Reviews for Creative Zen Vision W 30 GB Hard Drive Portable Media Player

Creative Zen Vision W

Strengths: Great picture quality, CompactFlash slot, quick forward skip on video

Weakness: Buttons are not convenient, Tivo files need to be converted, Poorly written instructions for beginners

I like this media player, in spite of its slight bulkiness. I wanted it mostly as a photo viewer and secondly as a video viewer. For that reaason, I can overlook a little bulk. You buy an item like this for its functionality, not to clip it to your arm to go jogging. Nonetheless, it will be hard to fit in a pocket during summer.

I like the ability to stretch the video to fit the screen. Although it makes TV personalities look chubbier than they really are, it's much easier to see on a small screen. The built in speaker is also cool for when I want to show it off to my friends.

I wish the buttons were a little wider or at least raised up higher from the body of the player. It's hard to hit the right buttons just by feel, so I need to look at what I'm doing. However, I do like the 15 second skip feature for video - just click the right arrow key. Left arrow does the same in reverse. You can also fast forward with or without viewing the video as it zips by.

While Tivo files are supposedly compatible, they require a little finessing. After transferring the files to your PC (which can take quite a while), you then have to convert them to WMV files. The software is built in to the product CD, but Tivo files do not show up as valid media files when you browse. You need to browse specifically to the Tivo directory on your PC, and then change the dropdown list of file types to say "All Files". Only then can you select, convert and copy them to the player. It's time consuming to say the least, but it works. Best to convert a large number of files at once and let your computer work through the night.

Photos and audio work well. You can listen to audio while browsing through the photos. FM radio has been pretty good too. I live in NYC, so the signals are pretty strong. I haven't tried the microphone yet. You can also make some customizations to the main menu. That can come in handy.

Lastly, the instructions suck. The "Getting Started" pamphlet is very, very basic. For further details, it tells you to look instruction manual on the CD, which unfortunately is not much more help. If you are accustomed to using gadgets, you can figure it out. If you are a beginner, you might find yourself a little confused.

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Great player

Strengths: Support for many MPEG-based formats (MPEG1/2, DivX, XVID) Good video battery life Standardized ports

Weakness: Poor button layout No video playlists or skipping to next/previous videos

I don't have any other Portable Media Players (PMPs) to compare this with, but I consider it worth it.

I bought this PMP to keep myself entertained on my long flights. However, it has proven to be much more useful than that, in part thanks to it's good video codec support and the included AV cable. It makes it easy for my to take my collection of movies to watch on my friends' larger TVs or projectors.

I've been using Creative devices for a while but this is the first MTP device I've used. I'm surprised at the simplicity of transferring files to the device. The provided video converter doesn't work too well for me, not that I had planned on using it, since it lacks the advanced controls I'd like. Instead, I use AutoGK, a free program which is easy to use and provides excellent results. The player will take most MPEG-based files. I have a sizable collection of anime already in AVI format. Most play fine, but some of the older ones in DivX 3 or the newer ones using H.264 (with AC3 audio) or some forms of XVID won't play. Unfortunately, H.264 and AAC encoded video and audio, usually meant for the PSP or iPod, need to be converted to be used on this PMP.

Video quality is outstanding, with no dropped frames and sharp scaling, preserving even the crisp lines of animation and cartoons. The large display itself has an extremely good viewing angle and is bright enough for just about every conceivable environment. My only gripes here are the murky blacks and the banding due to the 256K color display. (Archos players and the PSP have 16M color displays.) Video output to a TV (via the AV cable) is passable. It is blurry and slightly jittery. Photos don't expand to fill the screen when viewed using the video-out but videos do.

Sound quality is acceptable. The quality is not as good as the other dedicated music players from Creative, but it is probably not noticeable to most people. It also probably won't matter in noisy environments like in the car or airplane. The built-in speaker is adequate both in volume and quality. I would not use this to replace an iPod or dedicated music player. It is too bulky, the battery life too limited, and the fragile screen makes it less portable than most other players intended primarily for music. That's the price to pay for the big screen.

