:angry: I bought an AV420 (the 20GB baby). I exchanged 3 times at the retail shop (very helpful folks)!!! After recording for around 20mins at room temp, a patch (1.5 cm in diameter!) of moisture (with oil-like rings surrounding the patch) developes as the machine get heat up. It's located in the very middle of the LCD...very very disturbing. Same problem for all 3 I had. Talked to the agents and they first said it's acceptable (what!!!!) but then they changed the tone and said there are actually couple complains like this and waiting for Archos to react. Pls note if you guys plan to buy one.

Wow that stinks!

Sorry to hear about your negative experiences with the AV420. Please keep us informed about Archos' response!!

Wow that stinks!

Sorry to hear about your negative experiences with the AV420. Please keep us informed about Archos' response!!


You bet! By the way do you know how I can post a photo here. I'm new here. Thanks! :wink:

Hey CMC, you can use the attach function to attach a picture. Tell me if it works for you!

:angry: There you go guys. Took this photo with my Clie TH55. Not very clear but I'm sure you guys can get the idea...

Ok. Another photo with my T1. The patch retreated after 12 hours or so...

CMC, thanks for the photos. I posted about it on our frontpage.

Thanks Alexander.

The patch developes faster if you put into the cradle (so I'm not using the cradle anymore). Seems to be related to preassure b/n the LCD and the body itself too, beside the heat. Always takes whole night for the patch to retreat. Hope other AV400 series users can have more inputs.

Does the problem lessen with time or is it reccurring?

Does the problem lessen with time or is it reccurring?

Recurring. Basically the patch developes itself 20mins or so after recording, longer after playing. It gets larger over time as the unit heats up. After the machine is been turned off for around 12 to 20 hours (depends on how large the ptch gets) the patch disappears and the LCD looks completely normal again. And the patch comes back at the exact location next time when you start using the machine.

By the way it's been 3 days after the agents promised me to get some feedback from Archos but so far I've heard nothing.

It's been a week. No news from the agents nor from Archos?! Completely mute... Hope they're not trying to "ease-away" ov :deal: er time...

If you won't hear from them back in a couple of days, perhaps we should write them a more formal letter asking for support.

If you won't hear from them back in a couple of days, perhaps we should write them a more formal letter asking for support.

You are right, Alexander. Pls see this thread from HardwareZone.com :angry: for more...

http://forums.hardwarezone.com/showthread.php?threadid=826702&forumid=126

It is sad to see such a promising device suffering from quality defects ;(

It is sad to see such a promising device suffering from quality defects ;(

The worst thing is having a defect plus an invisible after sale support.

True, a hardware defect can have a minimal impact on a product (and even be an opportunity to increase a company's reputation) as long as the company deals with the situation in a timely and professional manner. If a customer sees that they are treated as a worthy customer and the company is serious about releasing and supporting a quality product, issues like this can be resolved quickly and relatively painlessly...

Not in this case, it would seem...

Craig.

Hi guys, just purchased the av420 and the same problem with the patch occuring. also, flickering lines occasionally on video which seem to occur when the hard drive audibly clicks when accessing data. any more info on the subject please let me know.

podgeandrodge,

It is definitely not an independant case. Did you contact Archos about that problem? It seems from what I've heard they are supportive enough to replace your unit.

Well I purchased from Amazon.co.uk (I'm in Ireland) and when I rang them they said they had had no complaints about the Archos. But I'm returning the item for a refund as there seems to be similar complaints on other bulletin boards. Hope it's just a bad batch and I can wait for awhile..sob sob!

Hi Guys,
Just thought I would chip in with my AV420 story. I bought mine in October and discovered the same screen defect. I returned it and Archos replaced the screen. It took a month but it was done. I have now had it back for a month and have encountered the following seemingly unrelated problem.
A few days ago I updated its software to 1.8.00 and was playing music through the cradle and it was fine. I switched it off and now cannot get it to switch on again. I can only keep it running if I connect it to my pc via the usb cable. The battery indicator shows the battery as fully charged but as soon as I disconnect it from my pc, it updates the files thn shuts down.
I would be grateful for any suggestions or feed back. :blink: