Ahh, toys… the latest one to enter the fold is the Creative Zen Vision W personal media player. This device does just about everything.
But is it any good? Well, read on to find out.
Feature List
- 4.3″ WQVGA high-resolution LCD screen – View 480 x 272 resolution in a wide aspect screen at up to 262,144 colors or output video and photos to an external display at a maximum of 720×480.
- Holds up to 240 hours of movies – ZEN support formats such as AVI, DivX 4 & 53, XviD4, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG4-SP, WMV9 and Motion-JPEG, which simply means more choices and fewer restrictions.
- Store up to tens of thousands of photos – Complete with a thumbnail gallery and zoom capabilities.
Up to 15,000 songs – With 5-band EQ or 8 preset EQ settings and 96dB signal-to-noise ratio.- TV output – Connect the ZEN to a projector or TV with the bundled AV cable for everyone to see.
- FM radio – Listen to more music with the integrated FM radio with 32 station presets.
- Personal organizer – Syncs your contacts, calendar, and tasks with Microsoft Outlook.
- Voice recorder – Record meetings, lectures, even voice memos.
- Long lasting battery – Enjoy up to 13 hours of music, or 4.5 hours of movies.
- Offload digital photos – Transfer pictures from your camera to ZEN without a computer.
Initial Impressions
The device was packaged with accessories including earbud headphones, a wall power adapter, a USB cable, a software disc, A/V-out cables, and a felt case.
After unpacking the device I noticed that it is hefty, but not heavy. It weighs 10.5 ounces and though it looks a little plain you can tell that the screen is quality even before you turn it on.
The software installed just fine on my heavily abused XP system and is very simple to use. It includes functions to load songs, video and photos on the device as well as the ability to rip audio CDs. One thing notably missing however was the ability to rip DVDs.
This to me was a glaring omission. How does Creative expect people to get their DVDs into this PMP device? In order to perform this task I had to use some other software. I’ve documented the process of ripping DVDs to your hard drive for transfer to the Zen here. I’ve got two options, one fairly simple but not free, one free but a little more complicated.
Back to the review at hand…
I found Creative’s transfer software to be very simple to use and after loading up some MP3s and videos I immediately plugged in my Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones to take a listen. With these headphones I initially felt the sound quality was a little flat, but then I changed the EQ settings to suit my preference and it sounded fantastic.
I then threw on a movie and was impressed with the sharpness and clarity of the video. I never forgot that I was watching a tiny screen, but I was very, very happy that I hadn’t picked up an iPod. The Zen W’s screen is at least 200% larger and I wouldn’t want it any smaller.
The only thing that I immediately missed is some sort of built in stand for the unit. If you want to set it down to watch it you’ll have to lean it against something, and then it wants to slip. I’m considering making a stand for it myself on my PlasmCAM.
The Good and Bad
Things I Like:
- The screen is beautiful. It is very sharp and clear and has a good refresh rate.
- The user interface is very intuitive. I didn’t read a single page of the manual, but everything was extremely easy to figure out.
- The built in speaker is adequate. I wish it could go a little louder but hey, at least it has one, (unlike the iPod and other units).
The player remembers exactly where each movie stopped, and resumes playing from that spot, even if you watch several different movies at at time.- The fast forward and rewind functions work awesome! They start out slow and then speed up exponentially. It feels just right – very unlike Ipod.
- The non-bloated, functional and simple software.
- Although I haven’t tested it yet, I’m looking forward to syncing the device with TiVo as the box says “…transfer them to your player using TiVoToGo…”.
- Creative built in a ton of extras such as Outlook contact, calendar and task syncing; and excellent FM radio and a microphone for recording.
- CNet claims 18 hours and 28 minutes of MP3 battery life, with 5 hours 6 minutes of juice when playing video, which is far more than Creative’s claims. In addition, it’s removable so you could get an extra one if you wanted to keep going after that.
Things I don’t like:
- You must install the Creative software in order to transfer files. Although you can easily partition up to 16GB to act as USB Mass Storage, it doesn’t allow you to just see the whole 60GB and drop files where you want them. Still, this is a reasonable compromise.
