Zen Vision M vs iPod 3

Which one is better? Alot of the features are similar. I don't know which one to get. Pros and Cons?

Took this from my older post..........
Hi there,
Here are some things that you might like over the ipod:
*TV out screen resolution (twice the resolution), can use VidX at near-DVD res.
*Colors of the screen 262k compared to 65k. Honestly, a superior screen.
*video playback time
*codec support(WMV9/DivX/VidX/MPEG4)
*extra features: FM, recording, etc.
*picture viewing - zoom and pan
*custom equalizer
*Screen is able to resize video
*No advanced conversion ala ipod, drag and drop video
*Scratches are not as bad as ipod
*Superior sound quality(97db)
* hour better battery life then ipod, twice as much for video
*Support for the WMA, DRM stores
* Customizable Themes and Backgrounds. Customizable screen brightness/other screen features.
With the upload process, you have a choice between programs. You can use WMP 0, Zen Vision M Explorer or MediaSoruce. I have perfect ID3 tags, so I just drag and droped my music on the ZVM with no problem. I also draged and droped my videos with no conversion.
The interface is exactly(almost) the same as the ipod. It is a ID3-based hierarchy. Extremely easy to go through music. The scroll is nice, you can adjust the sensitivy.
Some reviews to help you:
CES 2006 Electroics Show-
http://www.cnet.com/4520-405_-6398234-.html?tag=cnetfd.ld
Register-
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/2/08/preview_zen_vision-m/
Mp3Gen(Translated French)-
http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.2707
Clubic.com(Translated French)-
http://26.239.39.04/translate_c?hl=en&u=http://www.clubic.com/article-3074--le-duel-de-fin-d-annee-ipod-5g-zen-vision-m.html
Cnet Asia(English)-
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/portable_av/0,39033456,39097200p,00.htm
EverythingUSB-
http://www.everythingusb.com/creative_zen_vision:m_30gb.html
VR Zone-
http://www.vr-zone.com/?i=3070
Pocket Lint(UK)
http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/review.php?reviewId=34
ExtremeMHZ-
http://www.extrememhz.com/visionm-p.shtml
PCMag-
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,%5Blink759,95886,00.asp
Cnet America-
http://reviews.cnet.com/Creative_Zen_Vision_M_30GB_white/4505-6490_7-3632700.html?tag=pdtl-img
TrustedReviews-
http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?head=39&page=5607

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Zen Vision:M vs Ipod Video Video qualit

One Picture says it all
Left(Black) = Zen Vision:M
Right (White) = Ipod Video
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/882/creativevisionsealionce0.jpgMessage Edited by Z_Dash on 09-27-2006 07:28 PM

One Picture says it all
Left(Black) = Zen Vision:M
Right (White) = Ipod Video
http://img96.imageshack.us/img96/882/creativevisionsealionce0.jpgMessage Edited by Z_Dash on 09-27-2006 07:28 PM

Ipod video vs. zen vision

i have a 4th gen ipod 20gb that i am selling. I was looking into the zen vision: M or ipod Video. I download a lot of xvid movies/TV shows. Ofcourse I will use this for music as well, but my main concern is the video. Does the Ipod video support XVid's like the Vision does. Are there any other mp3 players out there that compare?
Also, does anyone out there use the Zen Vision in there cars, I know IPod's are pretty popular in the car.
Any help would do in making my desicion, thanks.

I was also deciding the what will be my next MP3 player. I used a Neeon about a year ago, and switched over to 4G ipod. I am doing buying reaseach and that lead me to this site again in search for a reason to buy a Creative's ZVM, which I really want to support.
I like ipod that it just works and its elegent way of integrating with PC's iTune, podCast, videocast. I am a bit worry about reliability of ZVM based on its numerous problems reported. I can OK with its chunky body and plastic material surface.
However, if you main concern is video, I suggest you skip ipod video because, unlike ZVM, video is not ipod main selling point. Its screen is less idae for video and it supports only two video formats (MP4 & H264). For me, the strategy is to wait till Creative irons out all the problems of ZVM, or new video ipod arri've, whichever come first.

