Manage updates with the Download AppCreative Zen Vision W (30GB)
Manufacturer: Creative Part number: 70PF201000009
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The bulky but easy-to-use Creative Zen Vision W and its nice screen will dazzle video lovers who don't require video recording.
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CNET editors' review
Creative Zen Vision W (30GB) price range: $219.99
- Reviewed by: James Kim
- Reviewed on: 09/13/2006
- Released on: 09/14/2006
The good: Beautiful wide-screen display; durable design; intuitive interface; holds up to 60GB; supports wide array of video formats; plays FM radio; supports TiVo To Go and limited movie downloads; syncs with Outlook; removable battery; CompactFlash slot is nice for photographers; good value for a wide-screen PVP.
The bad: Bulky body that's just a tad heavy; no line-in audio or video recording; no kickstand; TiVo To Go requires file conversion and third-party MPEG-2 decoder.
The bottom line: The bulky but easy-to-use Creative Zen Vision W and its nice screen will dazzle video lovers who don't require video recording.
User reviews
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Point Blank - Simply the BEST!
by 00siris on November 25, 2006
Pros: Aggresively priced - Brilliantly beautiful screen - Intuitive control settings and placement - Compact Flash Slot - great versatility - great sound
Cons: No kickstand - Poor instructions/documentation out of the box
Summary: I've heard (read) ENOUGH!
Some of you really need to stop rating this thing based on a personal wish list. Sure it would be great if ... However, when you ...Summary: I've heard (read) ENOUGH!
Some of you really need to stop rating this thing based on a personal wish list. Sure it would be great if ... However, when you compare this to other machines of the like, it is by far the best bang for the buck - BAR NONE.
Let's first tackle the critism (the unfair criticism).
1) - It's too big. --- too big for what? Sure it's bigger than your Ipod but that doesn't mean that it's too big.
Can it fit in my pocket? - YES - that makes it pocket sized.
Can it fit in my hand confortably? - YES - that means it's hand held. Personally, I think some things are actually too SMALL.
2) - It's not WiFi enabled ... This is true but that's hardly a con. My PSP is WiFi enabled and I barely use that funcionality because the overall design of the unit renders it quite cumbersome. I suspect that WiFi on the ZVW would similarly have very limited advantages as well.
3) - Poor battery life - Maybe it's me, but there's no way anyone can convice me that 13 hours of music or 5 hours of video on one charge is poor battery life. If I listened to music for three hours a day at an average, then it would be 4 days before I started charging again. That's not bad at all.
4) Compact Flash - I read somewhere that the compact flash is really unecessary. It portrudes and can not be considered removable storage and therefore, is a waste. Huh??? Wait a minute! I have a 4 gig Compact Flash card and a CP converter for all my other storage devices. This allows me to be able to go to a photoshoot and quickly view my shots on a beautiful screen. This also allows me to be able to get any media from my friends at any given moment and immediately transfer those files to my unit WITHOUT the use of a computer or laptop (which is really really really big in comparision) and that's considered a waste? - Sheesh.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::
Yes, there are products that will have better performance in certain areas but I maintain that those areas are very specific and will have poorer results with all other functionality when Juxtapposed to the Vision W.
There are only 2 real cons that I can think of ---> 1) there is no kickstand and 2) although the ZVW is very intuitive, the boxed documentation is really unacceptable. For that reason this rating should really be a 9.5 but CNET doesn't allow for half scores.
Here's what you do get.
1) - A wonderfully beautiful 4.3 inch screen that plays a slew of vid formats. It is also just about the best quality of them all.
2) - An MP3 player that has a variety playback options and playlist setups (including this thing that they dubbed "DJ")
3) - A great FM radio
4) - The device has a Compact Flash slot. Regardless of how some see it, I find this very useful and convenient.
5) - The ability to view files on your television at respectable resolution - WOW
6) - A removable battery. And on top of that, the Vision W's battery automatically charges while hooked up to your computer via USB. That's a really cool convenience.
6) - A whole lot of machine at a fantastic price point. I bought mine from B&H at $279 dollars.
