Ipod vs Creative Vision:M

[d4mo]

I'm looking at gettin an MP3 player but I'm having trouble deciding. I need something 40+ gigs so that really narrows down my choices. But from what I've seen my best choice is either the 80gb Ipod or the 60gb Creative Vision:M. So I'm hoping some of you here can help me decide.

The one thing that I really like about the Vision:M is that it can play Divx and Xvid and some other formats that the ipod doesn't. The thing that I'm unsure about is the battery, and how hard it will be to get cases and whatnot for it since it is not as popular as the ipod. Another thing I don't like about the Vision is that fact that it only comes with a USB charger and no wall charger. But it is also $80 cheaper than the ipod.

If you guys have any other suggestions fire away.

 

[Tobolo]

Well first off the iPod only comes with a USB charger.

If movies are really important to you then the Vision is the way to go. However, if you prefer ease of use and setup then the iPod is the hands down leader.

For one thing the Vision tries to use Active Sync. Screw that. I ended up viewing as an external harddrive and copying the songs over. I should note that it did not work until after a system format.

With the iPod I just plugged it into Itunes and that was it.

Also I should note that the Zune sucks a monkey's rear. I hate dealing with that thing everytime.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: d4mo
I'm looking at gettin an MP3 player but I'm having trouble deciding. I need something 40+ gigs so that really narrows down my choices. But from what I've seen my best choice is either the 80gb Ipod or the 60gb Creative Vision:M. So I'm hoping some of you here can help me decide.

The one thing that I really like about the Vision:M is that it can play Divx and Xvid and some other formats that the ipod doesn't. The thing that I'm unsure about is the battery, and how hard it will be to get cases and whatnot for it since it is not as popular as the ipod. Another thing I don't like about the Vision is that fact that it only comes with a USB charger and no wall charger. But it is also $80 cheaper than the ipod.

If you guys have any other suggestions fire away.

The Vision M DOES come with a wall charger. It also has a better screen and better battery life than the IPod video, not to mention the battery is replaceable.

However, the biggest downfall is you need to attach this little module to the bottom of the M in order to be able to attach a USB cable or the wall charger to it. If you lose it, you need to buy another one or you're screwed.

 

[silverpig]

You can get simple conversion utilities to convert xvid files to ipod format.

 

[Bacstar]

I have the Creative 30 gig version of it. I like it. The controller can be a little irritating when driving though. I've owned it for over about 10 months or so, and it's been good to me. When I initially bought it, the wall-charger was included which I hardly use. I leave it at home and use the USB one. The only problem with that though is that you can't listen to it while it's plugged in via USB.

Since I live in Alaska, getting accessories for it is a pain, even getting it was a pain. I had to buy everything online. The screen is awesome, and while travelling, I can watch a couple movies on it. The software for transfers is pretty easy to use, and allows for video conversions before transferring.

I also use the music subscription service from Yahoo!Music. I don't have much of a CD collection, so I figured it would be cheaper. I used to have satellite radio, so paying a monthly fee to listen to all types of music isn't a big deal for me.

My main reason for getting the Creative...well...simply....it wasn't an Ipod... and it does what i want it to do.

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: Tobolo
Well first off the iPod only comes with a USB charger.

If movies are really important to you then the Vision is the way to go. However, if you prefer ease of use and setup then the iPod is the hands down leader.

For one thing the Vision tries to use Active Sync. Screw that. I ended up viewing as an external harddrive and copying the songs over. I should note that it did not work until after a system format.

With the iPod I just plugged it into Itunes and that was it.

Also I should note that the Zune sucks a monkey's rear. I hate dealing with that thing everytime.

WTH are you talking about? Vision uses ActiveSync??? LOL!!!! Oh, and how's iPod "easier" to use since it has a Virtually identical UI?

 

[theprodigalrebel]

What's snappier of the two? I mean, scrolling through a long list of songs to get to the one you want? I've only used the iPod shuffle.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: theprodigalrebel
What's snappier of the two? I mean, scrolling through a long list of songs to get to the one you want? I've only used the iPod shuffle.

They're both about the same. The IPod's controls are better, but the Vision gives more options and has better sound IMO.

 

[Bacstar]

Originally posted by: theprodigalrebel
What's snappier of the two? I mean, scrolling through a long list of songs to get to the one you want? I've only used the iPod shuffle.

