--- product_id: 47734293 title: "Creative ZEN Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (Black)" price: "B/.6" currency: PAB in_stock: false reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/47734293-creative-zen-vision-m-30-gb-mp3-and-video-player store_origin: PA region: Panama --- # 30 GB storage 2.5" LCD screen FM radio & recorder Creative ZEN Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (Black) **Price:** B/.6 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Summary > 🎢 Your Pocket-Sized Entertainment Hub! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Creative ZEN Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (Black) - **How much does it cost?** B/.6 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.pa](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/47734293-creative-zen-vision-m-30-gb-mp3-and-video-player) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - β€’ **Vivid Visuals:** Experience your content on a stunning 2.5-inch high-definition LCD. - β€’ **Versatile Formats:** Supports a wide range of video formats for ultimate flexibility. - β€’ **Unleash Your Media:** Store up to 15,000 songs and 120 hours of videos! - β€’ **Compact & Lightweight:** Easily portable at just 5.7 ouncesβ€”perfect for on-the-go entertainment. - β€’ **All-in-One Entertainment:** Integrated FM radio and voice recorder for added functionality. ## Overview The Creative ZEN Vision:M is a powerful 30 GB multimedia device designed for music and video enthusiasts. With the capacity to hold thousands of songs, hours of video, and a vibrant 2.5-inch LCD screen, it offers a versatile entertainment experience. Its compact design and integrated FM radio make it the perfect companion for any lifestyle. ## Description Creative Labs (70pf169000001) Zen Vision: M 30GB Review: A non-iPod-based review - I'll start this out by saying that I've never used an iPod. Ok, so I tinkered around with one for all of 30 seconds once, but I couldn't figure it out, so it doesn't really count. So, with that in mind, this review won't be full of the normal iPod comparisons. I will say that I'm generally anti-Apple, which is the reasoning behind my lack of i-experience. That's quite alright, however, and it doesn't detract at all from the wonderful player that is the Creative Zen. I got the Creative Zen Vision: M in the mail a couple weeks ago, and have yet to use all of the features (specifically, I haven't used the coax cables to watch video on my television, or the FM radio), so I'll leave out those things. What I have used, however, which is almost everything, I've been incredibly impressed with. While I haven't used an iPod before, I have used other MP3 players, and they would invariably grow unstable the more I loaded, deleted, and reloaded files onto them. Not the Creative Zen. Maybe it's because I bought it after it had been out for a while and Creative has had ample opportunity to tweak the firmware and whatnot, or maybe it just had a solid operating system to begin with. Either way, I have yet to experience a crash, freeze, loss of any data, or any other technical snafu. That alone is a huge plus in my book. I got the 30G version (though did debate on the 60G size...for only $70 more, it's a hard bargain to pass up), and after uploading every music file I have, along with a large number of videos, I still have 10G of free space. I do realize, however, that space is more a matter of individual need and preference. Speaking for me, the 30G size is more than enough. Now, as for the interface itself, as I said, it's a dream. It runs smoothly and intuitively, and, for those of you who are more hands-on (as I am), you can edit nearly every bit of info of every individual file using the included software. This works well for those who have more of a hodge-podge music collection (and for those who have aquired their music through less-than-legal means, since the ID3 tags of downloaded music can be sketchy, at times...but I wouldn't know anything about that). A couple small touches that I really like, that I've been told are not common among other players (though I could be wrong), are the abilities to delete files directly from the player, instead of using the computer interface, and the ability to build playlists on the go, or rather, to build a new Now Playing list every time, if you want. Normally, with other players, if I wanted to play 10 different songs by 10 different artists, I would've had to play a song, go into the player once it was over, select the next song through the menu, listen to it, go into the player, etc, etc, repeat until my fingers were tired. With the Creative Zen, you can simply build up your Now Playing list and let it go, just like the Ronco Set-It-And-Forget-It. Really, it's pretty similar to Windows Media Player, which I use religiously, and because of which, I can appreciate all the more. Speaking of WMP, I really like the fact that it's possible to upload files either through that, or through the Media Explorer software that's included with the Zen. The WMP interface is for those who are less hands-on and who would rather just make a few clicks and have their player fill up with their music, while the Media Explorer program is a drag-and-drop interface that's slightly more involved. I've used them both, and prefer the drag-and-drop method, though that's one of those things that'll come down to particular preference or need. One thing some might say is a downside is the fact that the Zen is a little big and heavy. I will admit that, to do much on it requires two hands: one to hold the player, and the other to navigate the buttons. Some might