Creative ZEN Vision:M or 5th Generation iPOD Video ?

So which one would you pick? The ZEN or the iPOD. Yes, I know most people would say the ipod since this is an apple board but this ZEN Vision:M business is pretty awesome.
If you had the option to return your ipod and get the ZEN Vision, would you ? I mean, come on, look at this thing. Its a beast !
I also wanted to ask if anyone owns this thing ? i wanna ask a few questions about. i.e. battery life (since the ipod totally wreaks in that subject), compatability, other things..
Windows XP
Windows XP
5th Generation iPOD 30 GB Windows XP

Re: 4 hours playback... See my explanation about how Creative arrived at their playback times vs. how Apple arrived at theirs. If you want to listen to 64kbps WMA files, and watch 500kbps MPEG4 video, go right ahead. You could get the same result on your iPod listening to 64kbps AAC files and watching 500kbps MPEG4 video.
Re: double the songs... again, see my explanation about how Creative arrived at their 15,000 number vs. how Apple arrived at their 7,500 number (hint: 64kbps WMA files vs. 128kbps AAC files)
Re: more audio formats... yes. the Vision:M adds the ability to play WMA files (the iPod can play MP3 and WAV files)
Re: more video formats... yes. The Vision:M adds the ability to play MPEG1/2, WMV9, Motion-JPEG, and XviD.
Re: FM radio, recorder, voice recorder, yes. Points to Vision:M.
Re: iPod's batter turning red with 2 hours left to go... the battery meter is an estimate, nothing more. If it really bothers you and you can't ignore it, put a piece of black electrical tape over it. My battery meter is fairly accurate, but I've ran my iPod completely dead and charged it up completely 2x since I've bought it. Seems to have helped.
Re: scratching issue.. seems like there were a few people on those engadget posts that were complaining about their Zen (non-vision:M) scratching up pretty bad. My guess is the Vision:M will have the same problems (but that's a guess).
So, summary... If you need a FM radio/recorder, or a voice recorder, or don't want to transcode video you already have in a supported Vision:M format, or have your audio in WMA format, and are willing to deal with the extra width and cost, then the Vision:M might be for you. Be aware that Creative's battery life numbers are even more unapplicable to real-world use than Apple's are (I don't know of anyone that listens to 64kbps music anymore, and who would encode their video at 500kbps MPEG4?).

Zen Vision M - Ipod adap

Anyone know if there is an adapter on the market that will allow you to plug a zen vision M into an IPOD style speaker-system?

I've bought a Zen vision:m by Amazon in USA a brought it to Brazil, and guess: no power adapter. I've mailed Creative because in the manual, on page 4, the customer is instructed to fully charge the bateries by using a power adapter. The answer was a list of what I should get in the box, and the list does not include the power adapter.
So I think that at a first moment it was included and later on Creative decided to exclude it but did not update their instalation manual.
The power input in the ZVM is for 5V-DC and I have on 5V adapter. But to make sure I will use it right I would like to know whether the adapter provided by Creative has the negati've pole at the external ou in the internal part of the output jack.
If someone who has the adapter and has a multimeter could check this for me I would appreciate.
sampaio

Zen Vision M VS Video Ipod

I've been wondering what the lucky ones that already have bought a Zen Vision M think of it ?I got to upgrade my Ipod Photo and was wondering if i should either go for the Ipod Video or Zen Vision M. Both look like they are good players and i've purchased quite a few models from Creative but resorted to go with the ipod cause size does matter to me plus I must say the interface from what my ZEN NX was a fabulous upgrade. But now I wonder if i should jump back with Creative. I know the ZEN NX is outdated and wanted to know how the new model compared to the 5G Ipod. I understand that few already have one in their hands so I thought this would be the best place to ask.
I've looked alot on the net for comparaison websites and i've found so far just one here that gives a Ipod 5G VS Creative Zen Vision M review. Anyone got another more complete website perhaps ? Or perhaps one of you first hand tried both ?Would love to have an honest and unbiased advice.thanks!

