Archos Jukebox Multimedia: The Video Walkman – THG.RU

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Introduction

Archos specializes in portable storage, in particular, MP3 players with hard drives. We had a preview of them at the last CeBIT trade show in Hanover, Germany, but this is the real thing – Archos has just leapt a little technological barrier by offering a genuine hand-held device for digital video! The Jukebox Multimedia has a hard drive as well as a color LCD 237 x 234-pixel display screen. In addition to its video formats, Archos has invested in the future by choosing the MPEG 4 format, of which the most faithful emissary is none other than the DivX codec. In this article, we’ll explain how it works and how to use this portable video player and its very exciting features.

From the design point of view, Archos has chosen to retain the profile of its previous MP3 players. So what you have is a small, metallic case with plastic reinforcements at the corners, a little bit like a shockproof watch. It is the depth of a pack of cigarettes, and one and a half times longer and wider. At 293 grams (just over 10 ounces), including the battery, it weighs almost the same as the Creative Labs Jukebox (which we reviewed here), which makes it easy to carry in a pocket. It is a pity that the styling is rather poor. The chrome-plated plastic navigation buttons and visible screws are tawdry, but what is worse is that the two halves of the case do not fit together completely and hermetically, leaving plenty of room for dust to get inside. Also, on either side of the front of the LCD screen, there are two rather large slits (presumably for ventilation), whcih are unprotected by wire mesh, for instance, so it’s not exactly a device that you’d want to take with you to the beach.

A Genuine External Hard Drive

One of the advantages of the Archos readers compared to those from Creative Labs is that they are treated as a logical drive as soon as they are connected to a PC. All you have to do is attach the Jukebox Multimedia to the computer and power it up for it to be automatically recognized as an external hard drive, and the operating system will allocate a logical drive letter to it. This means that the 10 GB Jukebox Multimedia drives are directly accessible by the user for storing any type of file. This is true if you are running Windows 95 and 98, as long as the drivers supplied with the device are installed, but you won’t even need to do this if you are running it under Windows 2000 or Windows XP. This is not only ergonomically sound, but it adds functionality because the player/ viewer can essentially be used as a portable hard drive that can be connected quickly to any PC.

Video Player Use

In addition to being an MP3 player, the Jukebox Multimedia is primarily a video player. It can play any video as long as it is encoded in MPEG-4 Simple Profile at a maximum resolution of the CIF 352×288 type. This limitation is understandable, due to the power restrictions of the device for calculating and decoding, as well as the small screen size. So with Jukebox Multimedia, you couldn’t possibly directly transfer a DivX film downloaded from the Internet, for example.

If you want to use such a film, you will first have to re-encode it in a suitable format that is readable by the Jukebox Multimedia. For this purpose, Archos supplies a simplified encoding module called an MPEG4 Translator on CD, but this requires the prior installation of free VirtualDub software (not supplied). It is very easy to use and, among other things, makes it possible to adjust the bitrate to improve quality or free up disk space. If you just want to watch a film on the LCD screen, then it is better to prioritize disk space because the improvement in quality is very slight when operating at more than 650 Kbits/s. On the other hand, if the video is being played on a television monitor, it is preferable to increase the bitrate above 1200 Kbits/s, if only to compensate for the low resolution (352×288). Downloading through the USB 1.1 port is quite slow; the speed we recorded was 800 KB/s. This means that it takes all of two minutes to download 100 MB.

The quality of the color display on the LCD is simply astonishing. The image is extremely sharp and the colors quite true. When the encoding is correct, there are few instances of slowing or of mosaic effects. If you use headphones, the soundtrack of a film is even more impressive. This is a genuine mobile video player. When traveling, especially on public transportation (such as train or plane), the user may have a slight problem, however. To get the full benefit of the LCD screen you need to be sitting right in front of it and quite close to it. To do this, you would either have to balance it on your lap and look down, or hold the Jukebox Multimedia in your hand. In both cases, this is an uncomfortable position to maintain if you want to watch a video that is more than 20 minutes long.

A Very Practical Video Output

Jukebox Multimedia really shows what it is made of when its audio and video outputs are used for watching a film on a TV screen. It is compatible with PAL and NTSC formats. All you need to do is connect the supplied S-Video cable to the two elements and hold the “On” button down for five seconds. The display will then be downloaded to the external monitor. So the Archos can be used as a portable video player. Taking a film over to show friends will be child’s play. The resolution is not too good, and the quality is not outstanding, but if a film is encoded at the right speed, the quality will be equal to that of a video CD, which is perfectly acceptable and very creditable. Note that when you switch to the video output, the LCD screen is deactivated. All the menus and functionalities are then displayed on the TV monitor and there is a slightly improved battery life. The only drawback with the Jukebox Multimedia is that, unlike Creative Labs’ Jukebox 3, it has no infrared remote control.

