I just bought a Zen Vision...

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 28, 2006, 2:56 am

My Dell DJ took a shit on me, and I did some research and decided on the Creative Zen Vision.

http://www.creative.com/products/produc ... duct=12985

I went ahead and got the docking station, an extra long life battery, a carrying case, a card reader, and the wireless remote control too. Total bill was about $600.00, but I listen to an MP3 player 5-6 hours a day, 5 days a week, so I justified the rather steep purchase. They really nail you on the accessories, just like they did with my latest camera purchase. I look forward to adding some video into my daily routine, as well as using it alongside my new digital camera for showing off slideshows and such at family gatherings.

In preperation for the incoming toy, please tell me what is the best program I can use to convert DVDs and the like to play on my Zen? I did some searching online and just came up with a wide assortment of trial software and nothng specific.

Help a fellow Zen fan out! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » June 28, 2006, 10:16 am

Please go to this link: http://www.veeshanvault.org/forums/view ... hp?t=17275

That might avoid waking the slavering fanboi called Winnow!

miir · Post by **miir** » June 28, 2006, 11:21 am

Did you have to wipe Winnow's jizz off the box?

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 28, 2006, 11:22 am

Well, I didn't buy a Vision M and I also didn't want to get lost in that thread. Besides, it's just about time for some more Apple vs. anything else debate to start up

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » June 28, 2006, 11:23 am

Go to http://yourmercifulgod.co.uk which has all of the tools you need and decent tutorials in how to use them for pretty much exactly your purpose (though you'll want to make some adjustments for screen size to match the hand held).

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » June 28, 2006, 12:24 pm

I went ahead and DLed Super Converter because it was free and looked easy to use. I'll let you know how the conversion process goes. I'ma total newb at this, so I hope it's as easy as people make it sound.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 28, 2006, 2:23 pm

This is a good non official forum site for Creative players:

http://www.epizenter.net/e107_plugins/forum/forum.php

It seems to have more Vison M than Vison but the same conversion software would work for both.

You might also try this Creative thread for suggestions which has Vision and Vision M issues and solutions:

http://forums.creative.com/creativelabs ... ard.id=pmc

Truant · Post by **Truant** » June 28, 2006, 2:39 pm

Winnow, you forgot to thank him for driving your shares up $.01

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 28, 2006, 2:52 pm

Truant wrote:Winnow, you forgot to thank him for driving your shares up $.01

Since you asked...lets have a look at APPL's stock price as I type this shall we?

Awwww, looks like there might be a 6 month delay before the new iPods are released.

Next support level: $47.00!

A far cry from that 85.00 a few months back eh?

Animalor · Post by **Animalor** » June 28, 2006, 3:05 pm

Considering that the 52wk low is 36.12, Apple isn't doing too bad at 55.52.

miir · Post by **miir** » June 28, 2006, 3:22 pm

Animalor wrote:Considering that the 52wk low is 36.12, Apple isn't doing too bad at 55.52.

Fucking optimist....

cadalano · Post by **cadalano** » June 28, 2006, 3:46 pm

speaking of tech stocks... anyone buy MSFT after their shitty quarterly?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » June 28, 2006, 6:24 pm

Animalor wrote:Considering that the 52wk low is 36.12, Apple isn't doing too bad at 55.52.

Give it time! Apple is a hype stock. Maybe around October it will be a good time to buy and ride the hype machine back up....then short it and ride it back down after it peaks around CES next year.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shares of Apple Computer Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL - news) on Wednesday fell to an eight-month low after a Wall Street analyst said updated versions of the popular iPod digital music player may be delayed.

The stock fell 2.5 percent to $56.02, after hitting a session low of $55.41. It was among the biggest drags on the S&P 500 index and the Nasdaq market amid heavy trading.

American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu said that new versions of Apple's slim iPod Nano player would ship in the fourth quarter, rather than the third quarter, due to Apple's switch of suppliers.

Wu, who trimmed his price target on Apple shares to $75 from $101, also saw the introduction of a wide-screen video iPod, previously expected to arrive in the fourth quarter, being pushed back until sometime in the first half of 2007.

The stock price decline comes amid a stream of analyst warnings that sales of the Nano have been sluggish and that iPod sales in the quarter would fall short of forecasts.

An Apple spokeswoman said the company did not comment on rumors or speculation.

While the iPod, and its companion iTunes music software and service, remain dominant in the digital music market, Apple has relied on new models and services to re-energize demand. But Wu notes that the last new iPod device came out last October.

"The stock has pulled back as the overall tech market has been weak, but there is also a lack of new product momentum," Wu told Reuters. "The Nano was introduced last October, it was very strong but it hasn't done that well, and it is in need of a refresh."