Vinnie

Well, if size is important to you, then the iPod 30GB is your best choice. The new 30GB iPod is less than half an inch thick, which makes the Zen Vision: M nearly twice as thick. The 60GB iPod is only as thick as the iPod mini was.
The Zen Vision: M claims twice as much battery life for video as the 30GB iPod, using 500kbps MPEG-4. Apple's battery life rating is based on H.264 video encoded at 768kbps for video and 28kbps audio. That's nearly 900kb
ps.
Apple always bases their battery life claims off of what they sell at the iTunes Music Store, and that is what the video they sell is encoded at.
The iPod DOES support H.264 video. The Zen Vision: M does not. This means that you can get a video down to about 480kbps (384 video 96 audio). Go here http://www.videora.com/en-us/Converter/iPod/ and test it out for yourself. Video at that bitrate looks fantastic. Much much much better than WMV, divx/xvid, or standard MPEG-4 at that bitrate. You can get the same quality as xvid/divx, or MPEG-4 at half the bitrate with H.264. WMV is just too bad to even look at when talking about those bitrates.
Get the iPod. Use H.264, get better image quality or the same image quality at lower bitrates with longer battery life. Get a smaller player. Be happy.

APPLE IPOD VIDEO 80 GB$349 VS. ZEN VISION W $

What Would Be The Better Deal? How About Comparisions Between The 2?

Vision W's price is now $300. And to compare them, read the reviews on Cnet.com. Also consider the Zen Vision:M rather than the iPod, it is much better.

Zen Vision:M Defect!! No response from Customer Suppo

I owned zen vision:M for only two days but it gave me hard time. the buttons does not work at all. I've contacted the creative customer support but there is no response, here is the original message that I sent to the customer support:
This is very weird but please let me know if this is just the defect of one product or this is the common defect of Zen Vision M. The problem is like this:
I was lying on the bad while watching video on the player, I felt tired and turn around to the right side and I accidentally pressed a button on the player. Suddenly the light on the button became very dim(usually it is bright blue but it was dim dark blue at the time) and all of the buttons stopped functioning correctly!! The verticle touch pad did not work, the buttons went crazy and totally misfunctioning!! Luckily I bought a wired remote and when I tried to use it to control the player it worked. Seemed that it was the player itself that was not working. I tried to fix it and after I put the player in different directions and shaked it and randomly pressed the buttons, it went back to normal. The bad thing is, the next day this situation happened again -- when I lied on bed watching video and turned around and pressed some buttons, the player went nuts!! The only difference was that this time it took me much more time to get it back to normal and I don't know why and how I got it bad and got it work. 

That is the description of the problem, God I owned the player for only two days and it gave me twice the weird experience, which I never want to experience again!! My guess is there might be some welds on the circuit that are not properly soldered. 

Please give me a solution on it as soon as possible, so that I have time to decide if I am going to keep this player or return it. It is 3:30 in the morning and the player made me mad.

I do not comment on this but if anyone sees this message you can think it yourself. Anybody give me an advise, should I exchange for a new one or should I consider for an ipod.

The same thing has happened to me. I have not called Creative yet because I wanted to check here before to see if anyone has had the same problem. I turned it on this morning and none of the buttons were working correctly. Let me know if you get a response and what the solution is.

