ARCHOS™ MOBILE VIDEO RECORDER Gmini™ 500 SERIES Video Player / Music Player & Recorder / Photo Wallet & Viewer / USB 2.0 Hard Drive English Language User Manual User Manual for ARCHOS™ Gmini™ 500 series Version 1.3 Please visit our website to download the most recent manual and software for this product 1 2 Dear Customer, ARCHOS™ thanks you for your choice of this exciting Gmini™ 500 product. The Gmini™ 500 is designed to be the companion to your home entertainment system.
3 We wish you many years of enjoyment from your Gmini™ 500 product. Please do register your product at our website www.archos.com to ensure that you get have access to our help line and to be informed of technical support and free software updates for your product. Wishing you the best Video, Music, and Photo experience, The ARCHOS™ TEAM *For full information on compatible file formats, see the technical specifications. Please take the time to read though this manual.
5 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 8 Synchronizing Music from Windows Media® Player (WMP) to the Gmini™ 500 Comparison of Windows Media Player 10 to Windows Media Player 9 Transferring your CD collection to the Gmini™ 500 Installing Windows Media® Player 9 (WMP9) Installing Windows Media® Player 10 (WMP10) 29 30 31 31 31 MUSIC – Playlists 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 9 Playing a Playlist Creating a Playlist Saving a Playlist Adding songs to a Playlist while listening to Music 32 32 32 33 34 MUSIC – Recording Music 9.1 9.2 9.
7 1 INTRO – Buttons and Connections 7 8 a On indicator b Hard drive activity indicator (read/write) c Battery charger indicator (blinks when battery is charged) d Loud speaker e Move UP (also increases volume during media playback) f Move DOWN (also decreases volume during media playback) g Move LEFT (also plays previous song or fast reverse through song or video) h Move RIGHT (also plays next song or fast forward through song or video) i Accelerate UP – go up the list of items at high speed j Accelerat
9 a LCD/TV button – Hold down to switch between the LCD and an external TV display b USB Host port – to connect compatible USB devices c Microphone d USB 2.0 High speed device port (USB 1.
11 2.4 Changing the Interface Language The Gmini™ 500 interface can be set to English (default), French, Spanish, German, or Russian. • Using the UP action button, highlight the Settings icon (showing a wrench) and then click the center SELECT action button. • Highlight the Display icon and click the PLAY/ENTER button. • Highlight the Language parameter using the UP/DOWN buttons. • Click the RIGHT or LEFT button to choose the desired language. • The language displayed will change immediately.
13 3 VIDEO – Playing Video Files Click on the Video icon in the main menu, highlight the desired video file, and then click on PLAY/GO o. The thumbnail images on the right side will show you a frame from the highlighted video file (center) as well as a frame from the file above and the file below the highlighted one. By clicking on the Video icon in the main menu, you will enter into a ‘video only’ mode.
15 Auto Format Default mode. Adjusts the video size to best adapt to the built-in screen or television. Maximized Image Enlarge the image to fill the screen (LCD or TV). Sides may get slightly cut in this mode. Full Picture Format The entire picture will always be seen on the television and the built-in screen. No cutting. Set a Book mark If you are watching a video and would like to place a bookmark in it in order to continue from this point at another time, you can use the Bookmark function.
17 If you have some video files that do not play directly on your Gmini™ 500, they will have to be converted first. Windows Media® Player 10 (Available only for Windows XP) will convert your video file automatically when you sync the file that is on your PC to the Gmini™ 500. It will display a little message ‘converting’. You can also use the software MPEG-4 Translator included on the Gmini™ 500 hard drive to reencode your video files into the proper MPEG-4 SP format that the Gmini™ 500 can play.
19 5.1 Installing the PC Software If your video file is not an MPEG-4 Simple Profile .avi file of the proper size, you will need to re-encode it using the following utilities. For the Gmini™ 500, you will need to create an AVI file that is MPEG-4 Simple Profile with a resolution up to 720 x 576 (depending on frame rate) and a sound track that is stereo MP3 or WAV. In actuality, in all cases, a resolution beyond 640x480 does not add any advantage.
21 Select Source & Destination Files In this example, a source file 24 hours of Lemans.avi has been selected as the source video. You can see on the bottom of the window its original characteristics (width 720, height 576, frame rate 24). Next, you must then tell the program where to place (Set Destination file) the newly recoded version of the file (don’t worry, it will not erase the original). You should give it a new descriptive name. Make sure you add the .avi extension.
