Customer Reviews

Creative Zen Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (White)

5 star:		(623)
4 star:		(206)
3 star:		(60)
2 star:		(54)
1 star:		(106)

 

 

I've had my Zen M for about 2 months now so I think I have a good feel for what it's pros and cons are. Here you go:

Pros: Beautiful and Bright Screen (displays thousands of more colors than the Ipod video by the way). Even at 50% brightness (which is default setting out of the box) it looks bright!

Ability to Customize most of the features. This includes being able to set your own photos for the wallpaper, custom equilizer, custom brightnes setting, custom shortcut button, organization of folders(audio, photo, video folders)...etc.

Great Sound! This isn't a surprise because Creative develops sound hardware/software like soundcards.

Good User Interface: The thumb scroller interface takes a few days to get used to, then it's pretty user friendly. You can customize the sensitivity of it too.

Ability to play lots of different video files like Divx and Mpg4.
This was a big selling point for me. The screen is perfect for watching cartoons and anime on.

Good Size. I'm refering to it's physical size. It's actually the perfect size and feels great in your hand. Still pocketable and still feels rock solid and not fragile.

Displays Album cover art! I had trouble with this function in the beginning only because in order to get it to display the album art correctly, you need to rip the Cd album with a program that automatically downloads album info including art. One program that does this is Windows Media Player.

--For the techies that don't want to re-rip everything to get the album art to display, just download a small jpeg image of the album cover that is about 150 by 150 pixels, rename it folder.jpg, make it a hidden file and place it in the folder of the correct album. When you move it to your player it will ask you whether you want to move it to the photo folder, make sure you select "no" and leave it where it is.

Cons: There isn't a lot about this player that is negative. But one aspect which is really annoying is that to charge it or plug it to the computer you have to use this tiny seperate adapter that comes in the box. It's the white adapter/attachment that looks like a dock connector. What the heck were they thinking! I have to carry the separate item everywhere I go just in case I need to charge it or upload music. It sucks man! Why the heck didn't they just build all of the ports into the player itself!!
Also, they should've included the video output cable instead of selling it separately! Or at least made it use a standard video cable! Also, the battery is not removable... at least not meant to be.

These are the only reasons why I gave this player 4 out of 5 stars. Otherwise I would have given 5 out of 5! All in All this player really rocks and is worth every penny! ... and is a much better buy then the "other" competition out there.

Hope this is helpful to you guys. If it is, please give me a vote. Thanks!

For more electronics and technology reviews, visit my site at:
http://newtechnews.blogspot.com/

I had ordered one of the players as a gift for a family member, then realized how difficult it appeared to get them, so I ordered another from a second source.

I received the first unit as promised. I immediately started loading this on it. It's a little thicker than the iPod, but I actually like how it feels in my hand better (IMHO). The screen is beautiful, the file formats that are supported are great, the integration with WMP10 and the on-line stores is certainly better than the iPod. I just love it. I loved it so much, that when the second unit arrived, I decided to keep it for myself :)

I have used iPod many times before and I do like them. But they can coexist and the competition will make all the players better. If you love the iPod's great. Again, I like them too, but right now I would pick this player. I have synched up CD music, on-line songs, even a bunch of my TiVo shows (via Tivo To Go TTG). I have taken those shows and played them directly on my TV too (with an A/V cable).

The currently availability of accessories is a bit frustrating, but livable - I am sure it will not match or surpass the iPod in that respect.

Like the iPod and other devices like this the screen scratches pretty easily. I immediately bought some Palm protectors and cut them to fit. I have customer shields ordered (from theinvisibleshield.com) but this will do for now.

This FM radio works fine. I personally like one integrated. It doesn't take any more space and it's nice on rare occasion. I have read other reviews that say having the FM radio is a "negative" of this player. Huh? Why? If you don't want it, just don't use it.

There is a reason why this little player just won the overall best of the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Even my friends that have iPods snap their heads when they see this. But again, this shouldn't be a religious discussion of iPods vs. non-iPods. Buy what you like best and suits your use.