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » July 4, 2006, 12:14 pm

After trying out various freeware, I ended up using the software that was supplied with my Vision. It works like a charm and it simple to use.

So far, my Vision is filled with:

Video
Season 1 of Family Guy (14 Episodes)
Finding Nemo (god this looks great)
Fellowship of the Ring
Various game CGI trailers

Music
122 albums, 1479 tracks

Photos
Wedding Photos (328 total)
Photos of my home (58)
Some random web stuff (18)

I have also have 10 of 18 stations preset for the FM tuner, it is synced with my Outlook Express, and I still have a little over 14 Gigs available on the player. I'll be putting on more music and probably another season of something like Simpsons/American Dad/South Park, ect.

This was a great purchase. I got the player from Radio Shack for $350.00ish, but most of the good accessories are only available from Creative. A word of advice: Never order anything directly from Creative. I actually cancelled my order because it was such a furstrating experiance.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » July 4, 2006, 3:08 pm

Fairweather Pure wrote:After trying out various freeware, I ended up using the software that was supplied with my Vision. It works like a charm and it simple to use.

Go Zen!

Two things though:

-The software that comes with the Zen works but isn't it extremely slow for you? That's the knock on it. How long has it been taking to convert a DVD?

-The price seems high considering the new Vision M is 299.00 or less these days but the main thing about the original Vision is the 3.7in screen and 680x640 max res compared to 320x240 for the Vision so if you don't mind the extra size, the original is better for video. If you search around on the forums, people found some relatively cheap cables that allow you to play your movies/video on your TV. (not sure what that cable costs from Creative). I'm not sure how useful playing videos from the Zen would be normally but if you travel, having your videos available to play on a TV while in hotel rooms etc would be great if your laptop screen isn't that nice.

I've been using my Vison M to jack into my PC speaker system for easy music access during MMMORPS etc. The volume control for my PC speakers has both headphone and aux inputs so makes it easy to do. No fiddling around behind the computer.

The Zen's menu system (which Apple stole and is being sued for) is great!

Zaelath · Post by **Zaelath** » July 4, 2006, 4:30 pm

Winnow wrote: The Zen's menu system (which Apple stole and is being sued for) is great!

Didn't "look and feel" lawsuits go out with the charlston and spats?

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » July 5, 2006, 3:30 am

Guess not!

so lets sum it up:

Apple iPod vs Ven Vision has:

worse screen
worse sound
worse video
less file types
less features (too many to mention)
shorter battery life

...and a stolen UI!

Great product! Go Apple!

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » July 10, 2006, 10:32 am

Winnow wrote:
Fairweather Pure wrote:After trying out various freeware, I ended up using the software that was supplied with my Vision. It works like a charm and it simple to use.
Go Zen!

Two things though:

-The software that comes with the Zen works but isn't it extremely slow for you? That's the knock on it. How long has it been taking to convert a DVD?

-The price seems high considering the new Vision M is 299.00 or less these days but the main thing about the original Vision is the 3.7in screen and 680x640 max res compared to 320x240 for the Vision so if you don't mind the extra size, the original is better for video. If you search around on the forums, people found some relatively cheap cables that allow you to play your movies/video on your TV. (not sure what that cable costs from Creative). I'm not sure how useful playing videos from the Zen would be normally but if you travel, having your videos available to play on a TV while in hotel rooms etc would be great if your laptop screen isn't that nice.

I've been using my Vison M to jack into my PC speaker system for easy music access during MMMORPS etc. The volume control for my PC speakers has both headphone and aux inputs so makes it easy to do. No fiddling around behind the computer.

The Zen's menu system (which Apple stole and is being sued for) is great!

The Vision offered considerably more than the Vision: M for a mere $50.00 more. It's not just the screen size and resolution, it's the wirelss remote I use when it is connected to my Reciever/Home system. The cables that come with the Vision allows it to plug into my system and the UI is then used on the TV screen. The remote is exactely like the menu buttons on the Zen itself, so it's very nice. I also use it to set up slideshows to take to family outings (I've done 2 so far). Just plug it in and hit play and pics present to the music of your choice. Older family members flip over stuff like that

You're right about it being good for travel too. All rips are DVD quality and play on any TV as if it were a DVD. I have already used it as a travel DVD player. And damn, porn looks fantastic on it!

Yeah, it takes forever to rip a DVD. I'd say if a movie is 2hrs long, it's going to take 2 hours to rip. What can you suggest that is faster, yet still idiot proof? I hav yet to purchase the product that came with it. I still have 4 days left on the trial I think.

PS: It also has an external speaker, and a better docking station than the M series. The external speaker was essential for me when I was looking at PVP players. The linking with outlook has been surprisingly handy as well.

EDIT 2: The flash card slot and multi-card reader I got were also big selling points.