to save the current frame as a picture instead of just thumbnail/wallpaper

- to be able to save zoomed in pictures

- to be able to hear audio when fast forwarding trough audio/video

- to be able to delete files without going in to "browser"

- for bookmarks and top 20 most played to show up as on of the option things in "music", e.g you alredy have artist, album, playlist ect.

THINGS I'D REALLY LIKE:

- Don't even know if this is doable, but it would be really cool if you could have some visulasation, like in windows media player - that would be really cool, I find it quite mezmerizing.

- a video trimmer

- to be able to actually move/copy files from one folder to another instead of them all just going to the main menu where it is impossible to see them unless on a computer,

- the ability to edit idtag - I really really want that

- a photo editor

- a video editor

- Of course I'd like some games but I'm not expecting anything there, although the new ipod has pac man.........
:lol:

- bluetooth (ya right)

can they provide a better tech support ?
for usa!!
thanks

I would love to see an online presence. Even if it is slow-moving and without promises. It is just nice to know that they are aware of issues.

Perhaps they could take a volunteer to just lurk through the forums and occasionally post with a "We are aware of this issue and researching solutions"

As anyone who uses forums knows, 75% of the posts are from people who are out of their minds so it wouldn't have to be a big presence. They don't need to respond to every "HOW COME U DUN SUPPORT MPEG1000 FORMAT CRETYIVE DUZ AND U GUYS SUK" but just so we were aware they were still lurking.

Soft subtitle support of any kind would makes this play rise immensely in value for me. External .srt, vobsub, .ass or .ssa, .ttxt in mp4, MKV container support, any of them would be better than hardsubbing.

1. subtitle option for .vob

2. release or improvement of low volume issue

3. arc library-optional switch

4. color/contrast/hue controls

5. password protection for either folders or entire device upon boot-up

6. lossless codecs

how did it go mate?

About two weeks ago I sent to Archos support the following message, but got no reply:

I am considering to buy an Archos 504 for the following reason:
I own a Panasonic SDR-S100 video camera, which stores its video clips on an SD card of 2 Gb, in MPEG2 format. The video clips have an extension: ".MOD" (instead of ".MPG).
Because I shoot much more video than 2 Gb on vacation trips I need a device like the Archos 504 to store my clips on.
One reason to choose the Archos would be: support of the MPEG2 format.
About this support of the MPEG2 format I have some questions.
If you don't want to answer the first question, I am still interested in your answers to the other questions.

1: When will the module for MPEG2 format be available ?

2: Will the module be able to display files with the extension ".MOD" ? If yes I have no further questions.

3: If your answer to question nr. 2 is "no", will it be possible to rename the files, once they have been copied from the SD card into the Archos 504, in order to give them an extension ".MPG" (or whatever extension is required to display the video clip) ?

4: in case your answer to questions nr. 2 and 3 are both "no", is there any other way to display the video clips of the SDR camcorder in the Archos 504 ?

Please ask Archos to allow more volume on the 504. My only real gripe! Otherwise heaven.

Check out some of my report at http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?p=5610#5610 for the questions regarding the 604 Wi-Fi, which for some could be the same answers regarding the 504 and 604.. Here are a few more 504 and 604 specific reports of what I remember that the Archos representative R├â┬®mi Durand told me during my talk off camera with him for nearly an hour. Please keep in mind this is not the official direct answer to each question, that Archos can maybe still come by this forum and answer officially to some specific suggestions for firmware upgrades.

Screen quality: AV500 might be brighter than the 604 and 504 screen. Though screen quality is not only screen birghtness. The new generation has better colors, better viewing angles, better contrast, better sunlight visibillity. Among other aspects of the new screen which is better.

Screen settings: not a priority, most users just want to watch their videos with standard settings with the option to lower brightness for more battery, few users want to change color, hue, saturation and stuff like that.

Anamorphic widescreen recording: check your video source settings, might be that your video source is not true 16/9 rather 14/9 or something like that.

Archlibrary bug: you can delete temporary files in the settings and restart archlibrary and thumbnails generation from the beginning, which can sometimes fix some archlibrary getting stuck if you are processing too many broken or corrupt files..

I would disagree,the AV500 isn't brighter its just more balanced looking,maybe it is cause it has better contrast than the 04 series.

I agree with smallman. I won't get started on this topic, but if you want to know about it just read the thread I started:

http://forum.archosfans.com/viewtopic.php?t=1481

This is not an attempt to discourage anyone with buying an '04 series, by the way. It just baffled me that I hadn't read about these issues before on this and other forums, so that's why I started the thread...

to Charbax:
I don't know if you went to that meeting already, but I hope you adressed the no-colour/hue/contrast-settings availability someone pointed out in a previous post.