like that less than others...personally, it doesn't really bother me, since I don't mind taking a few seconds to focus on whatever I'm doing in the player. The controls do take some getting used to, and, at first, it's easy to hit Select on the slide bar instead of Up or Down, but once you get a handle on it, it's pretty easy and intuitive. Another thing that others have mentioned is it's easy to get the player dirty or scuffed. I ordered a skin for it, along with a screen protector, since the included bag is kind of a joke, if you ask me. It reminds me of a biblically-themed money satchel, and doesn't have any clips or anything. But, from what I've seen, the included accessories in most players are pretty substandard. I haven't even tried the included ear buds, mainly because I hate that style of headset, so I can't say how well they sound. From what I understand, Creative used to include a wall charger for the player, but they don't anymore. I ordered one of those, as well, from a vendor on desertcart, since I don't really want to have to plug the Zen into my system for 6 hours every time I want to charge it. So, the included accessories kind of suck, but, as I said, that seems to pretty much be par for the course. A couple more things: the video display on the Zen really has to be seen to really get how vibrant and crisp it is. I was absolutely blown away the first time I watched a video on it. It's renewed my interest in music videos overall, which is the best compliment I can give it, and with the 10G of free space I still have, it'll take a while to fill it up. Granted, the screen is pretty small, in comparison to, say, a TV screen, but if your eyes are even moderately strong, you won't have any problems. One of these days, I plan on uploading an entire movie or two onto it, just for the novelty of it. The picture display works wonderfully, too. Before I got the Zen, I never really thought I would use an MP3 player to watch videos or show off pictures. I realized I was wrong, however, this past weekend during a hospital stay, where I found myself whipping it out to show off some vacation pictures to my nurses. They were all quite impressed....with the pics themselves, and with the display on the player. I suppose the picture display is one of those things that's cool to have, and if you do have it, you'll use it as the occasion rises, but if it's not there, it's not a big deal. I've never been able to show off vacation pics to random people before, and never really thought much about it, but now that I can, it's pretty nifty to be able to. Ahh, and before I forget, the battery life of the player has been pretty impressive, so far, though I haven't used it for hours on end. I lean more towards the Turn-It-On-For-An-Hour-At-A-Time-Several-Times-A-Day mode of usage, and at that rate, I only have to charge it every few days. Even watching video and looking at pictures only moderately drains it. I imagine that watching a feature-length film would take the battery down pretty far, but I have yet to get around to that. So, with that, I'll make a brief list of little things I dig about the Zen, along with the few cons I've found... - you can set your own background picture, as well as customize the display in a bunch of other ways - the interface is so similar to WMP - the level at which you can work with your own files - the stability of the software - battery life - the beautiful display Cons... - included accessories suck - it attracts dust like a magic wand - the controls take a bit to get a good feel for - this is less of a player issue, rather than an included-software issue, but I have yet to successfully use the Video Conversion software. I'm not sure why, but every time I try, it fails. Maybe it's the files that I'm trying to work with, or maybe it's the software itself...I don't know. I'll keep working with it, though. Then again, out of everything I've tried to load onto the Zen, only two things have required a conversion, though I'm not exactly sure why, so it's not that big a deal. - it's a tiny bit big With that, I'll round this out by saying that if you're in the market for a very well rounded, stable MP3 player that can also play back amazingly vivid videos and pictures, get the Creative Zen. For the price, it really can't be beat. Review: Zen Vision M is a superior player. - I was choosing between the Ipod video or Zen Vision M (ZVM). Frankly, I really didn't care whatsoever about which player I bought - Ipod or ZVM; I just wanted the "better" one (Toshiba Gigabeat S was out of the question due to reliability problems and short battery life). Now that I have the ZVM, here are the reasons why I bought the ZVM over the Ipod. The ZVM has: *Longer battery life - ZVM video lasts about 4 hours - which is twice as much as Ipod. As a result, I don't have to worry about the player running out of juice at the end of a movie like with the Ipod video. Also, it's just nicer to have longer battery life. *Digital camera storage - The ZVM can directly store my photos from my digital camera so that I don't need to bring along a computer to store my photos when I travel - just plug my camera to the ZVM, download photos, then erase my camera's card to take more pictures. *Hard drive capabilities - The ZVM acts like a hard drive. Just plug to a computer and download what you need. For example, I can go to my friend's computer and copy all the music/video/etc files I like with drag-and-drop ease. Also, I can now store very large PowerPoint files on the ZVM so that my work presentations have a better bang - and I get better results. *Multiple file format support - The ZVM plays a