Creative has several options.... you can list by All Titles, by playlist, by artist, by album, etc. Also a nifty shortcut for jumping to song titles by letters in the alphabet.

 

[theprodigalrebel]

Cool, thanks for the info.

 

[FeuerFrei]

I got my Zen Vision: M back in April.
Actually, the ZVM doesn't come with a wall charger anymore. I had to purchase one separately at Wal*Mart for ~$24. Of course it charges via USB but much slower. You also have to buy a video out cable separately.
There are a variety of cases available for the ZVM... it's been on the market for over a year now. Kroo, DLO, Vaja, Yotank, etc all make cases for it.
I hear the display on the Zen has a much wider color range than the iPod. Video looks great. Resolution is 320x240 though you can play 640x480 movies on it just fine.

There was a glitch in the firmware it arrived with. Version 1.40.02 refused to charge the ZVM even when powered by the wall adapter. I had to download the firmware updater from Creative's website, connect the ZVM to my pc via USB and power it with the wall adapter. Then I ran the updater program, ignored the low battery warning, and upgraded my firmware to 1.60.01 (the latest). Right after upgrading, it rebooted and started charging with no further intervention. It functioned fine off the wall adapter, it just wouldn't charge. I sent my first ZVM back to Newegg for being defective and was about to send the replacement back as well, but decided to upgrade the firmware first because Creative's website suggests it as a course of action if your Zen refuses to take a charge. I'm sure Newegg and Amazon are getting plenty of returned ZVMs these days because most people don't buy a wall charger and upgrade the firmware.

Despite the hassle I love the thing now that it works. It resumes playing mp3s or videos right where you left off. Battery life is decent.

*** I had the 30 gig ZVM though, the 60 gigger has totally different firmware.

 

[Canai]

I've got an 80GB iPod. I love it. I watch videos on it and it works fine for that. iTunes can be a pain, but all the video podcasts I subscribe to are auto dled by it so that's nice.

 

[OpenThirdEye]

I have an 80GB iPod video. It's great! I don't use iTunes, though. I either use RockBox firmware on the iPod...or if I leave the default firmware then I use Anapod to manage my songs, etc.

 

[d4mo]

Originally posted by: OpenThirdEye
I have an 80GB iPod video. It's great! I don't use iTunes, though. I either use RockBox firmware on the iPod...or if I leave the default firmware then I use Anapod to manage my songs, etc.

According to RockBox the80gb Video Ipod is not supported?

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: OpenThirdEye
I have an 80GB iPod video. It's great! I don't use iTunes, though. I either use RockBox firmware on the iPod...or if I leave the default firmware then I use Anapod to manage my songs, etc.

im playing w/ rockbox now, is the font size suppose to be so small? Im squinting just to look at it

 

[d4mo]

Are there any good free video converters for the ipod? Also what are some free alternatives to transfer music/videos other than itunes.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
I got my Zen Vision: M back in April.
Actually, the ZVM doesn't come with a wall charger anymore. I had to purchase one separately at Wal*Mart for ~$24. Of course it charges via USB but much slower. You also have to buy a video out cable separately.
There are a variety of cases available for the ZVM... it's been on the market for over a year now. Kroo, DLO, Vaja, Yotank, etc all make cases for it.
I hear the display on the Zen has a much wider color range than the iPod. Video looks great. Resolution is 320x240 though you can play 640x480 movies on it just fine.

There was a glitch in the firmware it arrived with. Version 1.40.02 refused to charge the ZVM even when powered by the wall adapter. I had to download the firmware updater from Creative's website, connect the ZVM to my pc via USB and power it with the wall adapter. Then I ran the updater program, ignored the low battery warning, and upgraded my firmware to 1.60.01 (the latest). Right after upgrading, it rebooted and started charging with no further intervention. It functioned fine off the wall adapter, it just wouldn't charge. I sent my first ZVM back to Newegg for being defective and was about to send the replacement back as well, but decided to upgrade the firmware first because Creative's website suggests it as a course of action if your Zen refuses to take a charge. I'm sure Newegg and Amazon are getting plenty of returned ZVMs these days because most people don't buy a wall charger and upgrade the firmware.

Despite the hassle I love the thing now that it works. It resumes playing mp3s or videos right where you left off. Battery life is decent.

*** I had the 30 gig ZVM though, the 60 gigger has totally different firmware.

Wow...mine was shipped with both a wall charger AND a video/audio cable. They really got cheap.