This one suits mine. I am even thinking about buying a third one. Why? I don't want to share mine (or my wife's) with the kids LOL

Is the Vision:M a 5th generation (video)iPod clone? You bet... right down to the little green battery charge indicator in the upper right corner. Is it better than the 5th generation iPod? In my mind there's no contest, but there are trade-offs. Judge for yourself.

Creative Vision:M, why is it better?
-Plays DivX and XviD video, as well as WMV-9 and MPEG1/2/4.
-Higher color screen (262,144 colors vs 65,000 colors)
-Natively plays MP3, WMA and WAV, without conversion.
-Better signal-to-noise ratio under same frequency response.
-Longer battery life (approx 4 hours video playback vs iPod's 2 hours)
-Includes AC charger.
-FM Radio/ Recorder.
-Voice Recorder.
-Compatible with popular music services, like Napster.
-Customizable menu, with background image.
-Organizer features Outlook sync support; Contacts, Calendar & Tasks.
-Colors blue, green, and pink are also available.
-The back side isn't made out of scratch magnets like the iPod.
-Natively acts as external hard drive in Windows.

Apple iPod 5th Generation, why is it better?
-Slimmer. iPod - 0.43in / Vision:M - 0.7in.
-Lighter. iPod - 4.8oz / Vision:M - 5.7oz.
-Clickwheel is still the preferred navigation input for many.
-Lots of first and third party accessories available.
-60GB version also available.
-iTunes support.
-30 USD cheaper.

If you're in the market for a 30GB player and you're considering the 5th generation iPod, give the Creative Vision:M a serious look. If your friends ask you why you bought a "generic iPod," you can tell them with pride all the reasons why the iPod simply wasn't good enough for you.

For those of you looking to read something with substance, here's a review from someone who actually owns both an Ipod and Zen Vision M and has used the Ipod Video.

I've been looking for a feature rich portable media player (PMP or PVP) and was about to jump on an Ipod Video when I saw the press release for the Vision M in December. I already own a regular 4G ipod and loved it. The clickwheel made using it so easy. I borrowed a Video Ipod from a co-worker and was impressed with the video capabilities; however I really wanted something with FM radio and better video codec compability.

The early reviews of the Vision were fairly positive, but had a few bugs like video buffer issues and no on the go playlists, but both are now fixed via new firmware. The clincher was CNET's awarding it the Best In Show at the 2006 CES. For a reputable site to recommends this as best in show over the hundreds of other new devices says a lot.

Ok, on to the real review.....

I purchased the Black Vision M and the two things that stand out is the clean front layout and thickness. It is about .7 inches thick so it's signficantly thicker than the Ipod. Although I would prefer the slim shape of the Ipod, the thicker Vision M was fine as it still fits in my pocket comfortably and is quite snug in my hand. The instructions require you to do two things first:
1) Update Quicktime if it's version 7.0 through 7.0.2 before installing Creative's software
2) Charge it up first using the AC adapter which only takes about 2 hours (great advantage over Ipod)

User Interface and Slide Touchpad:
The software is pretty straight forward and so is using the menu system on the Vision M. The slide touchpad takes a little getting used and I have to admit the Ipod clickwheel is much easier to use. However, it does have its advantages. You are able to very quickly scan though large song lists by holding down at the top or bottom of the touchpad. Alternatively the user interface allows you to search alphabetically via song, albums, artists, and genre. This is something I wish the Ipod had as going round and round on the clickwheel sometimes gets old if you're looking for something in particular. The touchpad also doubles as a previous/next or rewind/fast forward button by pressing it the left or right respectively.

Additionally, there are four buttons located around the touchpad: Play/Pause, Context Menu (Options), Back, and Custom Shortcut where you can set it to whatever you want (almost, you have a list of options). These buttons light up in aqua blue which is nice for night time use.

Sound
So how's the sound quality? Very good! The headset that comes with the Vision is slightly better than the average as they fit snug in your ear and have good response. In my opinion, both the sound quality of the Ipod and Vision M are good, but the Vision M is slightly better. Additionally you can enhance your listening experience with the built in preset or custom equalizer and bass boost options. I only wish it saved more than one custom equalizer setting. Be careful when using bass boost as doing this combined with boosting the low end using the equalizer may distort the sound.