23 6 MUSIC – Playing Music Files When you click on the music icon in the main screen, you will be sent directly to the ARCLibrary. From here you can choose to either browse your music by the file system (Browse hard drive) or by music characteristics (Album, Artist, title, Genre, Year). Use the LEFT, RIGHT, UP, and DOWN buttons to locate one of the factory installed music samples and then click on PLAY. If you hear nothing at first, make sure you have adjusted the volume control on the headphone cord.
25 Play Order (no icon) Play once Repeat playing Shuffle (Random) track selection Play Mode Gmini™ 500 is currently playing from a Playlist Folder: Play all tracks in the current directory All: Play all tracks on Gmini™ 500 Single: Play a single track then stop Queue: User can queue the next track to be played * Scan: Plays first 10 – 90 seconds of each track* * See the PlayMode section in the Settings chapter of this manual for details. 25 26 6.
27 6.4 Playing Through your Stereo System To play your music through your stereo system, you can connect your AV cable as shown. Playing through a Stereo system with an AV Cable 6.5 Setting a Bookmark If you are listening to a song, or perhaps a long recording, and would like to place a bookmark in it in order to pick up from this point at another time, you can use the Bookmark function. Simply select the Set Bookmark action icon. This will set a bookmark in the audio file at the current position.
29 7 MUSIC – Putting Music onto your Gmini™ 500 Your Archos™ product is a certified PlaysForSure™ digital device which means that wherever you find music for sale on the Internet with this symbol, you can be certain that it will ‘Play for sure’ on your Gmini™ 500*. The Gmini™ 500 is designed to work seamlessly with Windows Media® Player (WMP) versions 9 and 10. The Windows Media® Player software is used to download digital media content from the Internet to your computer and organize it.
31 7.3 Transferring your CD collection to the Gmini™ 500 The process of transferring music from a CD into music files for your Gmini™ 500 is known as ‘ripping’. It is actually a re-encoding process, taking the CDA (CD Audio) format and converting it to WMA or MP3 format which the Gmini™ 500 can read. There are many music ripping programs on the market, but ARCHOS™ recommends that you use Windows Media® Player to do it.
33 when highlighting a folder, artist, or album. All the contents of the folder, artist, or album will be added (that is, appended) or inserted before the selected song in the current Playlist. You can jump back and forth between the browser and the Playlist by selecting the Focus buttons. A Playlist can have a maximum of 5000 songs. We recommend that you save your Playlists. 8.3 Saving a Playlist It is recommended that each time you create a Playlist, you save it to a separate folder called Playlists.
35 9 MUSIC – Recording Music With the Gmini™ 500 series, you do not need a computer to create digital music files. Using the optional multiconnect adapter (AV Travel cable kit P/N 500671, available at www.archos.com), it is possible to record from any standard analog line source (ex: HiFi system, Boombox, CD Player, etc) into a standard Windows® .WAV format, either PCM (uncompressed) or ADPCM (compressed). 9.
37 3. Click on the Settings action icon to reveal the recording parameters screen as shown. 4. Once you have clicked on the Record action icon (or Enter button), you can pause the recording by clicking the Pause action icon (or Enter button) and then stop the recording by clicking on the STOP button. You can record from any line-level audio source to the Gmini™ 500.
39 To keep just this section (cropping it), you will: • Locate this file via Browse hard drive in the Music application. • From the action icons, select the File Management action icon and then select Edit. • In the edit mode, set the Cut In point (12:15 in our example). This will remove the part of the file BEFORE the desired segment. • Now set a Cut Out point (21:05 in our example. Please note: As you have cut part of the file, this position will actually be earlier in the file now).
41 11 1 1 PHOTO – Viewing Photos The Gmini™ 500 series support the viewing of JPEG (.jpg) and Bitmap (.bmp) image formats. Progressive JPEG images or certain camera formats such as NEF or RAW are not supported. The Gmini™ 500 will resize the image to fit on the built-in screen or on a television screen if you choose the television output. When you are in the Photo mode, it means that only files of type JPEG or BMP will be visible in the directory. Other file types will not be visible.
43 11.3 Transferring photos to your Gmini™ 500 The Gmini™ 500 is equipped with a USB host port. This port, along with the USB Host adapter cable will allow you to connect USB Mass Storage Class (MSC) devices to your Gmini™ 500 and transfer files from that device to your Gmini™ 500. Many cameras produced today are MSC type devices. Thus you can often plug your camera directly into the Gmini™ 500’s USB Host port and copy your photos with the ARCHOS™ browser.