Audio Features

Archos’ Jukebox Multimedia plays audio as well as video files. It only recognizes the MP3 format, but it does recognize the format in all its variations – constant bitrate (CBR) from 32 through 320 kbps, and variable bitrate (VBR). The more recent formats, such as WMA and AAC, are not supported. File transfer is performed under Windows via Explorer, and an infinite number of directories can be created for each album. Once a CD is loaded, you just need to select the “Music” tab on start-up to access the albums. The sound quality through the mini-jack output is very good, as is it through the headphones supplied with it. The volume can be turned up quite high, and this is practical in noisy environments. It is unfortunate, however, that the headset doesn’t have a longer cable (you can’t put your Jukebox in the bottom of a backpack, for instance), and the remote controls are far too basic (only the volume is adjustable by remote). During continuous play of audio files, battery life was observed to be 7 hours and 47 minutes, which is close to the 8 hours claimed by the manufacturer. The Jukebox Multimedia’s greatest drawback with regards to playing MP3 is that it does not have a built-in search engine. This makes it quite inconvenient to use if you have a large number of albums. Fortunately, it is possible to store playlists, but that is not necessarily enough.

The Jukebox Multimedia does make up for this slight drawback, thanks to its recording function. It can record and encode directly into MP3 via its line input in mini-jack format or through the built-in microphone on the front of the box. The mini-jack input can be configured in either analog or digital mode, but you will need to buy a coaxial adapter for the mini-jack separately because it isn’t included in the package. Sound is recorded in variable bitrate MP3, and the user can choose the quality, which ranges from 0 to 5. The result is relatively satisfactory in mode 4 or 5, especially if you use the digital entry mode from a digital source. The mike input turns the Jukebox Multimedia into a dictation machine with a very large capacity, but the quality is just good enough to record a conversation for later transcription, for instance.

Tuning

All the adjustments to Jukebox Multimedia should be made via pull-down menus on the LCD screen or TV monitor, depending on how the device is running. Access to the various options is via three function keys, which are located below the screen. These change their attributes depending on whether video or music is being played or the menus are being consulted. The dedicated navigation keys on a PC keypad can also be used for playing audio and video.

The dedicated sound menu is very complete and as good as that of a small hi-fi system. The overall volume can be adjusted (volume can also be regulated through the up/ down directional keys during playing), as can the bases and sharps, balance, and pitch.

The “Config” menu offers access to the display parameters and the video output. The “Standard TV” tab offers a choice between PAL and NTSC formats. The “Brilliance” tab displays a pattern and a graduated scale that enables you to fine-tune the sound. You can also adjust the video image vertically and horizontally. The following options concern the general operation of the Jukebox Multimedia: back-lighting; automatic stop; software version; hard disk maintenance; and, updating the operating system.

Optional modules and accessories

The optional modules are some of Jukebox Multimedia’s major assets. The version we tested was supplied with Smart Media and Compact Flash photo modules. These are connected via the Jukebox’s proprietary port, and make it possible to download photos from a digital camera to the hard disk, for example. However, it cannot be used as a viewer of portable media directly under Windows. In fact, when the Jukebox is connected to a PC, these modules are deactivated. So what you have to do is download the photos to the Jukebox hard drive and then disconnect the module in order to transfer them to a PC. This is a very useful function for photographers who do a lot of digital work, because it offers them a convenient way of storing their photos while on the move.

Archos also offers two optional connecting cables, USB 2.0 and FireWire. You are strongly advised to get one of them in order to be able to benefit from the Jukebox Multimedia’s functionalities because the standard USB 1.1 connection is not very effective, especially for transferring entire videos to the hard disk.

Finally, it is possible to convert the Jukebox into a genuine video tool, thanks to two other modules that we will be testing as soon as they become available:

The camera module: This module converts the Jukebox Multimedia into a camera for movies and digital stills. The mode for still shots offers a resolution of 1.3 megapixels, and the camcorder mode records directly into MPEG-4. With this module, the device’s LCD screen becomes a monitor.

The video module: This produces video inputs in S-Video and composite formats, and enables the Jukebox Multimedia to record in MPEG-4 from any source, such as a VCR, DVD-player or camcorder.

Conclusion

If only for its video options and color LCD screen, the Jukebox Multimedia is an outstanding success. It is compatible with the best compression format and has its own hard disk on which to store video files. This is doubly useful, because the device can be used as both, a personal portable video viewer as well as a mobile “VCR,” thanks to its video output capabilities. Nor does the video aspect lag behind with its MP3 compactness and the possibility of recording and encoding directly. The image and sound quality are very good, and the exceptional modularity merely reinforces the general impression.

Of course, one could always find fault with, for instance, the lack of a search engine for the audio files, the rather mediocre finish, the need to re-encode videos in a specific format or the lack of more extensive remote control facilities, and even with the end of a cable. There is also the fact that the device is supplied with a standard USB 1.1 connection that is not fast enough for downloading to a 10 GB drive. Perhaps Archos should have opted directly for the USB 2.0 because this connection is not only faster, it is also backwards-compatible with the USB 1.1. These faults are, after all, minor, and one can only hail the introduction of a truly portable digital video player. The Jukebox Multimedia will be sold in North America at a price of $399.95 for the basic package, and with the Smart Media and Compact Flash modules as extras for a total of $419. The Camera module costs $99.95, and there’s no price set for the Video module yet.