- Although the size is fine, I wish it was just a little thinner. Its .9″ thick and it would be ideal if it could be more like .3 – .5″ thick. I realize the technology isn’t there yet.
- The buttons are a little too small for my fingers. I’m 6′1″ with fairly large hands.
- It doesn’t stand up by it’s self. If you set it down it needs to lean on something.
In order to test the widest range of encoded information I downloaded a bunch of bootlegged movies from the Internet (and then deleted them immediately afterwards of course :-) ). I did this because I can’t possibly create test formats for the wide variety of choices out there.
Compatibility
Formats Tested:
- I checked out a version of Employee of the Month, encoded with TMPGEnc, 352×240, at 30fps, and it worked well until about 1/2 way through when the voice got out of sync with the video. This is normally associated with the quality of the software used to encode the video.
- An Inconvenient Truth encoded with TMPGEnc, 352×240, at 30fps worked flawlessly.
- I tried to install Bowling for Columbine which was encoded with MPEG4, 560×304, 24fps, but the Creative MediaSource software failed to convert it and therefore it did not transfer to the device. The software did not explain why it couldn’t convert it, it just failed.
- While watching a video of Half Baked (encoded with XVID, 624×336, 24fps) the video played back choppy. Aproximately every 10-20 seconds there would be about a .5 second pause.
- Barnyard, encoded in MPEG1 Layer 2, 352×240, 30fps worked just fine.
- The Ant Bully, encoded with DivX 6.2.2, 352×240 at 30fps worked perfectly.
- Casino Royale, which incidentally is the greatest Bond movie ever made!!!, encoded in MPEG1 Layer 2, 352×240, 30fps worked fine as well.
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. I’d say that approximately 90% of the movies downloaded at least worked. A few of them had a glitch or two. The ones that I ripped from my own DVDs, using this method, worked flawlessly.
Summary
I had considered every personal media player on the market before picking up the Zen Vision W. Money was truly no object, I just wanted to get one that had a fantastic screen, long battery life and excellent compatibility with a wide range of encoding and formats.
For any amount of money I don’t think you can do better than this media player, and given that you can pick one up for $350-400 it makes the perfect A/V travel companion.
Other Resources
As always, questions and comments are welcome, and if you found this article useful please do me the favor of DIGGing it, bookmarking it with Del.icio.us, or any of your favorite sites from up by the article title.
Have fun!
EDIT: 1/8/2007 I also just added a complete teardown of this device for those that might be interested in upgrading the hard drive.
EDIT: 7/12/2007 Thanks to Michael we have this picture of the SF Planet Zen W Case w/stand. As he described it:
The kickstand is built separate as a flap in the back. The top cover just throws back and hangs there to keep the weight pulling backwards onto the kickstand.
And when you’re done, the kickstand is magnetic, so it will snap back to the case and not stick out.
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Ahh, toys… the latest one to enter the fold is the Creative Zen Vision W personal media player. This device does just about everything. 
Up to 15,000 songs – With 5-band EQ or 8 preset EQ settings and 96dB signal-to-noise ratio.
The software installed just fine on my heavily abused XP system and is very simple to use. It includes functions to load songs, video and photos on the device as well as the ability to rip audio CDs. One thing notably missing however was the ability to rip DVDs. 
I found Creative’s transfer software to be very simple to use and after loading up some MP3s and videos I immediately plugged in my Bose QuietComfort 2 headphones to take a listen. With these headphones I initially felt the sound quality was a little flat, but then I changed the EQ settings to suit my preference and it sounded fantastic. 
The player remembers exactly where each movie stopped, and resumes playing from that spot, even if you watch several different movies at at time.
Pages: « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 7 » Show All
Well I see “morganusvitus” has the same Q regarding folders. And like “HBK” said:
“I found a way to put my movies in folders on my Zen Vision W. Organize them into folders first on your PC before you transfer them. They transfer along with the folder.”
If that’s the only way to be done, without a way to by-pass this restriction (like if I don’t care for sync of folders), that’s a heck of a draw-back.
Back re: FM reception: As long as you have the headphones/antenna plugged in, it picks up all the stations any other good FM reciever does. I picked up two NPR’s (Lansing and Ann Arbor) with no problem.
George B.