45 12 1 2 BROWSER – Using the Browser The browser is used to navigate the file system on the Gmini™ 500. The file system is FAT32, the same type of file system that is found on Windows® based computers. That is, it is a hierarchical system which includes folders and subfolders. Because you will be putting hundreds of files on your Gmini™ 500, it is STRONGLY ADVISED that you keep a neat and orderly file structure. Otherwise, you will be spending time searching for files and not listening or watching them.
47 12.2 File and Folder Operations Depending on where you are in the folder system, you will have the option to manipulate files and folders. From the main menu, click on Browser. Files that the Gmini™ 500 cannot play will be preceded by the unknown file type icon. Folder Operations File Operations Info Show file information such as song length, video length, photo size, number of kilobytes used of hard drive space, date file was made, etc. Create Create a new folder inside the current folder.
49 2) In the right pane, locate the destination folder. Then move back to the left pane. 3) Highlight the file to be copied and select the Copy file action icon. 4) The selected file will now be copied into the destination folder. Please note: You can only copy or move files from one folder to another and not within the same folder. If you select the same folder in both panes, these options are therefore not available. 49 50 12.
51 13 1 3 Connecting/Disconnecting* the Gmini™ 500 to/from your PC 13.1 USB Connection Type (‘Hard Drive’ or ‘Windows Device’) Your device comes configured as a Windows® Device and will be immediately recognized by your computer if you are running Windows® XP (with Service Pack 1 minimum) and Windows Media® Player 10.
53 13.3 Disconnecting the Gmini™ 500 from your Computer Windows Device Mode If the Gmini™ 500 is connected to your computer as a Windows Device, verify that no data is being transferred between your Gmini™ 500 and your computer (the HDD light on your Gmini™ 500 is not flickering). You can now safely unplug the USB cable from your Gmini™ 500 and/or computer.
55 14 1 4 Connecting Devices to the USB Host Port Thanks to the USB Host port, you can connect USB Mass Storage Class (MSC) devices such as many digital cameras and external hard drives in order to transfer pictures or data to/from your Gmini™ 500. Check your manufacturer’s information to find out whether your device is an MSC device. Non Mass Storage Class devices such as printers, Ethernet adapters, mice, keyboards, etc. are not supported.
57 The Sound Parameters Parameter Description Volume 0 – 99 Bass 10 levels. Decreases or Increases the low frequencies. Treble 10 levels. Decreases or Increases the high frequencies. Balance 10 levels. Favors the right or left channel of the Stereo signal. Bass Boost 10 levels. Increases the very low frequencies. Reset button Re-adjusts all settings to their default values. 15.
59 15.4 Display Settings These settings regulate the interface language and the presentation of the screen. Setting Description Language The Gmini™ 500 can be set to English (default), French, German, Spanish, or Russian. Action icon notes Displays the explanation or name of the action icons when moving up and down through the menu. If set to On, the first click on the SELECT action button will show the names of the icons. The second click will select the icon. TV Standard NTSC (USA), PAL (Europe).
61 Parameter Description Power Off 1-9 minutes or Never. The number of minutes of user inactivity (no buttons pressed) before the Gmini™ 500 shuts off. During the playback of music or video files, this setting takes effect only after the files are finished playing. Backlight Off 10-90 seconds or Never. The time of user inactivity (no buttons pressed) before the Gmini™ 500 turns off the screen to conserve power.
63 16 1 6 Updating the Gmini™ 500 Firmware Operating System (OS) ARCHOS™ periodically updates the Operating System (OS) and makes it available for free download on the ARCHOS™ website (www.archos.com). Updates to the Operating System include new features, feature improvements, and bug fixes. You should check to make sure that you are running the most recent version of the OS. To check what version you have, click on the Settings action icon and then go to System.
65 17 Replacing the battery Your Gmini™ 500 has a removable battery. You may want to purchase a second battery for cases when you know that you will be unable to recharge your Gmini™ 500 before the supplied battery runs out. Refer to the chapter Settings – Power Settings for information about getting the most use from the battery. Before removing the battery, disconnect the charger/adapter and switch off the device. 17.
67 18 1 8 Technical Support In case you should encounter any technical difficulties using your product, we suggest you go through these steps in order to resolve any issues as efficiently as possible: 1) Please read carefully through the appropriate sections of this manual. Some subject areas may be treated in two different chapters depending on how the device is being used. 2) Look at the Troubleshooting section at the back of this manual.