lot of video file format's that I already have such as divx, xvid and WMA. This is not a major issue to me however because even with an Ipod, video/audio conversion is not a big deal - just an extra step. *Software ease-of-use: With the ZVM, I don't have to rely on iTunes to get files loaded onto the player. Itunes program isn't bad, but sometimes I think it is a little cumbersome. Currently, I just use Windows Media Player and/or the regular Windows XP Explorer interface. *Better screen: The ZVM has a better screen than the video Ipod. For example, the ZVM has 260+k of colors vs. 65k on the Ipod. The difference is readily seen with the ZVM having more vibrant colors and a less washed-out appearance. *Accessory support: For $25.00, desertcart.com sells a combo that includes an AC adaptor, car charger adaptor, direct USB cable (no need for included ZVM dongle), and a battery pack (uses 4-AA batteries) for those long flights. *Cheaper: The ZVM is priced much less than the Ipod. *FM Radio: Despite a large library of songs, it's nice to be able to hear fresh music over the radio. *Recording capability: The ZVM can record FM radio. But for me, I like the fact that I can put my BlackBerry on speakerphone and then use the ZVM to record the conversation for business legal and future reference. *Short-cut key and easy navigation: The short-cut key is great; I have mine set to the microphone record function. I haven't had any problems with the ZVM's navigation on screen. *Multiple subscription service support: Although I haven't used them all, I hear the music subscription support is great. For example, I heard that with Yahoo (at least for your 1st month), you can pay $15 and download all the music you want. What a deal. *Customizable EQ: The ZVM has preset EQs also, but I prefer to set the EQ my way. Despite these features that the ZVM has, there are a few shortcomings. For example, I wish the ZVM was thinner for the amount of hard drive space it has. I purchased the 30GB simply because it was thinner than the 60GB, although I'd prefer 60GBs. When the thin 60GB comes out, I'll be buying that and ebaying my 30GB. I've found that the thickness of the 30GB is the max thickness I would want to have in one of these media players. However, with the 30GB ZVM, I don't mind the extra thickness over the Ipod - probably because I don't notice the difference. Maybe it's because the difference is marginal or that the 30GB Ipod and 30GB ZVM weigh the same. If I could choose one word for the ZVM, it would be - versatile. I'm not a Creative fanboy or anything. I just like the features the ZVM has. If in the future, the Ipod has all the above features and remains thin with 60+ or more GB, I'd would be buying the Ipod. For now however, I'm more than satisfied with the ZVM. It's a great all-around media player. ## Features - 30 GB multimedia device holds tens of thousands of photos, up to 120 hours of videos, or 15,000 songs - 2.5-inch high-definition LCD screen features a 320 x 240 resolution and hundreds of thousands of colors - Supports many video formats such as AVI, DivX 4 and 53, XviD4, MPEG-1, -2, -SP, WMV9, and Motion-JPEG - Integrated FM radio and recorder, and voice recorder - Measures 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches and weighs 5.7 ounces ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #817,639 in Electronics ( See Top 100 in Electronics ) #3,072 in MP3 & MP4 Players | | Customer Reviews | 4.1 out of 5 stars 754 Reviews | ## Images ![Creative ZEN Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (Black) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71YGOcverhS.jpg) ## Questions & Answers **Q: Does it take SD card?** A: It takes a 30GB ZIF HDD. However, you can use a ZIF->CF or ZIF to SD Card Adapter and use a 128GB SD Card. I am trying to use a 512GB, but I am kind of having a Issue right now. It was working perfectly, but now, during a Transfer, it stopped being detected, and all my Videos/MP3s are not showing up. I also tried using a ZIF->mSATA with a 500GB SSD, but that did not work out all that well. Currently thinking the absolute max it can read correctly is 128/256GB. **Q: does this support micro sd cards?** A: this dies not support Micro SD, these were made back in 2005. **Q: if i get a car adapter can it player externally so everyone in the car can hear it without ear phones?** A: There are several audio jack cords available that should allow you to plug in one end to the mp3 player and the other into most car sterios. If both are compatible, it will play through the car speakers **Q: How do I get this player to automatically advance to each consecutive part of an audio book** A: If the audio book is like a normal track for example a 3 min audio chapter, the up and down touch pad is also a FWD PREV button. Just hold down on the right edge of the thumb slider and hold it down, you will see the timeline speed up.I hope you understood :) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A non-iPod-based review *by C***E on February 22, 2007* I'll start this out by saying that I've never used an iPod. Ok, so I tinkered around with one for all of 30 seconds once, but I couldn't figure it out, so it doesn't really count. So, with that in mind, this review won't be full of the normal iPod comparisons. I will say that I'm generally anti-Apple, which is the reasoning behind my lack of i-experience. That's quite alright, however, and it doesn't detract at all from the wonderful player that is the Creative Zen. I got the Creative Zen Vision: M in the mail a couple weeks ago, and have yet to use all of the features (specifically, I haven't used the coax