If Archos could "just" add that and "eliminate" the ghosting while they're at it, then I'd be one happy camper!

Regarding the screen, the contrast and brightness is most important. they should definitely make it possible to change these, especially the contrast, which can change the whole look of your pictures, video etc.

they should also make a plugin for loss-less...

hope they look at our suggestions

Check the http://archosfans.com frontpage for the video from the Archos headquarters if you haven't checked it out yet..

It's unfortunate Archos won't increase the Volume limitation - perhaps someone can find a hack for doing this.

Can someone clarify the answers to the problems associated with arclibrary and 16:9 recording. From what I could tell, it did not really get answered.

Quite! Either I'm going completely mad or they're misunderstanding - seriously, do they have anamorphic broadcasts in France? All their football still seems to be 4:3 when it's broadcast over here.

I'm wasn't going to jump in until I'd gone back and had another go at all the combinations of recording and playback formats, especially since I've now got the VOB plugin (not saying they're directly related but hoping they may have slipped something in seeing as most DVDs are anamorphic), but Archos support have told me directly that anamorphic isn't supported.

As a test (in UK), record BBC News 24 when your Sky/Freeview box is in 16:9 mode (not 4:3 LB) - if you can get it to fill the whole Archos screen without the top&bottom being cropped off - look at the clock in bottom left - then tell me how! I know the workaround when using source 4:3LB mode and setting record mode to 16:9 but that's not what I'm after.

I never did get to the bottom of whether the video processor used supported this.

I had a spare 10 mins so knocked up what I think is happening and what should be happening - as I said I haven't rechecked all this yet:



Correct me if anything here is wrong or you see different:
- An anamorphic broadcast is a widescreen (16:9) image squashed into a 4:3 frame (notice the space to the left of the clock and how the people are thin).
- Top left: on a widescreen TV you'd usually watch it with your source (e.g. Sky box) in 16:9 mode - the TV takes the squashed frame and stretches it horizontally when it receives the w/s flag/signal from the Sky box. All of the image is displayed and the people are the right size.
- Top right: people with 4:3 TVs can watch widescreen broadcasts in the correct aspect ratio by using 4:3 Letterbox mode - the box puts the widescreen image in a 4:3 frame - but you get black bars top/bottom of the TV.
- Bottom right: this is the workaround for how Archos say widescreen is supported - you set the source to 4:3 LB and set recording mode to 16:9. When the Archos renders this it does a horizontal AND vertical stretch of what you'd normally see in the top right to fill the widescreen display at the correct aspect ratio.
- Bottom left: this is what happens when you forget to set your Sky box to 4:3 LB mode - the Archos takes the 4:3 frame that contains the squashed widescreen image (as shown in the broadcast picture), assumes it's been recorded from a 4:3 LB source and does a horizontal+vertical stretch. Because there's no black bars to crop the actual image gets cropped - the people are the correct size BUT you lose a bit of the top & bottom.

I haven't found a combination of settings that will allow me to keep the source in 16:9 mode and display correctly on the Archos screen, without being cropped.

On the Yahoo group we discussed that it was probably unlikely the DVR station can detect and store the widescreen flag to do this automatically. BUT all it needs is a new view mode on the video player ('Anamorphic'?) that does only a x1.33 horizontal stretch. Unfortunately I don't know whether this can be done simply be setting the processor or it's a more complex software operation.

but that means when you are watching TV you get the bars or you have to reset the cable box?

Also the box on the top right is not 4:3 letterbox...Its 16:9 letterbox since the bars are horizontal. A 4:3 letter box is watching an older TV 4:3 style show on a 16:9 TV. That would put the bars on the left and right not top and bottom. yes?

Sorry...still confused and annoyed at archos, but i still love the device

Yes, that's the problem which I'd like Archos to address, and why they don't support widescreen properly until they support anamorphic IMO.


Not at home right now to check but I'm pretty sure the format you select on the box (at least on Sky) is called '4:3LB' but yes that means showing a 16:9 image correctly on a 4:3 TV*. Bars on the left/right is called pillarboxing: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillar_box_(film), where an older 4:3 recording is broadcast within an anamorphic 16:9 image so it shows correctly on 16:9 TVs and isn't stretched.


*If you display a 4:3LB on a 16:9 TV you'll probably get a stretched picture with black bars top/bottom so people look small vertically. Some TVs auto-detect the black bars and stretch it back out so you may end up with something that's just about right, but it'll only be using ~70% of the frame so is a lower quality image