MAJOR Zen Vision: M 30GB PROBLE

First, when trying to recover my computer after some problems, the software no longer worked with my ZEN. I didn't want to install another Service Pack and potentially lose everything else I had, so I just started using Windows Media Player to add music. No problem. Here's where the fun began.
The other night, while playing music, my player froze while shuffling to another song. I mean, it froze in the middle of shifting from one song to another. I had never seen that before. I was concerned when I saw it, but I figured I would just restart and everything would come back up. After it "rebuilt" the library, I was surprised (to say the least) to see that my player had reverted back to the original factory settings. Playlists, videos, pictures and music were all gone according to the player. Yet, when I went to MUSIC LIBRARY, all the albums were there but the artwork was gone. When you would play a song, the screen just read "Select Music to PLAY from the Music Library" as if no music was on the player. Very odd, but it can't get any worse than that, right? Read on.
After a couple of days of this, I finally decided to see what I could do to fix it. I connected the Zen to my computer, only to not have it recognized at all, and, freeze after 2 minutes each & everytime after I reboot/restore. I've found the XNJB program for my iMac instead of changing the whole system around on my PC, and it looks like this would work beautifully with the ZEN. Therefore, what I'm looking for is a way to completely reformat the Zen without the aid of a computer. I would use the new Rescue tool, but since my PC doesn't recognize it, that doesn't help me.
I fought it for so long, but Steve Jobs & Apple have finally won me over. I installed music on a friend's 80GB iPod and pretty much fell in love. I will miss the FM radio and voice recorder on the ZEN, but its a small price to pay for FREE SUPPORT (are you listening, Creative?) and tons of official & aftermarket accessories. Once all of my options are gone, and I have no choice but to turn to Creative for help, pay for their "support", send back my Zen, etc., I will purchase an 80GB iPod for what I paid for a 30GB ZEN Vision: M. Creative, I gave you a try, and I always support the underdog, but Apple's on top for a reason.
I've already paid for Creative's help which was anything but helpful, so I'm leaving it up to everyone out there. If anyone has any ideas on what I can do to try and recover this $300 paperweight on my desk, please let me know at: [email protected]
Thanks!
- garrett
[email protected]
PS - Should I get the 80GB iPod Classic or the iPod Touch? I know there's 0X the storage space on the classic, but the iPod touch has Wi-Fi web browsing. Let me know!
[email protected] Edited by gdizzle on 0-0-20080:9 AM

Warranty? You can sell it to someone too. Ebay might work!
I would get the 80GB classic. The touch doesn't have as much storage and I think the price is just ridiculous.
Good luck with your search!!
(did you contact costumer support to see if they could fix your Zen?)

Zen Vision M 30GB & Playdock Z

After my IRIVER 6GB H0 died during a firmware upgrade I decided to look to the market for its replacement. I wanted more memory & to buy from a company that (in my view) put effort & resourses into after sales as well as new sales. Didn't fancy IPOD - due to (what I consider to be) restricti've practices. So after a bit of research creative seemed a natural contender - in fact the only one that seemed to offer IPOD-like-specificaction for the price. I've had the Zen Vision M for about a month - all I have to say is that it is brilliant:
Reliable<
Fantastic sound - for a condensed music format<
I prefer the chunky case - makes it more durable & harder to loose<
Works brilliantly in the car stereos - thanks to the much higher output volume than the IRIVER<
Mine is black. I've had no trouble with scratching - although i did buy the Creative leather case on the day I got the player & I never leave it 'naked' in my pocket<
I've so far put about 00 albums, 500 photos & 50 videos (from my digital camera) on it & am only scratching the surface of the memory capacity<
I find the?controls much better than the IPOD wheel (one of my kids has got a Nano - which is very good also)<
The menu is completely intuiti've. I quite like picking a single artist or gendre that I might have several albums from, pressing play & letting play for a few hours!<
Dead easy to upgrade the (brilliant) software & firmware?- & I'm no techy. <
I thought that was as good as it was going to get. I was wrong. I managed to track down the Playdock Z500. This was a bit of a challenge - as they seemed to sold out everywhere on the internet (in the UK) & no shops seemed to have them. Near to London's Oxford Street is Tottenham Court Road, this seems to?be countries best place for electonic gizmos. There are about 30+ shops in a short stretch of road. Having been in and out of?about 0 of these, I struck?Lucky. After a quick 'barter' to agree the price?- as is the practice in the road, I left the shop a proud owner of the play dock.
What first struck me was the weight. This is not?a flimsy peice of kit. When I got it home & put it all together the results were fantastic. A few key points:
The speakers have a built in subwoofer round the back & a base knob that you can adjust. At a deafening full volume, apart from potentially upsetting the neighbours, the house was filled with sound there was no distortion. For a small system this certainly?'punches well above its weight'.<
The Z500 has a video out, so I can see the pictures, videos & even the menu?from the Vision M on the television when the supplied cable is used. Picture quality much?better than I expected & very satisfactory.<
The remote control that comes with?the speaker is just excellent. Funily enough it is exactly the same moulding as the one used on my?fathers Bose system - & that cost ?900 ($500+?). Not only do you get on/off & volume - but enough buttons to navigate the whole Vison M menu - on your TV if the AV lead is plugged in!<
The?Playdock has a volume knob on the top - plus a 'wide sound' button, which really transforms the sound.<
The speakers on my PC are not vey good - so guess what? That's right, they ended up in the bin & the Playdoc doubles up for this as well!<
Not to mention, this is a very attracti've piece of 'furniture' too! It was on this basis that my wife forgave me buying both items without consultation!<
I've never written a 'review' about anything before. But I was so impressed that I felt I wanted to (I would have been just as quick to complain if I was unhappy).
I hope that someone else finds this posting helpful & find the devices as good as I have.
Pete /02/2007