Hope this helps.32 out of 32 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great machines
by nutjob on September 4, 2006
Pros: Plays more formats then any other machine
Cons: slightly expensive and video battery life should be longer
Summary: Just got this machine and put it through lots of paces. It even will play podcasts (via zcast). My yahoo music subscription works but I got it for the video ...
Summary: Just got this machine and put it through lots of paces. It even will play podcasts (via zcast). My yahoo music subscription works but I got it for the video and newscast/podcast I want to see on long plane rides. Goodbye Ipod, thsi size screen makes it worthwhile.
9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My One-Gadget Solution
by sjhpubs on November 4, 2006
Pros: Great screen, excellant sound quality, CF card slot, wide collection of functions
Cons: A bit bulky, would like to see some firmware changes
Summary: Originally, I was looking for a pda, a portable hard drive to download photographs, and an mp3 player, not only for music but for ebooks and podcasts. When I stumbled ...
Summary: Originally, I was looking for a pda, a portable hard drive to download photographs, and an mp3 player, not only for music but for ebooks and podcasts. When I stumbled across the Vision W, it was a lot more expensive than I had planned on for any one of these gadgets, but put together, it seemed to make sense.
I have to say that I am very happy with my choice. I have only had it for about 2 weeks, but I have listened to an ebook, listened to daily podcasts, loaded and listened to some music, referred to the calendar and task and contact lists that I synched from Outlook (would love to be able to update these and synch back also), recorded memos to myself, loaded and shared photos for viewing, and listening to FM radio-- all the things I bought it for. Although some of the menus are a bit confusing at first--getting used to which button to use for what in what mode--I have to say that I figured it out vbery easily, which is good because the documentation that came with it is lacking in this area. I also think the headphones that come with the Vision W are surprisingly comfortable and the sound quality is very good. I may replace them because I find all earbuds annoying, but I feel no great preassure to do that right now.
Overall, I am very happy with my choice. I have not taken it on a long trip yet, but I do a fair amount of walking every day and I really enjoy slipping it into a pocket and listening to any one of a number of things to pass the time.
Some of the things I would like to see improved are:
* Firmware updates to allow input into the calendar, tasks and contacts lists.
* More customization of menus possible or hot buttons that allow you to access often-used functions more easily
* Longer battery life
* A slipcase with a belt clip
* Better documentation, including some information on keeping the screen clean and navigation
* The ability to move things around once they are on the machine.
In conclusion, this is the first "mp3" player that I have owned, and certainly it does that very well. But that is not the reason to buy this pvp. If you are looking for the video capabilities and/or the combination of features that the Vision W offers, playing MP3s is gravy, and this is certainly a very good choice.6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Wonderful player with an abundance of features.
by ArtC1 on October 9, 2006
Pros: Almost a perfect 10 for my intended purpose.
Cons: Could use some firmware changes.
Summary: My primary reason for purchasing the ZVW is storing and viewing photos while traveling and I believe I have made a good choice. I purchased a CF card adapter and ...
Summary: My primary reason for purchasing the ZVW is storing and viewing photos while traveling and I believe I have made a good choice. I purchased a CF card adapter and am able to upload photos from all of my digital cameras. Thanks to the ZVW I no longer need to lug my laptop around on photo shoots or vacations.
The screen resolution, color accuracy, viewing angles, etc. are excellent.
Sound quality is very good and I was quite surprised with the sound quality of the built-in speaker.
The graphical user interface (GUI) does the job in a fairly reasonable manner but I can think of many changes that I would like to see.
Voice recording is fair to good but given the size of the unit I didn't expect much.
The unit is very well constructed although a bit heavy.
I don't care for the positioning of the Navigation, Options and Play/Pause Buttons, they are too close together for large fingers.
Moving data within the ZVW is prohibited which is especially frustrating when it comes to importing photos from a Compact Flash. A minor firmware revision should easily fix the problem.
Overall, I think the ZVW is a fine product but unless you intend to watch portable movies or use it for photo storage as I do, it is much too big and heavy for an MP3 player. This is not a knock on the product, I don't think it was designed to be an MP3 player with many options, rather it is a Personal Video Player that plays MP3's.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Everything in one package....it's perfect
by armoangel on December 3, 2006
Pros: doesn't lag <br>photos, videos, music in one <br>large, clear screen <br>sturdy construction
Cons: lack of accessories
Summary: After having my creative zen micro stolen, I decided that I needed to upgrade myself to a really nice player. At first I wanted just an mp3 player, but then ...