Oh, did I mention you can bookmark your music so you can pick up where you last left off which is something the Ipod doesn't do.

Other info
Radio: Very very good. your headphones is used as the antenna and the reception is very good. You are able to preset up to 32 stations (including renaming them) manually or thought the auto seek option. You also have a signal strength bar (similar to ones found on cellphones)

Video: The player's codec supports DivX4/5, XviD5, MPEG-1/2/4SP, and WMV9 as well as Motion-JPEG. The included software will convert your videos to the proper codec and resolution including cropping if you so desire. My only complaint is the 4-6 seconds of wait time when you start playing, but since this is a hard drive based device, it's understandable. Oh yeah, you can even password protect files from viewing.

Screen: Excellent, the 2.5" screen is bright and the colors are vivid; it's capable of displaying up to 262,000 colors. Easily better than the Ipod Video which I thought was good to begin with.

Pictures: The viewer allows you to choose from specified folder and displays contents in a 5 x 4 format. You then pick the one you want to see via touchpad and then you have the option of zooming in. Again, colors are vivid and you can even get picture details (via context button).

Miscellaneous features:
Voice Recording, Custom Wallpaper, Sync your Outlook Calendar option, Button lock (disables the touchpad and buttons), song and picture rating, Play music while viewing pictures, Compatible with Windows Media Player 10, 6 hours of video battery life, Smart Playlists (higher rated songs play back more frequently I think), Smart Volume (Normalizes volume of all songs), Video Out, power saving options, and PlaysforSure compatibility.

Weakness:
So what keeps me from giving this unit a 5 star rating?

An overly sensitive touchpad (should get better as I get more used to it), lack of accessories at this time, lack of a removable battery, lack of lyrics display support, can't do anything with it when docked to the PC, separate 3 in 1 dongle for USB, AC connectivity and Video Out. Overall these are fairly minor complaints.

In summary, if you just need a decent mp3 player with video and photo capabilities, then the Ipod is a fine choice. For those searching for a more feature rich player, this is an excellent option. This item is selling well and I hope that translates to more accessories for this wonderful player.

I have thoroughly enjoyed using this player and hope you find this review informative.

I've had my Zen M for about 2 months now so I think I have a good feel for what it's pros and cons are. Here you go:

Pros: Beautiful and Bright Screen (displays thousands of more colors than the Ipod video by the way). Even at 50% brightness (which is default setting out of the box) it looks bright!

Ability to Customize most of the features. This includes being able to set your own photos for the wallpaper, custom equilizer, custom brightnes setting, custom shortcut button, organization of folders(audio, photo, video folders)...etc.

Great Sound! This isn't a surprise because Creative develops sound hardware/software like soundcards.

Good User Interface: The thumb scroller interface takes a few days to get used to, then it's pretty user friendly. You can customize the sensitivity of it too.

Ability to play lots of different video files like Divx and Mpg4.
This was a big selling point for me. The screen is perfect for watching cartoons and anime on.

Good Size. I'm refering to it's physical size. It's actually the perfect size and feels great in your hand. Still pocketable and still feels rock solid and not fragile.

Displays Album cover art! I had trouble with this function in the beginning only because in order to get it to display the album art correctly, you need to rip the Cd album with a program that automatically downloads album info including art. One program that does this is Windows Media Player.

--For the techies that don't want to re-rip everything to get the album art to display, just download a small jpeg image of the album cover that is about 150 by 150 pixels, rename it folder.jpg, make it a hidden file and place it in the folder of the correct album. When you move it to your player it will ask you whether you want to move it to the photo folder, make sure you select "no" and leave it where it is.

Cons: There isn't a lot about this player that is negative. But one aspect which is really annoying is that to charge it or plug it to the computer you have to use this tiny seperate adapter that comes in the box. It's the white adapter/attachment that looks like a dock connector. What the heck were they thinking! I have to carry the separate item everywhere I go just in case I need to charge it or upload music. It sucks man! Why the heck didn't they just build all of the ports into the player itself!!
Also, they should've included the video output cable instead of selling it separately! Or at least made it use a standard video cable! Also, the battery is not removable... at least not meant to be.