The user interface is easy to operate even without the manual. The button layout is a little cumbersome though and the dedicated play/pause, forward and backward buttons could probably have been done away with to make room for slightly more responsive buttons. The lack of video playlists and their associated functionality (skip to next or previous video) makes it a little troublesome to watch series of short videos like video podcasts or TV series. There is also no bookmarking of videos (only audio), but the player does resume playing of only the last played partially watched video.

The battery life is pretty good. The indicator has 3 bars and rarely does it drop one bar even after a full movie. The battery is rated for 4.5 hours and appears to be able to last that long, but I hadn't had a chance to test that fully. Lower bitrate (more compressed) videos should extend the battery life. The battery is removable but I've yet to find a decent retailer which stocks the battery. And I'm hoping for an extended battery. There are some discussions suggesting that PSP chargers should work with the Zen Vision: W, but I hadn't tested that yet.

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Great Product!!!

Strengths: Regarding the plus points...... -> Its wider screen -> Ability to play most video file types

Weakness: Weakness....its quite bulky. It takes a few seconds to turn on... It takes infinite time to convert video to the right format that the player supports.

I bought this product mainly for watching movies/videos. And believe me....it was worth it! Its wider screen when compared to ipod and zune impressed me a lot. It makes maximum use of the available space for the display. At times, it does get stuck when i try to fast forward a movie....but i guess its difficult to get that many speed improving features into this mini package.
Regarding some improvements that i could suggest....
I dont think, it would be much of a difficulty in including more video codecs into the player. There r still a few video files that cant be played....and the software that has been provided tries to convert the file to the right format before copying it into the player. And this conversion takes a long long time.
This player doesnt support .srt file (subtitles). I might be nit-picking over here....but other than these, i found the product perfect!

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Nice Product and Great Value

Strengths: big screen, load photo directly from CF; supports lots of video formats; plenty of features to keep you busy

Weakness: buttons are too small, manual is too simple, but all better than ipod. cannot be accessed as a drive on PC.

I've own 3 media players so far. First was old Archos recorder V2, crapy but get the job done, and it's inexpensive. I got myself an Ipod G5 last year because of all those market hypes. disappointed. It plays few video format, battery life sucks; It shows photos all right while transferring photo will take years; It's not only expensive, but keep you buying accessories. So, all that said, Creative zen vision W is totally just the opposite of an ipod. More features, more standard accessories, longer battery life.

The main reason I bought it is to store photos on the go. Photo transfer rate is about 10min/1GB, faster enough for using it as a field backup solution. would be even nicer if it supports RAW photos though. You have several options to copy from the CF card such as all, the last 10, 20 or 50 files, or you can even "append" from the CF card so it selectively only copies what is new. Photos on the Zen look amazing. When viewed "full screen" there is a touch of grainess from the compression, but can show very detail when you zoom to the native resolution. Not like dedicated photo bank, there is no histogram

The FM radio works well, but the headphones also function as the antenna so they have to be plugged in before you get FM reception. The TV out looks good at the native resolution of 480 x 272. The audio quality is really up to the quality of your headphone. The one comes with package is fair.

Overall, I think it is much better investment compared to Ipod, both quality and value wise.

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Lots of Features. Poor software quality

Strengths: Microphone, custom backgrounds, a no-squint screen, flash cart compatibility, FM radio. And the ability to delete files without being connected. Removable battery.

Weakness: Buttons require fingernails to use. No firmware updates to fix the bugs- some of which make entire features like its version of shuffle, unusable. Bad software design. And it's huge.

I've had a 30 GB Vision W for over a year now. It's also my fourth MP3 player. My first with Creative.

I bought it because I wanted the extra features Apple didn't provide with iPod. Namely the radio and the mic.

My first impression wasn't happy. When I held it in my hand the first time I realized how large it was. Then I started adding music to it. First there's this "rebuilding" screen with a loading bar that runs for 10 minutes and you can't do anything. It comes up every time the battery has fallen out. I don't like waiting screens to use my own MP3 player.

I grew accustomed to the small buttons by using my fingernail.

