English Language User Manual
Dear Customer,
Pocket Media Assistant PMA430™
Video Player & Recorder / Music & Audio / Wifi / Linux® / Personal Information Manager (PIM)
ARCHOS thanks you for your choice of this exciting PMA430™ Personal Media Assistant.
Based on the tried and tested Linux® operating system, you can now get all the entertainment
you want, right in the palm of your hand. This guide will explain to you the functions of the
PMA430™. This product is, in reality, a computer. Our engineers have packed this product
with many functions and capabilities*. The better you know how to use it, the more
enjoyment you will get from it. Remember, with the PMA430™, you can…
• Record video from your television, VCR, or any video source
•
Play MPEG-4 movies
•
Listen to and record digital music files
• Download images from a digital camera
• View photo images
•
• Use it as an Internet browser or E-mail device
•
• Add third party software for a variety of tasks
•
Store any type of data file, it’s a portable hard drive too!
Play regular games as well as Mophun® based games
Use it as a Personal Information Manager (calendar, appointments, address book, etc.)
FR: Manuel d’utilisation complet (Français) sur le disque dur du PMA430.
ES: Manual completo (Español) en el disco duro del PMA430.
DE: Das komplette Handbuch (Deutsch) steht auf der Festplatte des PMA430 zur Verfügung.
IT: Manuale completo (Italiano) sul disco rigido di PMA430.
Please visit our website to download the most recent manual and software for this product.
We wish you many years of enjoyment from your PMA430™ product. Don’t forget to check our
web site (www.archos.com category software), as we periodically update the ARCHOS
PMA430™ internal software to offer new functions and improved features.
The ARCHOS TEAM
*As our engineers are always updating and improving the software, your device’s
software may have a slightly different appearance or modified functionality than
presented in this manual.
version 2.1
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
The complete manual in different languages is available on the hard drive of your PMA430 under
/Archos/Manuals.
1 Overview 8
1.1 Ports, Buttons, and Connectors........................................................................................ 8
1.2 Overview of different screen areas .................................................................................. 10
1.3 Application tabs................................................................................................................ 10
1.4 The Touch Screen and Text Input.................................................................................... 11
1.5 Linux®, Qtopia™ and the PMA430 File System............................................................ 12
1.6 Updating the Operating System ....................................................................................... 13
Step 1 Download the file aimage.img..........................................................................13
ATTENTION Macintosh® Users .................................................................................14
Step 2. Read the History.txt File .................................................................................14
Step 3. Copy the aimage.img file to the PMA430 System Folder................................14
Step 4 Reset the PMA430 and set the time and date .................................................14
1.7 Changing the Language.................................................................................................... 15
1.8 Caring for the PMA430.................................................................................................... 15
1.9 Hardware Reset ................................................................................................................ 15
2 Connecting/Disconnecting the PMA430 to/from your PC............................................16
2.1 Connecting the PMA430.................................................................................................. 16
2.2 Disconnecting the PMA430 from your Computer........................................................... 17
...............................................................................................................17
Windows®
Macintosh® ...............................................................................................................18
3 System Recovery ..............................................................................................................19
4 Music Application............................................................................................................21
Button controls while a song is playing .......................................................................23
4.1 Playing Music................................................................................................................... 21
4.2 The ARCLibrary™ - Browsing by Artist, Album, or Title............................................. 24
4.3 Putting Music onto your PMA430................................................................................... 24
Synchronizing Music from Windows Media® Player (WMP) to the PMA430...............25
Synchronizing Music from Windows Media® Player (WMP) 9 to the PMA430............25
Synchronizing Music from Windows Media® Player (WMP) 10 to the PMA430..........25
Transferring your CD collection to the PMA430 ..........................................................25
Installing Windows Media® Player (WMP) 10.............................................................26
Installing Windows Media® Player (WMP) 9 ......................................................................... 26
4.4 Play Music through your Home Stereo............................................................................ 26
4.5 The Resume Functions..................................................................................................... 26
4.6 Customizing the Equalizer ............................................................................................... 27
5 AudioCorder Application................................................................................................28
6 MUSIC - Using iTunes™ with your PMA430 ...............................................................29
7 Photo Application ............................................................................................................30
7.1 Transferring pictures to your PMA430............................................................................ 31
8 Video Application ............................................................................................................32
8.1 The Resume Functions..................................................................................................... 33
8.2 Display Format Settings................................................................................................... 33
33
Display
Video 33
8.3 Playing Video Files from the Internet.............................................................................. 33
9 VideoCorder Application ................................................................................................35
Manual Recording.......................................................................................................35
Fixed Time Recording.................................................................................................36
Scheduled Recordings................................................................................................36
9.1 Setting other Recording Parameters................................................................................. 37
9.2 Copy Protection................................................................................................................ 37
10 Set-up for scheduled video recordings ...........................................................................39
10.1 Part 1 : Choose your Category, Brand, and Model.......................................................... 39
10.2 Part 2: Testing the channel changer ................................................................................. 40
10.3 Part 3: Give your channels a name................................................................................... 40
11 File browser Application.................................................................................................42
12 Creating MPEG4 Video Files with your Computer......................................................44
12.1 Installing the PC Software ............................................................................................... 44
How to create an MPEG4 video file ............................................................................44
...............................................................................................................44
PC Tools
Virtual Dub™ ..............................................................................................................45
MPG4 Translator ........................................................................................................45
MP3 Sound Codec......................................................................................................45
Select Source & Destination Files...............................................................................47