These are the only reasons why I gave this player 4 out of 5 stars. Otherwise I would have given 5 out of 5! All in All this player really rocks and is worth every penny! ... and is a much better buy then the "other" competition out there.

Hope this is helpful to you guys. If it is, please give me a vote. Thanks!

For more electronics and technology reviews, visit my site at:
http://newtechnews.blogspot.com/

As a two-year owner of an iPod, i got absolutely sick and tired of my mp3 player becoming increasingly incompatible with just about everything. The more time that passed, the more times i lost everything on the iPod and the more i found myself shaking my head.

i bought the zen vision:m about a week ago, and i have been amazed by it since it's been in my possession. i like to refer to it as an iPod without the bull****. i think the fact that people complain about its size, its menu interface and its reliability is a complete joke.

I find the size to be just right for this device, very comparable to the 20 GB iPod i have owned for the last few years. it's a solid piece of equipment (scratches easy, don't even mess around just buy a case for it. there are plenty now.) The menu interface is quite reminiscent of the ipod's (which is a good thing), with a few excellent updates. it has a feature while browsing the media library that enables you to scroll to a specific letter rather than scroll through everything...very handy for large libraries. the touchpad that for some reason people are complaining about in their reviews has given me no trouble. it's not a click wheel...so what? get over it folks. it functions almost exactly the same, except it has a rapid scroll function which comes in handy. it has three sensitivity settings, so there is really no reason to complain about its sensitivity. also a clutch addition is the shortcut button. randomize all songs? one touch. whatever you want. one touch. great stuff.

the screen itself is just what it advertises. it's awesome. i find it playing back videos at exactly the quality they should be, colors are right on. no fuzziness or lines in the video. i haven't had a compatibility problem yet, something all you iPod clowns (i can say that because i have been one myself) can't say. good luck getting a DivX video onto your ipod without going to nerdcentral.com to figure it out, and then you're still going to have a decreased quality video. apple is shooting itself in the foot by purposely not making their great product compatible. the zen vision:m is compatible with just about every music service there is...iPods don't have a chance with anything besides itunes. not to mention the zen is compatible with just about every media file you could want to put on your mp3 player.

the one complaint i have with it is that you can't play the files directly off the player when it's plugged in. however, this is on the other hand an extremely smart security measure they have taken because it prevents your files from being mistakenly deleted, which is something that EVERY iPod owner goes through at least once. it sucks, and this prevents it. i still wish i could play them through winamp though...

IF YOU WANT AN MP3 PLAYER, STOP WHAT YOURE DOING AND BUY THIS ONE NOW. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. meanwhile, i'm going to start an anti-apple movement...
see ya.

Ive been in the process of buying a mp3 player and spent countless hours researching the best of the best, trying to get the biggest bang for the buck...look no further.. The Creative Zen Vision: M has a 30GB hard drive thats able to store up to "15,000 songs", "120 hours of video", and "tens of thousands of photos". It also has a FM radio (with the ability to record songs off the radio), a calender, contact list, and task menu (of which all can be synched with Microsoft Outlook).
I have to admit, im not a real big fan of the ipod..tis a product for the followers of the glorious (only people who want to seem cool buy it). I, myself, love to be different (and still like to look good doing it) so when i saw this product, the features, the PRICE...i knew this was the perfect player...
I was skeptical at first, reading some of the other reviews...complaints about problems with freezing, minor things like- "the buttons are too hard to push", "ive only gotten 11-12 hours of music", and other such stupidity... The Creative Zen Vision: M has a 4.5 rating on Amazon whereas the Ipods have only 4 stars...i mean, whats up with that? If you look at reviews for this product you'll probably see some really dumb ones...like this one posted by an Ipod freak-

"Why settle for less, when you can get a brand new original iPod Video 60GB for Free! I got mine from this web site: bestfreeproducts.info/ipod-video"

What was that?! The Ipod people are getting scared...lol.. Anyway, i got mine and have had it for a week and it works PERFECT! No freezing, no glitches, perfect sound quality, the easiest, most user-friendly software EVER, a great scroll pad for selecting music!