I own the Zen Vision M 60gb & have just bought the Playdock Z500 which I agree sounds amazing .My question is regarding the remote control . I've managed to do most things on it but I was wondering if you knew how to jump to the A - Z listing down the right side of the screen in artist & track search menus ?On the player you normally would press the edge of the touchpad but on the remote I cant find a way of using the A - Z shortcuts & have to scroll down for what seems like ages!Hope somebody can offer some help?Thanks,?John?

Creative Zen Vision M no longer charges with the wall char

I have had a zen vision M for about 5 months and have never had a problem with it til now. I was listening to it this morning and realised it needed charging so i plugged in the charger as well and all was fine. It seemed to charge for awhile and then it stopped and the charge went backwards. Now every time i plug in the wall charger (that came with the player when i bought it in July 2006) it just shows as being on AC power unless i hold it in a specific position. I have it plugged into my computer at the moment and it seems to be charging. the blue light is on and the battery is showing as charging.How do i know if its a problem with my charger or not - i tried my PSP charger as i had seen that in some posts on here and the same thing happened. I think its something internal. I don't want to send it anywhere as of course its out of warranty and i don't want to pay for anything.Anyone have any ideas. I read something about firmware fixing battery charging ability but then it wipes out FM recording - not that i use it that much but i still use it.Anyway im wondering if anyone has any ideas or if anyone else has had the same problem. I searched high and low but i could only find people with charging problems when they first bought the units.Any help would be appreciated as i like to listen to it at work and my work computer won't accept my player as im not an administrator so i can't install it etc. I need to be able to charge it either at home or at work so i can listen to it. Thanks for your time in advance, i really hope someone can help me as i love this groovy player and i just lectured my sister the other day on how much better than an ipod it is and now it goes and does this. Thanks again

It seems to have fully charged. I left it on while i went out and it now says it has full battery although it still seems to be charging. Does that mean there could be a problem with the AC charger slot on the adapter? Is there any way to buy a new adapter? if that seems to be the problem. If i upgrade to the latest firmware can i go back to the original if necessary?

Creative Zen Vision M out of stock in Cana

Hello guys,
Just wondering whether there is any place where there is Creative Zen Vision M MP3 players, I have ordered with Dell and they have promised me that it is coming "soon" several times . Futureshop is out of stock, so as BestBuy. What happened to all the stock in Canada? When are we expecting them to come out again? Thanks!Message Edited by zhuanyi on 06-2-2006 0:53 AM

I got mine yesterday in So Cal at Frys Electronic. They had all the colors..... I had the same problem. I called Creatri've and they told me they did'nt think they would sell so many. Sounds like the place I work for LOL. Lets see you will best of show at CES and you don't think you will sell a tun? I wanted to buy from the creative store but they have been out for a long time. I think they have them now.
Bill
PS OMG this thing is so awesome. Way better then the Ipod.