Change Settings .........................................................................................................47
Target & Priority..........................................................................................................48
...............................................................................................................48
Start
12.2 Using MPEG4 Translator................................................................................................. 47
13 Personal Information Management (PIM) Applications..............................................50
........................................................................................................................ 50
13.1 Today
13.2 Calendar
........................................................................................................................ 50
........................................................................................................................ 50
13.3 Contacts
13.4 Todo List ........................................................................................................................ 50
14 Miscellaneous Applications.............................................................................................51
14.1 Clock
........................................................................................................................ 51
14.2 World Time ...................................................................................................................... 51
14.3 Calculator ........................................................................................................................ 51
14.4 Text Editor........................................................................................................................ 51
14.5 System Info....................................................................................................................... 52
14.6 Help Browser.................................................................................................................... 52
14.7 Mophun® ........................................................................................................................ 52
14.8 Terminal
........................................................................................................................ 52
14.9 Pdf Viewer........................................................................................................................ 52
15 Internet Applications.......................................................................................................53
15.1 E-Mail
........................................................................................................................ 53
15.2 Opera™ Browser.............................................................................................................. 53
16 Audio-Visual Settings ......................................................................................................55
16.1 TV Output ........................................................................................................................ 55
16.2 VideoCorder Settings ....................................................................................................... 55
16.3 Equalizer
........................................................................................................................ 55
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17 Hardware Settings ...........................................................................................................56
17.1 LCD Settings .................................................................................................................... 56
17.2 Light & Power.................................................................................................................. 56
17.3 Recalibrate........................................................................................................................ 56
........................................................................................................................ 56
17.4 Network
Start the Network Application......................................................................................56
Choose your service...................................................................................................56
Choose the IP Configuration Type..............................................................................57
Scan for active Access Points.....................................................................................57
Choose the Access Point............................................................................................58
Service Created..........................................................................................................58
Browsing the Web or Using E-mail .............................................................................59
Making an Infrared connection....................................................................................59
Account Tab ...............................................................................................................60
...............................................................................................................60
Modem tab
Network tab ...............................................................................................................61
18 Software & Other settings...............................................................................................62
18.1 Language ........................................................................................................................ 62
18.2 Security
........................................................................................................................ 62
18.3 Appearance....................................................................................................................... 62
18.4 Launcher
........................................................................................................................ 62
18.5 Date/Time ........................................................................................................................ 62
18.6 Software Packages............................................................................................................ 63
18.7 Restart
........................................................................................................................ 63
18.8 Application Services ........................................................................................................ 63
18.9 Plug-in Manager............................................................................................................... 63
19 Installing & Using Qtopia™ Desktop.............................................................................65
19.1 Installation........................................................................................................................ 65
19.2 Usage
........................................................................................................................ 65
19.3 Synchronizing with Microsoft® Outlook ........................................................................ 66
20 Technical Support............................................................................................................67
21 Troubleshooting ...............................................................................................................69
21.1 USB Device Connection issues........................................................................................ 69
21.2 Charging and Power issues .............................................................................................. 69
21.3 PMA430 locks up (freezes operation) or Stops............................................................... 70
21.4 File issues, corrupted data, formatting, and partitioning ................................................. 70
Windows® ME Running Scan-Disk (Error Checking)...................................................71
Windows®XP & 2000 Running Check Disk Utility (ChkDsk)........................................71
22 Legal
.................................................................................................................73
22.1 Warranty and Limited Liability ....................................................................................... 73
22.2 Warnings and Safety Instructions .................................................................................... 73
22.3 FCC Compliance Statement............................................................................................. 74
22.4 Electrostatic Discharge..................................................................................................... 74
22.5 Avoiding Hearing Damage .............................................................................................. 74
22.6 Copyright Notice .............................................................................................................. 74
22.7 LCD Pixel Policy ............................................................................................................. 74
.................................................................................................................76
!!Backup the .zip folder!!!