Brighton, Michigan
RAY,
From the User’s Guide, Playing and Managing Videos:
Setting a password to display or hide protected video or picture folders
You can password protect your Protected Content setting.
Press and hold the Menu/Back button to access the main menu.
Select System Player Settings Protected Content Password.
Use the Navigation buttons to create a password.
Select the Checkmark to confirm the password.
You will be prompted for this password when you select System Player Settings Protected Content: Show or Hide to select whether to show or hide the protected folders.
To disable the password feature or change your password, select System Player Settings Protected Content Password.
Use the Navigation buttons to enter your current password.
To disable the password, use the Navigation buttons to enter 0000.
To change the password, use the Navigation buttons to create a new password.
Select the Checkmark to confirm your settings.
Notes
If you have forgotten your password, see To clean up your player’s hard disk drive.
Hiding video or picture folders
You can hide video and picture folders containing content that you do not want your player to display.
Press and hold the Menu/Back button to access the main menu.
Select Videos Video video folder that you want
OR
select Photos Pictures picture folder that you want.
Press the Options button and select Protect.
Press and hold the Menu/Back button to access the main menu.
Select System Player Settings Protected Content: Show or Hide to select whether to show or hide the protected folders.
Notes
You cannot hide individual videos or pictures.
The Protect or Unprotect option will appear in the Options menu only if the Protected Content setting is set to Show.
When the Protected Content setting is set to Show, hidden folders that are now shown are indicated by the Protected Content icon.
Thanks for the insight George. Glad you’re enjoying your new W, and it sounds like you got a great deal.
As far as the directory structure and transferring are concerned, it seems that the general concensus is that you do indeed have to organize them in the computer first. I do wish you could just drag and drop them onto the Zen in Windows explorer, but so far everyone seems to have to use the Zen software to do that.
Take care,
John
Hey all posters,
One question, plain and simple. Creative Zen Vision M or Vision W?
I’m a high school kid in Sydney (I’m guessing most of you are American) and I use my current Zen Neeon absolutely everywhere, about 8 hours a day. The problem is that 6 gig is not big enough for all my music and all the school work i transport to and from school.
Thanks to all
like_spike
Hey Spike. My friend has an M. I have the W. The W is much better for watching video, but it’s way too big to wear with an arm band, or even put in your pocket and jog. The M is wear-able, but it has a much smaller screen. If you need your music and video on the go, get the M. If you want it mostly for video, then the W is for you.
ya i just bought a creative zen vision w 2 days ago
i love it but sure the thickness it alittle much but i dont care.
i live music and now i have 60 gigs to listen to and the screen quality is
the best ive ever seen.my computer died the day after i got but i was smart enough to put some of my stuff on it.i also like it when people see it they just have to ask what is that and i just explain what it is and everyone once one when i show how good it is i am just waiting for some good cases in a couple of months
Hi Posters,
First, I´d like to congratulate The Man for this review! It´s complete and simple to understand.
Now I have some questions:
1 – I’ve just bought a Zen vision W 60 GB and I’d like to use it as an USB Mass Storage device in PCs without installing the Zen Drivers. I could find the option of partition and I selected 32GB of hard disk. So, after the process is done, the USB symbol appears on the screen but when I try to connect it on a computer without the Creative driver, the PC shows a message of “Unknown USB Device†and starts looking for a driver. Isn´t it possible? To use this player as a Mass Storage device, without installing the Creative Driver?
2 – How can I use the FM tuner and the buit-in speaker simultaneously????
3 – Can I see the mp3 files organized in folders on the player screen, or just organized like singer, album, etc…???
Thanks a lot for your help!!!
fccarneiro I can try to answer some of your questions
1. I don’t know. I suspect that the Zenvision W will not appear as a USB mass storage device. So many of the new generation of players will not.
2. The problem here is that the ZEN has no built-in FM antenna. It uses the headphone cord as the antenna, so if the headphones are not plugged in, you have no antenna and no reception.
3. I found a way to organize my video files by organizing them in folders first on my PC, then transferring them. Unfortunatly, this does not appear to work with music files. The Zen organizes them using the MP3 tag information.