Ok, now here's the real meat of this review:

The great things the Creative Zen Vision: M has-
1. GREAT battery life
2. A multitude of colors (262,144 vivid colors ), making images clearer and sharper
3. 30GB of memory...whats not to love about that?
4. FM radio...a nice plus for those random moods
5. FM radio recorder
6. Can store videos and photos in addition to the music
7. Can create playlists and slideshows using the awesome Creative Zen Mdeia Explorer
8. Media can easily be dragged and dropped into player
9. Can buy an AV cable to hook up to tv to play videos and slideshows
10. Voice recorder
11. Calender and such
12. Scroll button (the controls in general)
13. Price...Ipod-299.99
Creative Zen Vision: M- 268.99 Obvious choice?
14. Display (has a clock, time left panel, and the ability to change color themes to go with the background picture)
15. Oh...duh, you can set your own background picture

Some bad things-
1. Have to convert files in order for player to read them (but the Zen Media Explorer software that comes with it will ask if you would like to convert and will do it for you)
2. Have to buy case and charger (if you want to charge from a wall outlet) charging from a wall outlet takes 2hours vs. the 6.5 hours it takes to charge by computer
3. The black color of the player makes scratches more visible...get a CASE!

Ok, another important part...what the package from Amazon includes (some reviews are deceiving so id like to set them straight)-

1. Creative Zen Vision: M
2. Software
3. Adapter (for charging on computer and transferring files)
4. USB cable
5. Earphones
6. Pouch (it is what it is, a simple leather pouch...Best Buy sells a nice holder with belt clip on their website)

It DOES NOT come with the power adapter to charge by way of wall outlets...it DOES NOT come with AV cable

Hope that this review will be as helpful to you and clear as possible..the last thing you need when trying to make a investment involving a good sum of money is to have confusing reviews...

Since most of the reviews of this product are either a) out-of-date or b) really more of a review of amazon's shipping techniques, I felt it necessary to write a cohesive, up-to-date review of this product.

Summary:

The Creative Zen Vision:M is a multi-award-winning mp3 player for good reason. CNet, one of the market's leading reviewers, gave this the award for Best In Show in the Mp3 and Portable Video Category, as well as the Best of CES and Editor's Choice award, all for 2006. The Apple iPod Video was one of the other products reviewed. Overall, the Creative Zen Vision:M is a better product than anything else on the market. And while it did cost more than the iPod originally, the price has come down to equal, giving you few reasons not to buy it.

The Interface:

The interface of the Vision:M is extremely ergonomic and easy to use. The touchpad's sensitivity is easily adjusted and comfortable to navigate through any menu. Holding down on the top or bottom of the touchpad will activate fast scrolling and smaller movements are controlled by running your finger up and down. Selections are made by tapping the touchpad. In addition, the Vision:M has six buttons: One for play/pause, a next/previous arrow on either side of the touchpad, a menu button, a back button, and a customizable shortcut button. In addition, all the menus are fully customizable so you can maximize your own browsing preferences.

The Performance:

The Vision:M's screen is incredible. With six times as many colors as the iPod, the difference is easily visible. I compared the same video clip on my Vision:M to my friend's iPod and could easily tell which screen was better. In addition, the battery life when playing video is up to four times that of the iPod, meaning you can watch feature-length films without charging, and still have enough battery life for hours of music. To test it, I charged the battery fully and then watched The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition with the maximum brightness settings. When the movie was done, I listened to an hour and a half of music before the player ultimately died on me. The sound quality is also supurb - something you can expect from a company that specializes in digital audio equipment (chances are the sound card in your computer was made by Creative).

The Features:

In addition to the features offered by the iPod Video, the Vision:M offers a radio am/fm tuner and a radio/voice recorder. While these may not sound that useful, I've used them more than I thought I would, especially the voice recorder. Another incredible feature the Vision:M offers over the iPod is complete compatibility and integration with Windows. You can transfer songs, tags, and album art from your Windows Media Player library as well as sync a calendar with Outlook to carry with you. It also comes bundled with its own software for transferring files. Unlike the iPod, the Vision:M offers support for a large library of filetypes - where the iPod only supports its own formats and has to reformat your files to make them compatible, the Vision:M rarely (if ever) has to do so - even Xvid/DivX formats will play! Unfortunately for you Mac users, Creative has yet to release a set of drivers for Mac OS, but reports say they're currently developing them.