You will find a file PMA400_Recovery.zip on the PMA430 hard drive in the folder
/Archos/PMA400_Recovery_zip. Please back this up onto your PC just in case you need to do a
complete system recovery in order to return your PMA430 to its original factory delivered state.
Sections of this documentation which will help you to backup this folder are
• Connecting/Disconnecting the PMA430 to/from your computer
•
System recovery
23 Index
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PART I
Introduction to the PMA430
1 Overview
1.1
Ports, Buttons, and Connectors
Lights
a Hard drive activity indicator
b On indicator
c* Adapter/Charger Connected
Navigation pad
d Move UP (Increase volume when playing music or video)
e Move DOWN (Decrease volume when playing music or video)
f Move LEFT (Move to left window in dual browser)
g Move RIGHT (Open or move to right window in dual browser)
h On/Enter/Play – Hold for 3 seconds to turn on
i
Additional buttons
j ARCHOS button - Switch between open applications
k Menu button –Open application tab option menus
l Home button – Return to main screen. Switch between the tabs.
m Hold 3 seconds to switch between internal and external display. A single short click
Escape/Stop/Standby – Hold for 3 seconds to put into standby mode
will be interpreted as a tab key in applications that use tabbing.
built-in loud speaker
n TFT LCD Touch screen 320 x 240 pixels. Press lightly with the included stylus.
o
*When the PMA430 is charging, this light will start to blink when the battery is 90% charged. To charge the
battery to its full capacity, leave it plugged into the charger for at least one more hour.
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8
Infrared communications port
a
b Microphone
c Headphone & AV in/out Multi-
connect jack – connect headphones,
TV cradle, or optional adapter*.
d Power connector – use only the
provided ARCHOS AC
adapter/charger.
e USB 1.1 Host port – To attach
compatible USB devices to PMA430
f USB 2.0 Device port (USB 1.1
compatible) – use to see the PMA430
as hard drive on your computer
*The optional multi-connect adapter and AV cable allow for audio and video playing (AV Cable)
and recording (Adapter + Cable) without the TV Cradle from video and audio devices with video
out and line out.
Multi-connect Adapter
AV Cable
1.2
Overview of different screen areas
Application tabs
Application
launcher icons
This area will show
icons for running
applications
Qtopia menu
1.3
Application tabs
Status bar
- Network connection
- Luminosity
- Cut/Copy/Paste menu
- Battery
- Volume & speaker
- Clock
- Hide the status bar
(Upper) Menu bar
- This menu bar contains tool, information
and display
the
application and file type.
icons, depending on
Qtopia™ menu
ARCHOS Productivity Games Settings Documents
The PMA430’s interface is partitioned into five main application sets, or tabs. You can change
from one tab to another by clicking on the tab itself with the stylus (the PMA430’s screen is touch
sensitive), clicking the Home button
, or by selecting it from the Qtopia™ menu, on the
bottom left of the screen (see image on the right hand side).