What left me most unhappy was how all the features seemed to be halfheartedly implemented. The delete works only half the time; I cannot delete anything from a playlist I made. The DJ won't shuffle my songs. It's hard to select music to create a playlist too. It by default selects everything in the album you're listening to.

I don't mind bugs, what I mind is Creative's inattentiveness to them. The last firmware update for the device was in 2006, over a year before I bought the device in a store.

The most interesting thing that happened was when I wore the + volume control in. I expect things like that to happen eventually, because of friction and wear an tear, but it happened before I expected it to, after about six months. It grew extra sensitive, then it was behaving as both the + and - buttons, then all the buttons on the device. So it started to spaz into menus randomly. Eventually it deleted all my playlists and refused to connect to the computer, and the annoying "Rebuilding" screen now loads for 10 minutes every time I turn on the player. It's on it's last legs now. All apparently caused by a bad volume button.

I'll continue to use it. I was happy enough to not return it immediately, and still happy enough to use it for a year. But when it finally fizzles out I'm getting another iPod. It has a touch wheel for a reason.

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Great Device that does it all

Strengths: Beautiful screen, watch ripped dvd's, listen to mp3's or audio books with or with out headphones transfer pictures long lasting battery. You can copy any folder by right clicking.

Weakness: Size though not to bad, no stand, casing for the unit is not ready availble and very limited.

This is hands down the best of the best out there. The size which is a draw back to some is the right size for small hands. It is an entertainment center on the go. Perfect for kids to watch movies. Me to listen to mp3's and watch video's that my family does not like (Horror in my case).
For conversion of movies DVDFab Platium fits the ticket and the Zen W is an option in the PVP ripping screen. Yes it still is a 1 to 1 conversion. However I have downloaded many divx files that copy and play automaticly. Stage 6 is a great place for just about anything and there are a large source of files ready for download.
Back up of photo cards are a snap with the copy feature. and viewing them.
All in all this is a great product. Worth every penny.

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Does the job most of time

Strengths: nice, large screen with good speaker volume. Played most formats.

Weakness: software freeze up windows explorer. Have to use their software to copy files. Can't just use Explorer to drag and drop. Fast Forward or Fast rewind slow and no preview

this unit is kind of big. For now, it fit in all my winter coats' pockets nicely. I wish it come with a kick stand though. I did found a nice leather case with kick stand for under $50.

I used it most to catch up on TV show. I had couple files with GMC won't play. But most will. It will save one bookmark for the last video file played. I wish it can store a couple more. Then again, that could annoy people if you have a bunch of movies that start from the middle instead of the beginning due to old bookmarks.

I made a mistake letting it install all the programs came with the disk. I forgot how buggy creative products could be, and still are. My windows explorer now will freeze up sometimes after 3-5 minutes opened in the background. Creative tech support is no help. I check their on-line forum, apparently I'm not the only one with this problem. If I can get this fixed, I can raise the rating by another star.

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Creative Zen Vision W Is Great, does what a lot of...

Strengths: Plays a lot of formats divx 4/5 and xvid Sound Quality is good. a/v output for tv display of movies/photo/audio weight usb 2.0 compact flash/adapter capable brings power adapter

Weakness: size, kinda chunky, like psp, but not as long. Only records your own voice.

I i ordered this player through the pricegrabber link that sent me to zipzoomfly. Great service by the way.

Once i ordered and i got the product. The box was very good. A lot of cushion that kept the player protected during travel. The bag is okay, could have been better, but similar to the ipod pouch. Very acceptable. The Wires were great. It had an earphones, a/v out cable, power adapter, usb 2.0 cable.

It only took a 3 hours for it to charge using the power adapter and i was ready to go. The Video quality is superb. Granted only 262k colors, but simply amazing. The widescreen is beautiful for all those widescreen shows and dvds you might convert to watch on the player.

Audio is good. Could be slightly better. I think better headphones might do the trick. The supplied earphones are ok. Earphones are to big in my opinion. The ipod earphones are skinner, and fit in the ear a bit better.

