Creative ZEN Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (Black)

Just received by Creative Zen 30GB today (I'm very excited). I just unpacked the unit and it looks very sleek (I purchased the black one). It's a little bit taller than my palm. The first thing I had to do was upgrade my QuickTime as versions 7.01 and 7.02 interfere with the Zen. That upgrade on line was easy enough. Next, I plugged in the until to charge it up. It has to charge for 2 hours. During this process I had to power it up and down. During that I was able to see a very crisp and clean screen. I'm looking forward to watching videos. I purchased this product mainly to watch videos while working out, on the train, etc. Anyway, installation was a breeze--popped in the setup disk and it walked me through the entire install without a problem. The unit comes with a felt bag to store the unit--for the price, it would have been nicer to receive a more protective cover. I think if I drop it in this bag, the unit will suffer damage. So, the first thing I must do is go out and purchase a better cover for the unit. I should have ordered it when I ordered the unit. WARNING-I thought this was interesting (and scary) on the second page of the instructions it states "THE CORDS INCLUDED WITH THIS PRODUCT MAY CONTAIN CHEMICALS KNOWN TO THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA TO CAUSE CANCER AND BIRTH DEFECTS OR OTHER REPRODUCTIVE HARM. Wash hands after handling"--what the heck is that!!! California is wacky, but I decided I was going to wash my hands anyway--I don't know if this is common to all electronics, but I don't understand why they would use accessories that require this disclosure...Anyway, you now know before you buy that this is in there. Back to the install. The directions say that versions 7.01 and 7.02 of Quicktime will halt your Creative installation, but version 7.03 has fixed this problem. I could only download 7.04 at apple.com, and it appears that my creative installation halted. However, I x'd out of it and it asked me if I wanted to reboot in order for my computer to accept changes. I did that and it seems to be working. I have my unit plugged into the USB (docked) and I am attempting to copy a video from my external hardrive to the unit. The directions are a bit skimpy on how to do this. However, I dragged and dropped the file and hit the conversion button. It walked me through the conversion, which was pretty simple. I keep getting a busy message requiring me to hit the swich button. If you get it, just hit it and it will continue with the transfer. My first transfer of 1.12 gb was pretty quick (only a couple of minutes). My second download, about the same size, (in "good quality"--you have a choice--the better quality probably taking a bit longer) was done in around 2 minutes--not bad for a full movie.OKAY--I undocked the unit and hit menu button, found videos and saw that my transferred movies were there--AWESOME AND EASY. My headphones are in and they are comfortable plug ins (with little cushions on the outside--unlike my ipod). I turned on my movie (Chronicles of Riddick--I know, not the best, but some good special effects to test the unit). The picture is crisp, clear and excellent...I'm loving it. The sound is awesome, a bit too loud, but I haven't found the volume button. So, in less than a 1/2 hour I'm up and running watching movies on my Creative Zen. I am totally digging it. I will continue to test the unit and learn how to fully utilize it, but for now--this is a five star for me (I am so excited about being able to copy my movies to this unit!!!!)

Hey Everyone, If you are reading this review you are probably about to purchase either the Apple Video iPod or the Creative Zen Vison M: or some other similar device. For me it was between Apple 30-Gig Video iPod and the 30-gig Creative Zen Vision M.I actually read a lot of the negative reviews for both devices. There were more negative reviews for the Apple iPod, but there were also more total sales of the iPod verse the Creative Zen Vison. Also, the iPod negative reviews contained negative reviews of the non-video versions. This led me to consider that people that 1) Bought an expensive personal electronic device, and 2) Had problems using it, and 3) Didn't know what product review section they were in...might not be the most skilled at using the devices they are complaining about. In simple terms, the user is the problem, not the device.Therefore the negative reviews focusing on how a person can't use the device should not be a deterrent to you of purchasing the device. Also, the Creative Zen Vision M: comes with a 1-year warrenty, so if the battery dies, or the screen dies, or the hardware fails within 12 months of purchase, you can get it repaired or replaced. So, even if the particular unit you get does not work, or fails, that unit does not represent the whole of the quality of the product, just that particular unit. I also believe that although not as delicate as an egg, these devices with minituare hard drives and thin glass displays are not hacky sacs. If the outside of the box containing your shipped device is marked or dented in any way, it is possible that the device worked fine at the factory, but was damaged in shipping, and again, does not represent the whole of the quality of the product. In simple terms, one defective or broken unit does not mean ALL the units are defective or broken.I choose the Zen Vision over the Apple iPod for four main reasons: Screen Quality, FM Stero, Recording Ability and non-iTunes freedom. Screen Quality: The screen on the Zen Vision M is better than the Apple iPod. I have a friend who has the video iPod and we played the same music video side by side and it was a no brainer. Even my friend had to admit that the video looked better on the Zen Vision. FM Stereo: Want to listen to NPR or some other live news report on the iPod? Oh, you can't. Recorder: The recorder records stuff outside the device, AND can also record from the radio. On the iPod, you can't record. Non-iTunes Freedom: Many people love iTunes and how seemlessly it works with iPods. However, after doing iTunes for years I wanted my WinAmp back, and/or MediaMonkey, and/or, the freedom to try different software. If you love iTunes, good for you. It's like living in the world's best prison. You don't even know you are trapped. Update: Some non-iTunes software can now interface with iPods.What about podcasts? Can I get those on the Zen Vision? Yep, they are called Zencasts. I have not tried them out personally, but the option is available.In the 30 days I have had the device I have put on 3000 mp3 files and 8 movies. The movies are about 1-gig in size, 800meg to 1-gig. I didn't think I would be using the movie playing aspect, but it turns out that it's way cool. With the 2 and 4 year old children in the house I can't watch "The Matrix" when they are awake as I think it will give them nightmares. AND I can't watch it when they are napping or sleeping as I want to watch it LOUD, as intended. Now I can watch it with the volume loud before going to bed or at lunch or whenever.Music play back is awesome, as good or better than the iPod. I mention it in passing as it kind of goes without saying that the device is great at playing back stored music.Lock-ups. My particular unit has not "locked-up" on me, but I only have vanilla *.mp3 and *.avi files on the device. It might be that people that were having lock-ups had non-standard files or corrupt files. I only mention lock-ups as it was my biggest fear after reading many of the reviews that the device would continually lock-up. I now believe that people that have multiple lock-ups may have corrupt files or are playing formats that are "supported" but may not be totally supported. Like mp3 files are supported, but I only have constant bit rate or CBR mp3s. I don't know how well the device does with Variable Bit Rate (VBR) mp3s.So, in short, I've been using the Creative Zen Vision M: for 30 days and I am lovin' it!Notes: The Apple Video Cable that I got for my iBook works with the Creative Zen Vision M:. So if already have that cable, save yourself $30.00.The Creative Web Site has Forums where you can get help with using the Zen Vision. One that really helped me enjoy the device even more was "Vision:M undocumented how to & tips thread" Google it if ye doubt my word.Found an old 4.5VDC car charger that works instead of 5.0VDCScreen Protector - yes, use one. One comes installed, leave it on and replace it as it wears.Hope this review helps you out, God Bless and Good Luck.