Pocket AV Tab
From this tab, you can launch the music playing and recording applications, the video playing and
recording applications, the photo viewing application, the file management application, and a
resume playing application.
Productivity Applications Tab
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From this tab, you can launch applications such as E-mail, an Internet browser, a calendar, agenda,
contacts, and others.
Games
A number of games have been included with your device. Further, there is a Mophun® game
engine found in the games tab. This is a special game playing platform. You can check the
ARCHOS website for a list of available games to purchase.
Settings
This tab gives you access to the parameters which control the operation of your PMA430. They
include the clock and calendar, the interface language, a security password, and your network
parameters which allow you for example to use the built-in Wifi capabilities to connect to a
network and access the Internet.
Documents
This tab corresponds to the Documents folder which is the top level of the file hierarchy system
and where you will keep all your working documents. It displays all of your files that are located
in the Documents folder and its subfolders. On the bottom left, you can choose to show “All
Documents” (that is, all files) or select a certain file type (for example images or text files only).
Pease note that keeping a large amount of files in this folder can slow down the PMA430 or result
in messages such as “Memory Low” or “Memory Critical”, so you might want to consider creating
a folder (e.g. named “Data”) in the root directory of the PMA 430 to store the files you do not
access frequently.
1.4
The Touch Screen and Text Input
The PMA430 is equipped with a tactile screen. You can lightly press on it with your finger or use
the included stylus in order to launch an application or to interact with a program. There are three
methods to enter text or numbers into your PMA430 when an application calls for textual
information. If you need to enter text, click on the text entry button (1) and then choose your text
entry method (2).
(2)
(1)
Method: Handwriting Recognition
You write your characters on the screen itself. You have to write your letters in a particular way in
order for the PMA430 to identify them correctly. The training tutorial (circled question mark on
the right of the input screen) will demonstrate to you how this is to be done, and will give you the
opportunity to train yourself.
Method: Keyboard
A standard keyboard is displayed
and you simply tap on the keys.
Method: Telephone
Enter text as if you are using a
telephone number pad. Click once
for the first letter, twice for the
second letter and so on.
1.5
Linux®, Qtopia™ and the PMA430 File System
Your PMA430 runs on the Linux® operating system. This version of Linux®
however does not include all of the libraries needed to run, on say, a desktop
computer. It is a lean version.
Qtopia™ is the graphic layer on Linux® that
allows for a comfortable graphic user
interface instead of the traditional Linux®
command line input.
The hard drive of your PMA430
is
partitioned as FAT32, a file system used
also on Windows® based computers. A
small part of it is set aside as a storage space
for additional applications. These
two
spaces are called Media Storage and
Program Storage respectively. The Media Storage, is where all of your music, videos, photos, and
any miscellaneous data files will be stored. When you connect your PMA430 to your computer via
the USB cable, it will appear as an external hard drive. Thus, you can very easily move files
between your PC and your PMA430 by opening the PMA430 in Windows® Explorer and
dragging and dropping files.
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The Program storage area (64MB fixed size) is where new Linux® programs that you install onto
your PMA430. Because Linux® applications need to run in a Linux® formatted space, the
installation packages (file type .ipk) must be installed into the Program Storage area. You will
notice that when your device is mounted onto a PC as an external hard drive (or mass storage
device), there is a 64MB file in the System folder called progfs.img. This stands for program file
space and is actually a simulated Linux® partition for your application programs. You should
therefore not delete this file/partition. In case that you need to do an entire system recovery
procedure, you should backup the progfs.img file to save all of your installed programs. After
completing the recovery procedure, you can then recover your programs by replacing this file.
1.6
Updating the Operating System
ARCHOS periodically updates the Operating System (OS) and makes available a 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. You can find information on the current version you
are running under Applications > System Info > Version. The most recent version available can
be dowloaded at www.archos.com under the heading Download > Software.