69 WWW.ARCHOS.COM Worldwide Offices United States & Canada Europe & Asia ARCHOS™ Technology ARCHOS™ S.A. 3, Goodyear - Unit A 12, rue Ampère Irvine, CA 92618 USA 91430 Igny France Phone: 1 949-609-1483 Phone: +33 (0) 169 33 169 0 Fax: 1 949-609-1414 Fax: +33 (0) 169 33 169 9 United Kingdom Germany ARCHOS (UK) Limited ARCHOS™ Deutschland GmbH PO Box 1420 Business Park Vierwinden Southampton Konrad-Zuse-Str.
71 Problem: (Hard Drive mode) What do I do if I try to disconnect via the green arrow but keep getting “The device ‘Generic Volume’ cannot be stopped now. Try stopping the device again later.” Answer: Shut off any program that might be accessing data on the Gmini™ 500, including Windows® Explorer. If this does not work, shut down all programs, wait 20 seconds, then try the green arrow one or two times again. If this does not work, you can shut off your Gmini™ 500 with the Stop/Esc button and then unplug it.
73 • Be patient, this may take a while. Windows® XP & 2000 Running Check Disk Utility (ChkDsk) – HARD DRIVE mode only If you still have problems with the file system on your Gmini™ 500 you can try to fix it using the DOS utility, check disk (chkdsk). Do the following; • Make sure external AC adapter is powering the Gmini™ 500. • Quit all running applications. • Properly connect the Gmini™ 500 to your computer as explained in chapter Connecting/disconnecting the Gmini™ 500 to/from your PC.
75 Minimum Requirements Computer configuration: PC with Windows® ME, or 2000, and USB 2.0 port. Macintosh® G3 with MAC OS v10.2.4 or higher, Macintosh® G3 and USB 2.0 port. For Playsforsure™ content: PC with Windows® XP SP1 or higher operating system, Windows Media® Player 10 or higher, and USB 2.0 port. *Depending on usage (stop/start/writing) (1) External video output disabled for Marcovision®-protected contents. (2) DivX: has not been certified by DivX, Inc., may not read all DivX® 4.0, 5.0 & 6.
77 3. Any product without a warranty or serial number label. 4. Batteries and any consumable items delivered with or in the equipment. The end user is required to use this product only in conformity with its original purpose and is strictly forbidden to make any technical modifications that could potentially impinge on the rights of third parties. Any modification to the hardware, software, or physical enclosure of the product must be approved in writing by ARCHOS™.
79 LCD Pixel Policy The LCD screen on your ARCHOS™ Gmini™ 500 unit has been manufactured to rigorous standards to provide a high quality viewing experience. Nevertheless, your LCD screen may have slight imperfections. This is not particular to the ARCHOS™ screen, but to all devices which have LCD screens regardless of the original manufacturer of the LCD. Each product vendor guarantees that his screen will contain no more than a certain number of defective pixels.
81 Codecs VIDEO – Installing the PC Software – MPEG-4 Codec (Compression/Decompression) 5.1* VIDEO – Installing the PC Software – MP3 Sound Codec 5.1* Compression VIDEO – Playing Video Files from the Internet 4* VIDEO – Creating MPEG-4 Video Files with your Computer 5* MUSIC – Putting Music onto your Gmini™ 500 7* Connecting 2 USB devices Connect Devices to the USB Host Port 14* 9 15.3* 10.1 Date and time SETTINGS – Clock Settings Default location MUSIC – Where is the Recording Saved? 9.
83 New Playlist does not display SETTINGS – System Settings 15.6* NTSC SETTINGS – Display Settings 15.4* Operating system SETTINGS – System Settings 15.6* 10.2 Updating the Gmini™ 500 Firmware/OS 16* 11 SETTINGS – System Settings 15.6* 10.2 SETTINGS – Display Settings 15.4* Operating system Version PAL Play songs randomly (Shuffle) MUSIC – Play Screen Icons 6.2* MUSIC – Saving a Playlist 8.3* SETTINGS – Play Mode Settings 15.
85 Thumbnails VIDEO – Playing Video Files – Video Browser Action Icons 3* VIDEO – Playing video files: Save as Thumbnail 3.1* Time and date SETTINGS – Clock Settings 15.3* Troubleshooting 19* 10.1 Version of the Operating system/firmware SETTINGS – System Settings 15.6* 10.2 Video file size and frame rates VIDEO – Non Protected Internet Video Content 4.1* VIDEO – Using MPEG-4 Translator 5.2* Video files: supported formats VIDEO – Non Protected Internet Video Content 4.
