Hi. I'm an IT professional based in the SE England.
Hi. I'm an IT professional based in the SE England.
Member since:16.10.2004
Reviews:4
Members who trust:1
After several months deciding, I eventually chose the Creative Zen Vision M, over the iPod, Philips and iRiver equivalents. Still not widely available on the High St. (June 2006), so had to buy if off the web (cheaper anyway).
The key features which drew to to buy it were:
- better support of different filetypes (so I understand) - the built-in FM Radio (pity it isn't DAB) - Support for Windows Media Player (which I had used to rip my existing collection to my PC already) - Apparently it has better video quality over Ipod. - Decent capacity of 30GB. Can hold my entire music collection.
Out of the box, it is very easy to get up and running. You need to get it charged, but while it is charging you can start using it. The manual is pretty easy to follow (a pdf version can be downloaded from Creative's website too). Like any other good IT consultant, I decided to update the firmware before loading any tunes on it. This is easily done using an Autoupdate facility on Creative's website. Surprised to see the firmware on my player was only at 1.11.01 so the update brought it up to 1.40.02e, which is quite a jump. Makes me wonder how long it was sat on the shelves before I
got it. However, the firmware update process is simply and quick.
The player comes with a mains power adapter and USB cable (same kind of USB cable as you normally get with a digtal camera). These both connect to the player via a kind of "dongle", which is a small attachment which plugs into the mobile phone-style socket at the base of the player. I guess it would be better if the sockets on the dongle had been incorporated into the player itself, but I suppose that may have made it a bit bigger (the player itself is just a tiny bit bigger than the ipod video). The only connection component which is really proprietry to the player is the dongle - the USB cable and (possibly but maybe not) the power adapter could be replaced with non-creative parts.
There is also a connection on the dongle for an AV cable to play video on a TV, this cable is not included. I tried a standard AV cable (like those which come with a camara) to no avail. So, you clearly need to do as the manual says and buy an official Creative one.
Transferring music and video is easily done using Windows Media Player as it sees the device and swiftly synchronises your music and also the playlists you have created in Media Player (this is really useful). When it comes to transferring video, I found it easier to use the Creative software, which allowed me to easily transfer mpg and avi files. There is also a feature to convert vvarious video files (avi, mpg, dat, mpeg, asf, dvr-ms) into wmv format. The software is very "wizard" based, and fairly idiot-proof.
I have until now only needed to transfer mp3 files, but I know it will also play wmv files, amongst others. Youcan also use the wizard in the Creative software, or WIndows Media Player to rip music directly from CDs to the player.
Music and video playback is great, perfect as far as I am concerned. I like my ears, so I don't put the volume up too loud, but I guess if you want to end up deaf then that possibility is there for you.
The player stores music according to the ID3 tags on the files. You can update the information on these with media player (and the bundled Creative software which I have not tested). This means that you can browse your music by either Album name or Artist Name. This also means that music files on an album are played in the correct order they are on the album, not alphabetical order (such is the way with other players I am told).
Another feature I like is that you can simply tell the player to play all your music at random, at the touch of a button.
The navigation touchpad is OK to use, a bit sensitive for some, and maybe less easy to use than the circular touchpad on the ipod, but it has 3 levels of sensitivity, and I have now found that High is in fact the easiest for me.
The bundled headphones are fine, quality is perfect for my ears. They look a bit like the ipod ones, but slightly less cool.
When connected to a PC via the USB cable, it will charge the battery, unless you are using the mains adapter. Also, it can be used as an external hard disk for your PC (the disk can be partitioned too, so you can reserve capacity for this purpose).
A negative is the fact that there is no proper case with it. It just comes with a cloth pouch. This does at least allow you to carry it around in your bag/pocket, but you can't get at the controls or see the screen so it isn't really a proper mp3 player case. I would recommend buying a silicone case or something, ideally one with a screen protector.
If you do have to use the pouch, as it has lots of fluff in it which stick to the player, I would recommend putting the polythene bag it comes in inside the pouch, then put your player inside that. Do this until you buy a decent case.
I suppose due to this product being so recent, there are not that many accessories available. Best bet is to look on the web. Nothing on the high street, not even a case. Nowhere near the amount of accessories than that available for the ipod.
A device which allows this to be used in the car via the car radio would be a good accessory to buy, such as an FM transmitter (which I understand may be legal in the UK now, as they appear to be easier to buy more recently). The downside of the FM transmitter is that the sound quality is compromised, do to the compression in the FM signal (plus the fact that it occasionally clashes with other FM radio stations). Alternatively if you have a cassette player in your car, you can buy a cassette player adapter very cheaply (I got one for a quid). If you are really lucky, your car will have an line in socket and you can simply connect the player directly via the headphone socket (possible on new BMWs I am told).
In all, I am really pleased with it, and am confident I made the right choice.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Av Output to plug to a TV, built-in speakers, easy to use. Come with very good earphones (-) Does not come with power supply (easy to charge from the PC though), av cable is sold separately
I love this mp3 player. Great review and lots of info! The back light seems to have failed on mine though so I can't really see anything on the screen!
BrotherOfSwine 19.10.2006 19:30
hey nice review :) i'll give you an E if you add how easy it is to upload video and how you do it, and what types of music files are supported. cheers
belfin 05.06.2006 18:04
Great review - I was wondering what this would be like and you've convinced me to buy this one for my bloke's birthday. He's been moaning about his personal cd player for ages and was wanting to get an mp3 with the radio combined. Belinda
Compatible Creative Zen Vision M 30gb Mains House ChargerCompatible Creative Zen Vision M ... more
30gb Mains House ChargeThe Creative Zen Vision M 30gb mains chargerCE certified This is a high quality 3rd party sourced product - its not a genuine item but will do the same job as original at a fraction of the cost. Will not harm or damage your device in any way..
Postage & Packaging:£3.00 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
The digital music players are small but holds hours and hours of music. Keep your digital ... more
music player in a holder attached to a ProClip Mounting Platform, always within easy reach in the vehicle! The holders are designed with a tilt swivel for easy adjustment of your unit in order to avoid light reflection on the screen.
Postage & Packaging:£4.99 Availability:Usually dispatched within 6-10 business days...
The digital music players are small but holds hours and hours of music. Keep your digital ... more
music player in a holder attached to a ProClip Mounting Platform, always within easy reach in the vehicle! The holders are designed with a tilt swivel for easy adjustment of your unit in order to avoid light reflection on the screen.
Postage & Packaging:£4.12 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: good memory capacity, bounces well when you drop it! Disadvantages: Too many problems with the accompanying cd, heavy.
Westfalenlover 11.05.2007 (12.05.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Creative ZEN VISION:M 30 GB
Jun 3rd, 2006
(Oct 20th, 2006)
very helpful by (96%):
helpful by (4%):