Step 1 Download the file aimage.img
Download the image file AIMAGE.IMG , which will probably be quite large – approximately 22
MB. (Note that over a telephone modem, downloading a file of this size will take at least an hour
and a half and possibly several hours.) When you click on the link to download the new OS file,
your browser may warn you that the contents of the download may harm your computer. This is
because the Windows® system does
not know what an .IMG file is. Be
assured that ARCHOS has made
every effort to ensure that the file
does not contain viruses. Click on
the Save button to download this
file to a convenient place, such as
My Documents, in order to later
copy this file to your PMA430. If
your PMA430 is connected to your
PC, you can even save it directly to
the System folder in your PMA430.
ATTENTION Macintosh® Users
Macintosh® users should be especially careful when they download and save this file to their
Macintosh® computer. Do not double-click on it. Macs use .img files for a different purpose and
if you double click on this saved .img, it will try to open it. Instead, simply copy it from your
Macintosh to your PMA430’s System folder. Just drag and drop.
Step 2. Read the History.txt File
On the ARCHOS website, you will also find next to the OS download, a text file which details the
list of changes from the previous version of the OS.
Step 3. Copy the aimage.img file to the PMA430 System Folder
Connect your PMA430 to your computer and then copy the AIMAGE.IMG file to the System
folder of the PMA430. Since there will be an older version of this file on your PMA430 already,
your computer will ask if you want to overwrite the current file. Click on Yes. Once this file is
copied, safely disconnect the PMA430 from the computer.
Attention: The aimage.img must always remain in the System folder of the PMA430. Even once
you have updated your PMA430, you must not remove that file.
Step 4 Reset the PMA430 and set the time and date
In order for the new software update to take
effect, you need to reset the PMA430. Disconnect
it from the computer and go to Settings >
Shutdown. Press the red “Reboot” button. The
PMA430 will turn off. Turn it back on now and it
will boot up the new operating system. You
should check to verify that the clock time and date
are correct after a reset.
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1.7
Changing the Language
2 Connecting/Disconnecting the PMA430 to/from your PC
The PMA430 interface can be set to English (default), French, German, Italian, or Spanish. To
change the language, go to Settings then Language and select your desired language. Click OK
and wait a few moments. Your PMA430 will now use the new language.
1.8
Caring for the PMA430
The ARCHOS Video PMA430 is an electronic product that needs to be treated with great care.
• Do not subject it to shock.
• Do not subject it to heat. Keep it ventilated (especially when connected to a computer).
• Keep the PMA430 away from water and excessively humid areas.
• Keep the PMA430 away from high electromagnetic fields.
• Keep any connected cords to the PMA430 neatly arranged. This light product could fall
if a cable is accidentally pulled.
• Do not open up the PMA430. There are no user serviceable parts inside. Opening will
void your warranty.
1.9
Hardware Reset
In the event that your PMA430 freezes operation (due to
electrostatic phenomena for example), you can actuate a hardware
(cold) reset by placing a narrow object such as a paper clip into the
reset hole and pressing on the recessed reset button.
Note that when the PMA430 is connected to a computer, it will consume more energy, that is to
say, the battery will discharge faster than usual. If the PMA430 looses power while connected to
your computer you could damage your directory structure and/or loose data. Thus, you should
always use the AC adapter when connected to your computer. Be also careful to understand the
disconnection procedure since disconnecting incorrectly can lead to data loss or cause the
computer/PMA430 to freeze. The PMA430 is not compatible with Windows® NT, Windows® 95,
or Windows® 98. While connected as a hard disk to your computer, the PMA430 buttons are
blocked and are no longer functional.
2.1
Connecting the PMA430
1) Use the power adapter to prevent the PMA430 from shutting off due to low power.
(This could cause damage to the contents of the hard disk if not done.)
2) Plug the USB cable into your running computer.
3) Turn on the PMA430 – wait until it completely boots up.
4) Plug the other end of cable into your now running PMA430.
Windows® ME, 2000, XP (Home/professional)
When connected, the PMA430 will be recognized
as a Mass Storage Class (MSC) Device and display
automatically within a few seconds of being
connected. You will see a new drive letter, such as
E: in My Computer called PMA400. You can now
use the hard disk called PMA400 like any other
hard disk. Simply access it using Windows®
Explorer to drag and drop files to and from the
PMA430’s hard drive. If it is not automatically
recognized, please refer to the troubleshooting
section at the back of this manual.
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