Zen Vision: M Vs Ipod Video

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Blade_Runner

Blade_Runner

Forerunner
I am looking to buy a portable video/mp3 player soon (hopefully tomorrow). Narrowed down to the Creative Zen Vision: M and the Ipod Video. Now from the little research i've done today, i find the Zen Vision to be a better overall deal than the Ipod. Reasons mainly being:

1) Better battery life.

2) 262k screen vs the 65k screen on the ipod.

3) None of the draconion restrictions for end users that comes with the ipod.

4) Vision supports divx, xvid, mpeg-1,2,4 against the h.264 and mp4 for ipod.

The only factors i am worried about are the size factor so i need inputs from Vision users regarding this. Also are there any issues w.r.t. viewing videos from a higher angle.

Any other recommendation and advice would be welcome...........A mention of the prices would be welcome as well.

Edit: I am also worried about the scratch magnet issue on the Zen. Any comments on that would be appreciated.
 
If the size doesn't bother you and you're OK with telling people that the ZVM isn't an "ipod" (:rofl:), go for ZVM. If size does matter, ipod 6G(the new one with Better battery life et al)...
 
akshitmohan said:
If the size doesn't bother you and you're OK with telling people that the ZVM isn't an "ipod" (:rofl:), go for ZVM. If size does matter, ipod 6G(the new one with Better battery life et al)...
Click to expand...
Size shouldn't be a problem if the player fits my jeans pocket. And i don't give a damn about ignorant fanbois :P. About the 6th gen ipods i've no idea if they've hit the streets yet.
 
Get the Zen vision M, although the newer model's don't support recording from FM, which was a really useful feature :(
 
@Nikhil: Read both Fried's and Vince's reviews.

@thexfactor: Are you sure this with regarding a newer firmware update or has there been a revision of the Zen Vision ?

Prices would be appreciated people :)
 
Dunno about India, but was told that the ones shipping in US come the new firmware installed.

Edit : The Creative page doesn't mention anything about FM recording either ZEN Vision:M
 
Umm, Blade, you will have a tough time trying to stuff the ZVM into your jeans' pocket ... The 30gig ipod only just about "fits" .... so go for the pod ...
 
Hmm...... Will check it out myself tomorrow. Also anything worth waiting for, Zune or anything from the stables of I-River, Sony etc ?
 
hey man the creative zen vision m latest firmware update knocks of the FM recording, though im sure if you look hard enough you will find a patch for that

apart from that the new firmware not only does it allow you to play the highly rated songs but adds up a lot of new features like increasing your battery life.

wat i love is creative keeps coming up with firmware updates some useful some that make no sense like new language packages

but if u ask me i say go for the zen it is a bit bulky, but its worth every penny i paid for it.....

dude not just firmware even the video conversion softwares etc......if you wanna read more about the firmware updates etc

The World as We Know It: Updating the Zen Vision M Firmware
yeah and dont buy a silicon cover it justs ends upscrewing your zen finish.......
 
If you want your player primarily for video playback then only consider zen vision m.Its that simple!!! Video playback on the ipod sucks big time.Videos appears washed out and it doesn't even support a majority of formats. Creative supports most formats which saves you a lot of time by not having to convert all of your video.The only thing it doesn't support is MP4.It also normalizes the volume of every track played, so that each plays at the same volume(a really great feature!!).

Downside is creative is removing FM recording support from its players through firmnware updates.Also the zen vision m is scratch prone.The same was the case with ipods...don't know if the newer versions are as scratch resistant as has been claimed.Also it doesn't provide any gapless playback,comes with Proprietary Video Cable and a user interface which is at-times sluggish.

If you are buying the zen vision then get the white model.Scratches aren't that obvious in the white one compared to the blackies!
 
Dunno how i missed this thread..

Dude, you've stated the advantages of the ZVM clearly :D

FM recording is removed with the latest firmware. though you can find older firmware to add this feature..
scratches are a problem, but get a good cover :|

and i dont think it'll fit so perfectly into your jeans pocket :|

chk www.anythingbutipod.com :)
 
Even though it's fashionable to bash the iPod...Having owned and used several MP3 players, perhaps more than anyone else on TE (iPod Photo, nano, Video, iRiver PMP120, Rio Carbon, Creative MuVo), All I'll say is this...Though the iPod may not have the best features, nor any particular area (except 1) that it excels in, but is single biggest advantage is this:

it simply blends in with your lifestyle

Once the initial charm of the new MP3 player has worn out (1 week-4 weeks at max), all you want your player to do is to simply be a Music player as unobtrusively as possible....And thats where the ipod excels...

It may not have the jhing-bang features that a iRiver PMP has, nor does it huge range of user customizable settings to play with (After all we all love to fiddle with the menu & settings when we get a new gizmo)

But once the player is more than a month old, all you want it to do is this:

- When I get out of the house in the morning, it houses my entire music collection perfectly synced with my media PC

- When I want to switch from a Metallica track to a Iron Maiden number in the less than 15seconds breather at the traffic light, it should easily let me do that

And these two attributes are why I would never pick up the iriver or the creative when I leave my house in the morning...they, and esp. the linux based iriver are the perfect toys to flaunt in front of your g33k friend gang while the blasé and bland iPod has minimal g33k quotient , but that very reason makes it the perfect lifestyle companion
 
^ I agree with czar, I was also in the ipod-bashing bandwagon, but after using the 80-gigger Ipod, am all for it (will buy one soon).The videos on it are alright and I dont notice much difference between it and the Vision:M.Also, it is thinner than the visionM and size matters more to me.The main disadvantage with VisionM is its size, its too friggin bulky to be carried around.I'd prefer an 80 gigger Ipod anyday over it.
 
^^ One more thing, the Video thingie, whether on the iPod or the Zen is another new toy gimmick that you'll play around for a week or two...The limitations (small screen and paltry runtime on the battery) will not allow any long term practical usage of the Video playback function....Eventually, any Mp3 player is just a music player...no more, no less ...

And IMHO, a portable music player should be as simple to use as possible!
 
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