Apple Ipod 30gig Video vs Creative Zen Vision:M

Korupt

Korupt

Korupt

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Joined
13 Aug 2004
Posts
11
Ok tough decision but is there a big difference in terms of quality and features between these two?

does the ipod accept the same video formats as the zen? and is the video quality a big difference between the 2?

im looking to either buy on of these asap due to my job where im traveling over 2 hours a day + so really want something to listen/watch while travelling!

and really looking for the best so any pros and cons will be greatly appreciated!

also if u wanna mail me can on [email protected] if u have anything to suggest you dont wanna say on here.

any suggestions from either owners of these 2 MP3 players would be fantastic as opinions from people that own the products is what i listen to mostly.

Thanks again

Mark
 
The zen plays way more video formats to the ipod as standard, infact it seems to be better all round apart from in one area, its thicker and weighs a little more. From what ive read it has similar scratching problems to the ipod, so im going to get myself a case or something for mine when it arrives next week :). The zen seems to get double the battery lengh of the ipod when it comes to video playback too, which could be a deciding factor, the ipod does about 2.5 hours on video, but the zen does about 4. The zen also has a radio as standard, and its a £20 additional factor in the ipod.

THIS review sold me the zen, but i never considered the ipod at all really anyways. The reviews mentions videos freezing, this is supposed to have been fixed in the latest firmware release.

The only reason i can see for taking the ipod is if you like itunes (which i hate) or want the player due to its thinness or you want it style/pimpness.
 
Last edited:
Player thickness:
ZVM = 1.4cm
Ipod = 1.1cm

Weight:
ZVM = 160g
Ipod = 157g

Screen Res/Color Palette:
Both the same. 320x240 with a 262k color palette. ZVM's screen looks more vibrant though from my observations.

TV Video output:
ZVM = 640x480
Ipod = 320x240

Battery Life:
ZVM = Approx 14hrs audio playback/4hrs Video
Ipod = Approx 14hrs audio playback/2hrs Video

ZVM also has a built in microphone, and radio. Lastly the ZVM is way more flexible for video formats. Supporting Divx 4 and 5 files. Xvid, WMV and MPEG in 1, 2 an 4. Having said that, some earlier divx/mpg files will require converting. The creative explorer extension does that neatly for you anyway.

I've never looked at the Ipod because, the competition out there is far superior imo. So what if it looks nice, the other players out there are packed with features in comparison. I'm an iRiver fanboy and the moment the ZVM came out, I wanted it but didn't want to ditch my beloved iRiver H10 until now.

Dropped a spanner on my ZVM yesterday :p Not a scratch on it because I'd attached a BSE a few days before to the screen lol :o I won't be bother with a case now, i'll just carry it around in my pocket with the BSE attached to the screen/pad.

Two reviews:
http://www.epizenter.net/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.9
http://www.trustedreviews.com/article.aspx?page=5611&head=0
 
Thanks for the help guys!

another question before i order,

will the Zen software be supported for mac as i have a G5?

Thanks again

Mark
 
to buck the trend, i've tried just about every popular mp3 player available in the last few years and I keep going back to my ipod. it may not be as flexible or feature packed but it's incredibly good as a music player, the user interface is unmatched by anything in my opinion.

I can't comment on video as i don't know why anybody would watch video on their mp3 player, it's too small and the only times i would even think about it (long flight maybe) i'd likely have a laptop. Fine if you want to but i can't understand the motivation.

also, just about all the other serious hdd players i've tried are a struggle to fit in pocket, ipod isn't perfect yet (ipod nano was but i sat on it once too often and cracked the screen) but it's reasonable.

last but not least the accessory market loves the ipod

I've tried a lot of alternatives as I've said but none of them have been up to scratch for me.
 
Kainz said:
Screen Res/Color Palette:
Both the same. 320x240 with a 262k color palette. ZVM's screen looks more vibrant though from my observations.
Click to expand...

The ipod only does about 65k, the ZVM does 256k with better contrast.

For the screen, the ZVM wins hands down.
 
bigredshark said:
the user interface is unmatched by anything in my opinion
Click to expand...

Its definately easier to use, but the one thing the ipod is lacking is an alphabetic search to save you scrolling through all your music. The zen has that and it was a major contributing factor to me buying it.
 
Stellios said:
Its definately easier to use, but the one thing the ipod is lacking is an alphabetic search to save you scrolling through all your music. The zen has that and it was a major contributing factor to me buying it.
Click to expand...

An interesting thought, I've never really thought about it or missed it, to be honest a few seconds finding an album i want is ok and a lot of the time i have it on shuffle
 
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