Archos 404 Camcorder review

Portable media players (PMPs) have built-in hard disks and LCD screens, which enable them to play video as well as audio files. Archos's 404 Camcorder takes this a step further with its integrated digital video camera.

The 404 has the same brushed metal finish as most Archos PMPs, but it's more compact. The main reason is its smaller screen, which has a normal 4:3 rather than widescreen aspect. This means widescreen films are letterboxed. You can use the Pan and Scan mode to crop the image and fill the screen, although you'll lose out on quality, not to mention part of the programme you're watching. Menus and text aren't that clear, but video files have vibrant colours and high contrast.

Archos's menu system keeps improving, but it's still confusing. There are five buttons on the right of the player, each with two functions, as well as OK and Cancel buttons and directional keys. We would prefer a simple directional keypad and a couple of selection buttons.

Getting your media files on to the 404 is easy. You can either copy files straight to the player's hard disk or use Windows Media Player to synchronise the device with your PC. Media Player will automatically check that the content you want to synchronise is compatible with the 404, and convert it to a compatible Windows Media Audio or Video format if it isn't. Windows Media Player shouldn't need to convert too many files, as the 404 has excellent file support. It played our MPEG2, Xvid, DivX and WMV test files, as well as MP3, Wav and WMA audio. It could also play high-quality WMV files, and not just the jerky, low-resolution WMV Simple Profile that many PMPs support.

The audio playback application is excellent and lets you browse your music by artist, album, genre and year. Sound through the supplied headphones is muffled, but fine through a decent pair.

The 404fs main problem as a media player is its battery life. Archos claims just two and a half hours of video playback, which isn't even enough to get through King Kong. What's more, no mains adaptor is provided; there's just a USB cable. For £20 from www.amazon.co.uk you can buy a power supply that will accept a USB plug.

The 404fs camera has a tiny lens, but copes reasonably well with low light. Videos have a high frame rate and are far better than those taken with a mobile phone.

Archos's 404 Camcorder may have a confusing interface, but it's a powerful media player with excellent file support. The main problem is its mediocre battery life, which is not good enough for a long journey.