Summary: After having my creative zen micro stolen, I decided that I needed to upgrade myself to a really nice player. At first I wanted just an mp3 player, but then I saw the zen vision w and I could not resist. I did a lot of research between this and the new ipod video...and though you cannot really compare the two because the CVW is definately a media player rather than a music player, which the ipod is more so.... i still felt like when it came between quality of video, music and such or quantity of accessories available...i decided that the CVW was definately worth it...and plus it was only 20 dollars more for the 30gb CVW than the 30gb ipod video....i absolutely love it.....and yea its not very slim compared to the ipod video, it is still small enough to travel anywhere, its a real headturner, great screen, clear colors, viewing angles are great for showing videos to a bunch of friend without worrying if they can see from where they are viewing the screen from, and the sound is crisp and clear........i highly highly recommend this if you want to get something above the ipod video, and are willing to sacrifice slimness and like 20-50 dollars more....... A+
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is really nice
by Joey301 on November 20, 2006
Pros: Very slick, the sound is great, simple to use
Cons: none that I was not aware of before I got it
Summary: I have never given anything a 10 before because something usually pisses me off during the first week and setup.
This little thing worked like a charm right out of ...Summary: I have never given anything a 10 before because something usually pisses me off during the first week and setup.
This little thing worked like a charm right out of the box. It linked perfectly with my computer, was simple to 'unlink', the software is very easy to use, and the sound is really good. I am very happy with how easy it was to put content into the W, including video podcasts that had to be converted. I had to go to the Creative website to update the Zen Organizer, but once I did that, it worked perfectly. I think eventually that I will be sorry that I don't have a unit with WIFI, but it could be awhile before the funtionality of that technology is realized.
I am still very interested in finding nice video content and I especially like 'how to' vids.Updated
I had no idea CNET would question me about giving a product a 10. It was intentional.
JoeyUpdated
I am changing my review from a 10 to an 8 because of bad service. I recently sent an email to Creative because a feature on my ZW was not working. They replied that they could not help me unless I had an extended warrenty because my 60 days of coverage had ended. I have not checked yet to see if I have the extra warrenty, but it seems to me when Creative software (Zencast) does not work with Creative hardware, then it is not a warranty problem and assistance should be supplied. The problem I reported is one that I have seen reported on almost every Creative forum, including their own, certain videopodcasts fail when being converted to load on the ZVW. I wonder how many technology items really work like they are supposed to.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Amazing device!
by areyoudreaming on February 5, 2007
Pros: Screen clarity, Compact Flash slot, ease of use, battery life is great
Cons: I wish it was less expensive, but otherwise this is an amazing device
Summary: I've owned several MP3 players, including the Ipod (video -40 gig), and Sansa (video - 8gig). This device has so many more features and is so easy to use ...
Summary: I've owned several MP3 players, including the Ipod (video -40 gig), and Sansa (video - 8gig). This device has so many more features and is so easy to use I can't believe it isn't the industry standard. The Zen W is larger, but has an amazing 4" crystal clear screen for video. The sound is crisp and clear. The radio works great and best of all I can upload my photos directly from my camera using the Compact Flash card slot. It's fast and easy and the screen is large enough I can actually edit my photos to see which ones are quality and which ones need to be deleted without having to upload them to a PC - great for traveling!
I've heard the battery life isn't as good, but this one actually lasts longer then my Ipod and it can be replaced by the user without sending it in to the manufacturer. If you don't mind the size, this is an all around amazing device that will meet your photographic, music, video, and radio needs all in one device!!!
Enjoy!3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great player with great screen
by MARDKINS on August 22, 2007
Pros: Good for music, audiobooks, videos. Universal type connection without special software. Card interface is very nice, Menus easy to navigate. Charges with both USB or quick charge plug connector.
Cons: Its large. But managable. Available case selections are limited. Picture thumbnails slow to load. Cannot view picture details from computer
Summary: I am a Audio book aholic. I love listening to audiobooks and spend almost all of my listening devoted to that. Not that I don’t listen to music as ...