YMMV
MikeC
Just wanted to let those of you who were interested, the Creative website does have a Zen W case in it’s shop of products. It’s listed for $29.99 and sadly appears only to wrap around the ZW like a binder, but does double as a stand which would be good for some hands-free movie watching. I didn’t order it but just wanted to mention that it’s out there.
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=210&subcategory=212&product=15805
Hello!
My question is simple. Does it come with a battery charger? How do you charge it? Do I have to buy a charger?
Thank you
Thank you, MikeC!
Dear gonzo,
The ZVW player charges the battery everytime you connect it on PC (USB), or energy (A/C adapter), even if you turn it off. The full charge of the battery using USB connection is about 6 hours, and using A/C adapter about 3 hours.
Thank you for your answer.
And Does it come with that a/c adapter or we have to buy it? If we have to buy, how much does it cost. The thing is… it wont be near the PC often.
Thanks again.
Mine came with the AC adaptor
I also ordered the Creative silicon skin. They have two part numbers, one for 30 gig and one for the wider 60 gig. It does not have protection for the LCD screen. The only benifit I see is that it makes the unit easier to grip and it won’t slide when you prop it up to view.
I also ordered from eBay a peel-off plastic screen protector. It did not install well and trapped air bubbles and would not stay down around the edges. It looked so bad I threw it away and decided that taking care of the screen and hoping for the best is better than putting on a protective film that looked like crap.
YMMV
MikeC
Dear Gonzo,
Everything you need to charge it comes in the box. Nothing extra to buy:-)
George B
Brighton, Michigan
Thank you very much for al you answers!
I think that I will buy one of these players in a couple of months! :)
Gonçalo
in Warsaw
(But from Lisbon, Portugal)
Another option for a carrying case for the Creative Zen Vision W would be Western Digital’s case for their silver portable external hardrives:
http://www.westerndigital.com/en/products/accessories.asp?ProdID=193
After looking over the dimensions of the Zen W and the internal dimensions of the case, I would think it would fit perfectly both the 30gb and 60gb. The case is a hard shell which would help protect it, however this would be a protective case for when the player is in a bag, not in use. I haven’t personally ordered one to try, but thought I should put this info out there.
Correction: a much better case would be this one:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000FRZ4VI/ref=ord_cart_shr/103-7580539-6011825?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=A17Z7BZ72LPSLN&v=glance
which allows access to the buttons etc. and is cheaper than most cases that would fit the Zen W.
Okay, I promise no more posts about possible cases, but noticed a lot of people were dissatisfied with the one offered by Creative and the lack there of a better option.
Tiff, I believe the link you provided is for the Creative Zen Vision M. Not W. And since the sizes are different, the W won’t fit.
John, your site is going to be a part of my weekly blog reading. Keep up the great work, we all appreciate it!
-Jeff http://carabs.com
Thanks Jeff. The positive feedback is always appreciated! :-)
John
I messed up. Actually the link was for the Creative Zen Vision, I put the wrong link. I meant to put the one for the Creative Zen Vision W:
http://www.amazon.com/Fosmon-Genuine-Leather-Creative-Vision/dp/B000OPRVEY/ref=pd_bbs_2/104-5690391-6809512?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1177640503&sr=8-2
I found a rather good forum with a pretty good community of VZW users if anyone is interested..
http://www.anythingbutipod.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=53
It’s already answered a few questions I had. Maybe it’ll help other people out as well.
-Jeff http://carabs.com
I contacted Creative Labs about how to load DVD movies. They replied it was illegal even though it was for personal use. There is a product on the web that facilitates this just fine. Why can’t Creative Labs have decent software?
We have had two Zen W’s enter a freeze mode in which no buttons do anything. Removing the battery does no good, as it repeatedly will freeze at a point in the boot process. Amazon replaced the first one and is now fortunately giving us a refund on the second. This product is clearly defective either in hardware or software.
John
Does anyone know why Creative Labs does not market the Zen W through stores but only on the web?
John,
I’m sorry to hear that you had two defective ones in a row. Perhaps there was a batch that had bad firmware or something, but this is the first I’ve heard of this issue and there are many, many Zen Ws working fine out there. You might try another vendor…
Also, they certainly do sell them through stores. I bought mine at Fry’s Electronics.
John