What's the skinny on the Archos Gmini400?

[Superbaldguy]

I've been looking for a DAP that has quality photo storage/display capabilities, and this one looks pretty good. The specs don't mention output and my email to Archos didn't answer that question.

Link for specs: http://www.archos.com/products/overv...ech_specs.html

Anyone have extensive experience with Archos players/

 

[Mr Iriver]

The resolution is 640 X 400. Very high resolution for it's size. Seriously very good resolution. For pictures and video it is very good, and the size is about as big as an h320, or 2G ipod.

 

[ChaoticBob]

Actually the resolution of the screen is 220 x 176, 640 x 400 is the maximum resolution mpeg4 it can play. Anyway, I just got one of these and the picture viewing isn't anything to write home about. Small pictures look fine, but high res ones look a little washed out and pixellated, also the zooming is rather counter-intuitive. However it doesn't look that bad and the compact flash dumping is very quick and easy. You can also display the photos on a tv, but it doesn't look that good.

Anyway, I'd recommend the gmini400 if viewing photos isn't your primary concern, if it is most of the dedicated photo dumps are better in my experience.

 

[chino9334]

Well if it helps, I have a friend who has an Archos AV420. The screen resolution for that player is great. It feels solid and well built. And viewing TV shows is fabulous.

 

[Superbaldguy]

After posting this inquiry, I did run across some comments about the viewing screen, and many were not overly impressed - how would it compare to the screen on the iRiver H320, another strong contender on my list?

 

[Mr Iriver]

I find Irivers screen to look clearer. the H320 is also better as an audio player, but as a photo video player, the archos kills it. On the iriver I find the photos to look clearer, but you have to resize them so that they fill the whole screen. Without resizing they'll won't fill the screen and will look very small. As for video the H320 is not bad, but compared to the archos, the archos plays better, and at a smoother frame pace. So for audio, the Iriver, for pictures and video the archos. Like I said I find Irivers screen clearer, but is the need for picture resizing them (on the iRIver) that makes the archos better for pictures. If you are willing to take the time to resize the pictures, the iRiver is then a great (maybe better choice) choice, especially considering it's great sound, and equalizer settings.

 

[philodox]

Mr Iriver - How is the H320 a better audio player?

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox Mr Iriver - How is the H320 a better audio player?

Sound quality is better on the iRiver (this may differ from person to person depending on the type of sound they prefer). The archos has a colored midrange. The iRiver also supports more audio formats (OGG) and it's equalizer settings and equalizer is great. The iRiver also gives you more control of the audio files, and when organized well faster scrolling.

 

[philodox]

Cool... It would be interesting to compare the gmini400 to my av320. I don't find the midrange coloured on my av320, and after comparing it to the iPod and the Zen I would say that the archos DAP wins for sound quality.

OGG isnt a big selling point for me... I mean half the reason for going with MP3 is compatibility. If I'm going to loose that I would want to at least step up the sound quality and go lossless.

I think that any player with directory based browsing gives you ultimate control of your audio files as you get to sort them exactly how you want. My Wife loves the ID3 sorting on her iPod though, so this is definately a personal thing.

Does this iRiver model have a digital out? Personally that is a huge thing for me, especially when you want to hook your DAP up to a hi-fi system or build a portable hi-fi system.

Superbaldguy - I know that the av3xx series is quite a bit bigger, but it may be worth considering as it is around the same price point as the gmini400 and the iriver player now since it is out of production.

 

[Superbaldguy]

So, you have to resize images with the H320 - what a pain that would be!

I wonder about the new iAudio X5 and if that might be the ticket for a DAP.....Thanks for all the useful information, so far.

 

[Mr Iriver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by philodox a.......OGG isnt a big selling point for me... I mean half the reason for going with MP3 is compatibility. If I'm going to loose that I would want to at least step up the sound quality and go lossless. b. .......Does this iRiver model have a digital out? Personally that is a huge thing for me, especially when you want to hook your DAP up to a hi-fi system or build a portable hi-fi system. c. .......Superbaldguy - I know that the av3xx series is quite a bit bigger, but it may be worth considering as it is around the same price point as the gmini400 and the iriver player now since it is out of production.

a. OGG is in my opinion a step up in sound quality, when compared to mp3 at the same bitrates at least, however it also kills the battery much faster. At the very high bitrates 256+ I find it very hard to tell the difference between the two though.

b. Unfortunately, it has no optical out.

c. Those archos video players are really nice. ... Iriver comfirmed that the H300 series are not out of production/discontinued.

 

[Superbaldguy]

For exclusive photo viewing, this looks tough to beat: http://www.nikon.ca/products/coolwalker-msv-01/

I guess it's hard to have everything.

 

[Superbaldguy]

I just found a favourable review on the Gmini400: http://reviews.cnet.com/Archos_Gmini...-31000735.html

Seems to be able to do a multitude of tasks quite well.

 

[YamiTenshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Iriver c. Those archos video players are really nice. ... Iriver comfirmed that the H300 series are not out of production/discontinued.

I think he was refering to the Archos av3xx.

 

[Mr Iriver]

So, you have to resize images with the H320 - what a pain that would be!

you don't really have to resize (most) images, unless they are not compatible. The problem is that without resizing, some images will be made smaller, and that way they won't fill up the screen. Another thing if you don't resize them is that depending on the file size it may take longer for them to load. On the other hand if you do resize those images for a perfect use of the iriver hardware, they'll load quickly and they'll look great on the screen. Another thing is you can't view pictures on the H320 while playing music. My point is you don't really need to resize them, but resizing the pictures, makes them load faster, and makes them look better on the screen.

For exclusive picture viewing, I think olympus made one with a huge screen, that even takes pictures. That may also be a good choice, if picture viewing is a must. It has no video though.

I think he was referring to the Archos AV3xx.

I was reffering to the archos AV3xx.