Summary: I am a Audio book aholic. I love listening to audiobooks and spend almost all of my listening devoted to that. Not that I don’t listen to music as I have 400 songs on it, but the bulk of my listening is spent on audiobooks.
Before this I had a Rio Carbon which I loved for it size and battery life. As well as its universal management. My wife has an IPod and I HATE ITunes and everything that that entails so not having to go through a propriety manager was important to me. I also like having a mini usb connector so that I don’t have to use some obscure plug that is difficult to purchase and expensive. This is the same plug my digital camera and my phone uses so it limits the number of cables connected to my computer. I also can use MS Media Player to organize my music which I like WAY better than ITunes or the Zune software that I have tinkered with. The partition function is also handy so that I can use it as a mini external hard drive when needed. I have used this quite a few times with great success.
I did not need the screen of the W but when I saw it I thought that I had to have that capability. As it has turned out so far all I have used it for is playing a few downloaded YouTube videos to show off to people but have not actually used the video function since it takes a bunch of effort to get a DVD into an mpeg format. Once I get some time to work out how it all gets done I suspect that I will use the video function more.
I love the menus and find them very easy to use. It also keeps things where you left them so that if I show someone a picture on it I can easily go right back to where I left off on the book. Even without bookmarking it, which is easy to do anyway?
I do use the picture viewing capabilities allot and my only complaints there are that it is a little difficult to find pictures on it when you have a bunch on it. I have a few hundred pictures on it and it is hard to locate the one I want to find easily. Part of the problem there is that the thumbnails are slow to resolve so there is quite a delay in finding them due to that. Making it even harder is that from the PC picture details are not made available so that it makes it hard to organize them to make finding them on the run easier. This might just take me some time to find the right functions but so far I have not found it. Pictures by the way are beautifully displayed and look great on this. As well as video. The display is perfect.
Battery life is not as good as my Rio was but that is to be expected with a screen this large. I like the removable battery as well even though I have not had to use that function but having it easily replaced will spare it the fate of my Rio when the battery died. I get 4 or 5 days of listening and general use before a recharge. My RIO would go about 7-10 days before a recharge by comparison. There are two ways to recharge it, the slow way and the fast way. The slow way is to hook it up to the usb and use that to charge, the better and faster way is to use the supplied ac adapter cord that charges the device in less than an hour most of the time. The USB by comparison takes several hours.
Finding a case was a problem for me. I wanted a case that I could hook onto my belt loop using a carabineer but the only cases that I found available were ones with either flimsy belt hooks or straps to loop through a belt. I found that the Nintendo PSP case worked very well with some minor modifications and already had the carabineer ready to go. It cost me a whole $10. I would have rather had a better quality one but none were available that had the carabineer capability.
All in all I love my player and would suggest it to anyone who wants the best. The size is what it is, but it is not really that big of deal once to get used to it. Going from the ultra small Rio to this was an adjustment but I have adjusted to it and enjoy the tradeoff just fine. I don’t find it any easier than my wife’s 30 gig that I used while shopping for my next player. You still can’t really fit that in your pocket either.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Simply amazing
by seanpull on December 7, 2007
Pros: 4.2 inch LCD widescreen, supports just about all video formats, av out port, 30GB and 60GB
Cons: a little bulky but not really
Summary: The Creative Zen Vision W is the best PMP out there. A 4.3 inch widescreen LCD, plays music, videos and photos. AV out port is great, you can play ...
Summary: The Creative Zen Vision W is the best PMP out there. A 4.3 inch widescreen LCD, plays music, videos and photos. AV out port is great, you can play your videos/movies on a tv, and also play music on a stereo. People wonder is it to big? My answer is no, especially if you're an adult. I am 13 years old and this isn't to big for me, I am pretty big but still I'm only 13. The picture with the man holding it seems pretty deceiving, and if your used to an iPod you can hold it vertically, and it fits comfortably in my hand. The only reason I would not get this is if you are looking for just a music player. If you were looking for something like that, I would recommend the Microsoft Zune or the Creative Zen Vision: M. Do not get an iPod, they suck, terrible battery life, and the software is annoying unless you pay for your music or have a mac.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Rated 9 but deserves 10 if...!
by zizouchannelis on November 2, 2007
Pros: huge video format supported, great display, great features, excellent design, whatelse you need?!
