3. Recording? Forget About It

Another limitation of the PMC is that it won't record audio or video. The DVR function that's so practical on the Archos AV 400 is absent. There is a TV-out connection, however, for watching video on a big screen. Except that there, you run into another limitation. All the WMVs are resized to 320 x 240 and the results on the TV screen are mediocre at best. The Archos AV 400, you may remember, plays video at a resolution that's better than PAL, with excellent quality. So the PMC is strictly a portable player that can occasionally be plugged into the TV.

In fact, there's a difference in philosophy between a PMC and an audio/video player. They don't target the same market. Those with enough IT skills will prefer an Archos-type player. They'll be able to record, manipulate data as they see fit, and watch movies on a TV screen. The PMC is limited to mobile use, but it is simple to use for the less computer-literate. You'll have to choose which camp you're in.

Freer Audio

When playing audio, PMCs display information on the song as provided by the MP3 tags. A PMC can read MP3s up to 320 kbps, as well as the various WMA protections for music purchased on line. JPEG and BMP files are resized to the appropriate format if they're larger.