Creative Zen Vision M 30gb and Vista.

Is there a way to get a Creative Zen Vision M 30gb to work on a Vista computer? It will save me buying my son a new MP3 player. Thanks.

I've been in touch with Creative support for over a week now but so far without success. Every time I download links they suggest I still can't access Creative Media Explorer, I just keep getting this error message:-
"The Creative Media Explorer that is compatible with this device is not installed. Please reinstall the application and try again"
This has included deleting all previously installed Crteati've files as well as downloading in a 'Clean Boot'. I've also rebooted my Zen Vision M.
At this rate I'll have to bin the Zen and look at an ipod:manmad:

Creative Zen Vision M question!

Creative Zen Vision M question!?Hey guys, I'm not from US but I hope you will understand my english anyway .
So here's my question:
Is there any legal way to get one of "creative zen vison m" players? I prefer new products... 60gb would be awesome..
Since Im fed up with Apple and got already n Touch i simply want a player with a good capacity and just to listen to music... and i pretty much liked the creative zen vision m player... more than any new product from creative... all of em are more like multimedia and not "classy"....
Furthermore I just find the product over google at customers site... if i browse all mp3players from creative I cant find the product i want.... It would be awesome if anyone knows a way to get a new one of these... and it would be kickass if it could get delieverd to EU/Austria
At the end, thx for all the upcoming posts n answers and a picture of the desired product:
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://img.tomshardware.com/de/2006/02/06/zen_vision_m_creative_antwort_auf_den_ipod/vision02.jpg"]http://img.tomshardware.com/de/2006/02/06/zen_vision_m_creative_antwort_auf_den_ipod/vision02.jpg[/url]

really? :/ I dont like ebay and would prefer a new product... is there no other solution? Like writing to the customers and make out a good price for em to get a new of zen vision m?
Otherwise, i know it doesnt fit here, but does any knows an "classy" player with about 30-60gig... like ipod classic, just for music n maybe photos... I dont need any multimedia .. got touch already...
If anyone knows a good one which looks nice post here, would be awesome
(I hope asking for other brands is allowed :S, otherwise sorry)

Zen Vision M problem (30

My mp3 was working fine, could ocnnect no problems and put videos and music on it ect, then all of the sudden one day i turned it on and it told me i had to rebuild it, i didn't think much of it cause this had occasionally happened to me before..i let it rebuild and i went to look for a specific song and it was gone, i looked for other recent songs i had added from the same artist and cd and they were gone too, along with some other songs. everytime i turned it on from there i got a rebuilding thing, then i tried to watcha? video about a week later and in my list of videos it said thata ll my folders had 0 files in it, but when i went to system info, it said i still had like 25 gigs or so of space taken up from all the videos, but it still had the oflders and info, but no video. when i connect my mp3 player to my PC, it days it is docked and connected, it charges, but my PC will not recognice it. i tried it on my other computer too which i installed the software on when i got it and it would not connect there either. basicly i cant connect my player to add new music/videos, all my videos are what seems to be corrupt, music randomly gets deleted, and i have to "rebuild" everytime i turn on my player. i tried the recovery program today but that too would not detect my player, and people told me when you hold down the reset button you can go into a recovery mode or something and that does not work either...what should i do? is there a way to fix this? or am i screwed and i just need to go get an ipod or something?

anyone can to help me?
i have formated my creative zen vision M .. and checked with kaspersky if i had viruses on my creative hard dri've !!
?----> nothing !
i have reinstalled all creative tools
when i copy paste a file on my "video files "
I have this message :?
The file type is not supported by this mobile device. If it is a multimedia file, you may be converted into a file visible through the windows media player before the transfer. do you want to ignore this files now?and when i use media explorer ----> sometimes i have this message " unknow mistake "?please help me to find a solution !!?thx

Zen Vision M vs iPod 3

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