Photo viewing is good. There is good organizing and viewing of photos.

FM radio is the slickest thing. Im able to listen to radio when i don't want to listen to my own collection. I can name presents. 32 of them too. Its great. Reception of stations if fantastic.

Extras, it syncs with outlook so you get tasks/calendar/contacts into your player. The players editings features are lacking for these but its good to have the info handy.

The buttons are slightly to small. clicky also. Could have been better. Better, more seperated. Perhaps, different buttons all together.

Can be used as a portable hard drive. Files can be dragged into the player without use of any software.

Supplied software was good. kept crashing at first. reinstalled and its behaving. I didn't like it though, i haven't been using it. I can use other software to sync with the player just fine or drag it in through my computer.

Built in speaker is ok. Mono speaker. Not loud enough in very noisy enviroments but in a silent enviroment plenty loud.

conclusion. It plays what i need it to play and more.
Its awesome. Changes my experience while traveling to a whole new beautiful level.

I do recommend it. But if you need recording features get the archos 604. Its a bit more expensive but might do more.
This player is more a view/read only player which is fine by me. I just want to view movies/ listen to radio/ listen to my own music. Keep it simple and that keeps it pleasent.

warning, not compatible with ac3 codec. things have to be converted to mp3, wma, or wav.

If you get this, you shouldn't be dissappointed. Its a great player.

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Zen Vision 30 GB is amazing

Strengths: I love the large screen size and its very easy to use and 30 gb is plenty of space.

Weakness: The bulkiness of the player is what im not too fond of

Over all I couldn't wait to get this product and i got it at a great price. Hands down i'd pick this over the Ipod or ZUNE especially cuz if its larger screen size.

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Big Bang for the buck

Strengths: Great screen, CF card slot, supports many video formats

Weakness: No kickstand, CF adapter for SD cards not included, awkward buttons, no video playlist

All in all I am very pleased with this unit; especially for the price compared to comparable units. The magnesium casing is not a fingerprint magnet and should be very durable. The screen is fantastic; videos look great, nice photoviewer as well.

My main gripe is the lack of a kickstand. I purchased this unit mainly for watching videos when traveling, so no kickstand is a small problem (maybe corrected when accessories start coming out). The CF reader is a nice feature, but the choice of CF over SD is kind of strange. At least an adapter is available. No video playlists is also a drawback.

Creative put a nice PMP together at a fantastic price.

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Zen Vision W 30GB Personal Media Player

Strengths: sharp & clear video, audio quality

Weakness: None I know

This is very good media player compare to iPod and Zune. It has got big wide screen with crisp clear video
quality. It supports wide range of video and audio formats compare to past carnation of creative media players. 30 GB capacity is enough for me to put lots of stuff from my collection. It is little bulky due to 30GB HD but I did not notice any grunting or click noise while playing movie and neither at start-up.
Lion battery is standard. FM radio feature allows one to listen to local radio.
Personal organizer is extra goodies and allows to save contacts, notes, task etc and you can synchronize with outlook easily.
It can be used as a portable hard drive so I can transfer bulk of files which was not possible with small size USB flash drives.

I did not understand why Creative provided CF Card slot while SD card is moving towards industry standard
in industry. Black pouch provided does not protect unit much, it would be better if creative has included hard cover.
It is good value for money and you do not have to buy separate USB flash driver, MP3 player with FM radio,
PDA, portable video player. It is cool gadget.

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cool toy

Strengths: plays multiple formats, relatively large screen for this type of player, enough disk space to hold lots of media files, compact flash reader

Weakness: a little bulky and heavy to make it super portable (like in the front of a shirt pocket), clicky buttons

This thing plays all sorts of files including compressed format xvid/divx files. The wide screen is perfect for this type of viewing as many of my movie files are already wide-screen formatted. With the add-on compact flash adapter, I've used this to store my pictures from my Sony camera onto the hard drive. A minor complaint, and it's more of an observation is that the buttons click. I like the smoother type of buttons. The other thing is it is kind of bulky and heavy, but that's not unexpected considering the size of the screen. All in all, a great product.

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