The Quick Review:

Pros:
Ample battery life
Clear, bright, colorful display
Customizable menus
Ergonomic interface
Comes in five colors
Excellent sound quality
Same price as iPod

Cons:
Slightly thicker than the iPod
Not Mac compatible
Only comes in 30GB - iPod offers a 60GB model
Few accessories (can find more on eBay, ship from overseas)

The Bottom Line:
The iPod comes with a huge culture identification behind it that the Vision:M just doesn't have, so if you're looking to be a part of that culture regardless of the quality of the product, there's no reason not to buy the iPod. It's still a good product. Also if you're looking for a massive library of accessories, the Vision:M isn't for you. But if what you're looking for is a high quality, affordable media player that won't let you down and will consistently outperform the competition, the Vision:M is your best choice.

This is by far the best of the players that I have used. I have a friend with a 30GB Ipod Video and the Creative Zen Vision is way better in my opinion.
First, there is the screen. The Vision just plain looks better and you can clearly see more detail even if you take the same video or movie and put it in both players.

The Vision also plays a variety of different video and audio formats including DIVX and WMV.

Then comes the most important part the sound. I've had a few MP3 players and this one kills them all. If you are a true audiohead as I am you would understand. The only thing is that the earphones that come with it are not your best. If you get a nice pair such as the Shure Inner Ear Noise Cancelling earphones then you are in Audio Heaven. For those that are ipod worshippers I'm not an Ipod hater but again I put this up against the same 30GB ipod Video and the Vision is miles ahead in video and sound quality. It is a little thicker but still looks awesome I have the black and it turns heads wherever I go. You can also use the adaptor with the av out that comes with it as a line out so you get true clear audio. All you do is go into the settings and change that feature. This is a great player to set up in you car especially if you have an in dash dvd player you can just use an AV cable and you're all set. I don't recommend cassette adaptors or FM transmitters unless thats you're only option because line out will give you ultimate experience in sound.

Another great feature of this player is the FM Radio built in. You can actually record a radio show or a song that you like.

The battery life is great. I've watched full length movies and videos.
You get 14 hours of audio and 4 hours of video. Not bad at all.

The only drawbacks I think are that the AC home charger does not come in the package and the slider is a little sensitive but you can change the sensitivity to your liking.

Its a breeze to transfer your music or movie collection to the Vision and you don't even have to install any software. Windows XP picks it up in a second and all you have to do is drag and drop files and create your folders.

I did alot of research before purchasing the Vision and I'm glad I did.
I highly recommend it to anyone that wants a versatile player that can be used with so many different formats as well as many different online music stores so not everyone has to be a slave to Itunes because in my opinion their content is not any better than the others.

I would like to respond to the reviewer below who gave it a one star and is clearly some ipod fanatic club member.

The creatives vision m battery life is better than the ipod video - TRUE take a look at reviews online. The one on CNET.com confirms 15 hours for audio (higher than suggested) and about 4 hours and 11 minutes for video under their test conditions. This is clearly better than ipod's 2 hours battery for video. Add to the fact that creative's screen is more vivid and bright - 262,144 color screen compared to ipod video's 65,000 color screen.

The creative vision m is an ipod killer - TRUE in terms of features and value. The creative zen vision m is only 30$ more. With that 30$ you get: A much more advanced display. You get longer battery life for video. A more wide array of supported video formats (mpeg-1, mpeg-2, mp4, divx, xvid, avi). Also 640x480 resolution is supported by the vision m unlike ipod video which is limited to 320 x 240 resolution. The higher resolution allows the TV output to be much more clearer. You get more audio format support, FM radio, voice recording etc. Basically it does what an ipod video can do plus a few additions and features.

The biggest problem I have with the ipod video (I bought one when it was released) is that it scratches easily. So much so that it will build up on scratches overtime and make the display look deformed. I have not dropped my ipod once and everyday new scratches appear. How could apple sell a product like this? How could any company sell a product like this? So I can go out and shell out more cash for a case? I'll get a case to protect it from scratching from drops not from scratching that happens when I pull it in and out of my pockets.