Cons: not many accessories available, even the included headset is useless!
Summary: Well, this is the first time i write something on CNet just because i have to say something about this great player, almost perfect: the sound, the screen, the multi-format ...
Summary: Well, this is the first time i write something on CNet just because i have to say something about this great player, almost perfect: the sound, the screen, the multi-format supported video, the video quality, etc.. only there's some minus points about this player: creative did a great job by making it but did not make available accessories comparing of all other creative products, simple accessories like stand, dock charger, travel dock charger etc...
anyways i loved this player!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Creative
- Part number: 70PF201000009
- Description: Creative's Zen Vision W is the widescreen multimedia MP3 player for movies, music and photos. Its high-gloss, scratch-resistant 16: 9 display with adjustment makes all content fit the entire screen, and its large hard disk stores up to 120 hours of movies, 15000 songs or many thousands of photos. The player has a Compact Flash slot for the transfer of stills from digital cameras, and it supports popular movie and audio formats as well as Album Art and customized wallpapers. Additional features include a built-in FM radio, a microphone for live recording, and connectivity to external TVs and speakers.
General
- Device Type Digital AV player
- Key Features Digital photo viewer ,
External HDD function ,
Memory card reader ,
Digital video player ,
Voice recorder ,
Digital audio player ,
FM tuner - Compatibility Intel VIIV Technology
- Width 5.3 in
- Depth 0.9 in
- Height 3 in
- Weight 9.7 oz
- Color Black
- PC Interfaces Hi-Speed USB
- Features Organizer,
FM recording Display
- Display Type TFT 4.3 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- TV Standards Supported PAL,
NTSC Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory Cards Supported CompactFlash Card type I ,
CompactFlash Card type II - HDD Capacity 30 GB
- HDD Form Factor Built-in
Digital Audio
- Supported audio formats MP3 ,
WMA ,
Audible ,
Protected WMA (DRM) ,
WAV - Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Signal-to-noise ratio 96 dB
- Playback modes Resume play,
Random play / shuffle,
Repeat all - Audio output Built-in speaker
- Microphone Built-in microphone
- Digital audio features Equalizer
Still Images
- Supported Still Images Formats GIF,
JPEG,
BMP - Photo Playback Modes Zoom in,
Scroll Radio
- FM station preset qty 32
Video
- Video Playback Formats DivX 5.0 ,
DivX 4.0 ,
WMV ,
Motion JPEG ,
MPEG-2 ,
MPEG-4 SP ,
XviD ,
MPEG-1 Connectivity
- Connections Composite video output,
Audio line-out - Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,
Hi-Speed USB Battery
- Required Qty 1
- Rechargeable Battery Rechargeable
- Battery Enclosure Type Internal
- Included Qty 1
- Technology Lithium ion
- Battery Life Details MP3 playback - up to 13 hour(s),
Video playback - up to 4.5 hour(s) Software
- Software Included Microsoft Windows Media Player 10,
Creative MediaSource,
Creative Media Explorer System Requirements
- Operating System MS Windows XP,
MS Windows XP Professional x64 Edition - Peripheral(s) CD-ROM
- System Requirements Details Windows XP 64-bit Edition - Pentium II - 350 MHz - RAM 64 MB - HD 170 MB,
Windows XP - Pentium II - 350 MHz - RAM 64 MB - HD 170 MB Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Carrying pouch , Power adapter,
USB cable,
AV cable,
Stereo headphones
Product series
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Manufacturer: Creative
Specs: Digital AV player,
TFT 4.3 in - Color,
MP3,
WMA,
Audible,
Protected WMA (DRM),
WAV,
DivX 5.0,
DivX 4.0,
WMV,
Motion JPEG,
MPEG-2,
MPEG-4 SP,
XviD,
MPEG-1,
5.3 in x 0.9 in x 3 in,
9.7 oz
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Creative products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Creative
- Address:
1901 McCarthy Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035, Milpitas, CA 95035 - Phone: 800-998-1000
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