Features – Archos AV420
Features? It’s no contest. The AV420 is the heavyweight champion. (Think Muhammad Ali versus Pee-wee Herman.) Aside from doing all the standard stuff (video, music, and photos), the AV420 sports a built-in Compact Flash memory card reader and an optional 4-in-1 adaptor for other cards that allows downloading of digital photos without using a computer. It’s also an audio and video recorder with PVR capabilities––including an infrared emitter that can be used to turn on and tune VCRs, set-top boxes, cable boxes, and satellite receivers. There’s an included docking cradle with A/V in/out connections for use in your equipment rack.
Winner: Archos AV420

Audio Performance – Archos AV420
The AV420’s internal speaker is the worst performing of the three. Feeble is the word that comes to mind. The earphones Archos includes with the AV420 sound rich; but, unfortunately, they turn out to be the least comfortable. The good news is that the earphone jack has plenty of output to handle a more serious pair of earphones such as the Shure E3c. The bad news is that the internal speaker doesn’t automatically cut off when the earphone plug is inserted. You have to navigate to a menu setting to turn it off.
Winner: Samsung YH-999 GS Video

Performance – Archos AV420
With a 704 by 480 pixel screen, you’d think that the AV420 would simply smoke the 320 by 240 pixel spread on the other two handhelds. It turns out that it’s hard to tell a resolution difference when looking at compressed video on screens under four inches. You can, however, tell which is better in terms of brightness and color fidelity––and the Archos wins best overall picture quality hands down. The images are bright, the colors are rich, and the dark scenes aren’t washed out.
Winner: Archos AV420

Look and Feel – Archos AV420
The most important part of any portable media player is the layout and responsiveness of the buttons. The Archos wins here on both counts. The buttons are nicely arranged for one-thumb operation, and the player balances perfectly in your hand as you press the navigation pad and control buttons. In addition, all the buttons are highly contoured so you can feel them without looking, and each requires just the right amount of force. Its industrial design look might put some folks off, though.
Winner: Tie (Archos AV420 & Creative Zen PMC)

Archos AV420, $499.99
www.archos.com; 949.609.1483
RATING: EXCELLENT

Look and Feel – Creative Zen PMC
The Zen’s all-black front face and wide, two-handed design scores points. The buttons are arranged nicely, and the unit has a good, solid feel overall. The buttons themselves, however, are too small and require too much thumb pressure in relation to their size. The Zen’s slightly larger screen size (3.8 inches) is a bonus that should not be overlooked, although it is also likely one of the reasons why the Zen is the largest and heaviest of the three. All things considered, it’s a toss up between the Archos and the Creative.
Winner: Tie (Archos AV420 & Creative Zen PMC)

Features – Creative Zen PMC
Being a Windows Mobile-based Portable Media Center (as is the Samsung unit), the Creative PMC’s basic feature pack is much like all units using Microsoft’s mobile operating system. The Zen’s two-piece AC adaptor may make it easier to plug into crowded power strips, but begs to get misplaced while traveling. The use of a special (included) USB cable with a proprietary plug that connects to the player is irritating. Four preset “bookmark” buttons on the top and a sturdy protective shield over the LCD screen give the Zen an edge over Samsung’s entry but not Archos.’
Winner: Archos AV420 Video

Performance – Creative Zen PMC
The Zen initially seduces you because of its larger screen size, but ultimately its picture quality falls between the Archos AV420 and the Samsung YH-999. The color temperature is about right, but the colors are slightly muted and bland. On the other hand, the brightness is excellent at the middle setting (of five) so there’s room to bump it up or down depending on your viewing environment. You’ll see some detail in the black areas of the Zen’s picture, but it is still bested by the Archos model.
Winner: Archos AV420 Audio

Performance – Creative Zen PMC
Without a doubt, Creative’s Zen has the best sound quality of the three when it comes to the built-in speaker. Don’t expect a lot of volume, but it has good bass; and the Zen sounds bigger than it looks. That’s especially surprising since the speaker sits behind three tiny slits on the front panel. The supplied earphones turn in a second-place finish to the Samsung YH-999’s in both comfort and tonal quality. As with the other models, there’s plenty of juice in the jack to fire up better headphones.
Winner: Samsung YH-999 GS
 
Creative Zen PMC, $499
www.creative.com; 800.998.5227
RATING: SOLID

Video Performance – Samsung YH-999 GS  
If the YH-999 GS had one of those three-position color-temperature controls found on many TVs (which it doesn’t), you’d guess that it’s in the Cool mode thanks to the picture’s bluish cast. Not to mention that even at the second lowest brightness setting, the image is slightly washed out. Although it’s a small difference, the YH-999 GS (as well as the Zen) appears to have a little lower resolution than the Archos.
Winner: Archos AV420

Features – Samsung YH-999 GS
The Samsung includes an all-in-one power cord that makes it easy to travel with. It also includes a wired remote control (for volume, play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward) that plugs in between the portable player and the headphones. Although the YH-999 GS is larger than most cell phones, Samsung provides a carry case with a pivoting, quick-release belt clip. A hold button on the side locks the front-panel controls. All in all, it pretty much matches the Creative for features but is embarrassed to be in the same room as the Archos.
Winner: Archos AV420

Look and Feel – Samsung YH-999 GS  
At first glance, the YH-999 GS looks classy and intelligent––until you start to use it. Its nearly square shape and poorly located control buttons make it awkward to hold and use with one hand, and yet it’s not really wide enough to warrant two-hand operation. The too-tiny control buttons require the fingers of a pixie to navigate and the strength of an ogre to press. This one should go back to the industrial design team.
Winner: Tie (Archos AV420 & Creative Zen PMC)

Audio Performance – Samsung YH-999 GS  
The sound quality from the Samsung’s built-in speaker is good––definitely better than the wimpy sound from the Archos––but it lacks the extra bass found in the Creative. The supplied earphones are the most comfortable by far (a crucial feature for extended viewing or listening), and they’re the best sounding of the bunch as well. Even though the YH-999 GS’s earphones take the prize, you will still want to upgrade them. Fortunately, the earphone jack provides plenty of power for better earphones and headphones.
Winner: Samsung YH-999 GS

Samsung YH-999 GS, $499.99
www.samsung.com; 800.SAMSUNG
RATING: SOLID