cables to watch video on my television, or the FM radio), so I'll leave out those things. What I have used, however, which is almost everything, I've been incredibly impressed with. While I haven't used an iPod before, I have used other MP3 players, and they would invariably grow unstable the more I loaded, deleted, and reloaded files onto them. Not the Creative Zen. Maybe it's because I bought it after it had been out for a while and Creative has had ample opportunity to tweak the firmware and whatnot, or maybe it just had a solid operating system to begin with. Either way, I have yet to experience a crash, freeze, loss of any data, or any other technical snafu. That alone is a huge plus in my book. I got the 30G version (though did debate on the 60G size...for only $70 more, it's a hard bargain to pass up), and after uploading every music file I have, along with a large number of videos, I still have 10G of free space. I do realize, however, that space is more a matter of individual need and preference. Speaking for me, the 30G size is more than enough. Now, as for the interface itself, as I said, it's a dream. It runs smoothly and intuitively, and, for those of you who are more hands-on (as I am), you can edit nearly every bit of info of every individual file using the included software. This works well for those who have more of a hodge-podge music collection (and for those who have aquired their music through less-than-legal means, since the ID3 tags of downloaded music can be sketchy, at times...but I wouldn't know anything about that). A couple small touches that I really like, that I've been told are not common among other players (though I could be wrong), are the abilities to delete files directly from the player, instead of using the computer interface, and the ability to build playlists on the go, or rather, to build a new Now Playing list every time, if you want. Normally, with other players, if I wanted to play 10 different songs by 10 different artists, I would've had to play a song, go into the player once it was over, select the next song through the menu, listen to it, go into the player, etc, etc, repeat until my fingers were tired. With the Creative Zen, you can simply build up your Now Playing list and let it go, just like the Ronco Set-It-And-Forget-It. Really, it's pretty similar to Windows Media Player, which I use religiously, and because of which, I can appreciate all the more. Speaking of WMP, I really like the fact that it's possible to upload files either through that, or through the Media Explorer software that's included with the Zen. The WMP interface is for those who are less hands-on and who would rather just make a few clicks and have their player fill up with their music, while the Media Explorer program is a drag-and-drop interface that's slightly more involved. I've used them both, and prefer the drag-and-drop method, though that's one of those things that'll come down to particular preference or need. One thing some might say is a downside is the fact that the Zen is a little big and heavy. I will admit that, to do much on it requires two hands: one to hold the player, and the other to navigate the buttons. Some might like that less than others...personally, it doesn't really bother me, since I don't mind taking a few seconds to focus on whatever I'm doing in the player. The controls do take some getting used to, and, at first, it's easy to hit Select on the slide bar instead of Up or Down, but once you get a handle on it, it's pretty easy and intuitive. Another thing that others have mentioned is it's easy to get the player dirty or scuffed. I ordered a skin for it, along with a screen protector, since the included bag is kind of a joke, if you ask me. It reminds me of a biblically-themed money satchel, and doesn't have any clips or anything. But, from what I've seen, the included accessories in most players are pretty substandard. I haven't even tried the included ear buds, mainly because I hate that style of headset, so I can't say how well they sound. From what I understand, Creative used to include a wall charger for the player, but they don't anymore. I ordered one of those, as well, from a vendor on Amazon, since I don't really want to have to plug the Zen into my system for 6 hours every time I want to charge it. So, the included accessories kind of suck, but, as I said, that seems to pretty much be par for the course. A couple more things: the video display on the Zen really has to be seen to really get how vibrant and crisp it is. I was absolutely blown away the first time I watched a video on it. It's renewed my interest in music videos overall, which is the best compliment I can give it, and with the 10G of free space I still have, it'll take a while to fill it up. Granted, the screen is pretty small, in comparison to, say, a TV screen, but if your eyes are even moderately strong, you won't have any problems. One of these days, I plan on uploading an entire movie or two onto it, just for the novelty of it. The picture display works wonderfully, too. Before I got the Zen, I never really thought I would use an MP3 player to watch videos or show off pictures. I realized I was wrong, however, this past weekend during a hospital stay, where I found myself whipping it out to show off some vacation pictures to my nurses. They were all quite impressed....with the pics themselves, and with the display on the player. I suppose the picture display is one of those things that's cool to have, and if you do have it, you'll use it as the occasion rises, but if it's not there, it's not a big deal. I've never been able to show off vacation pics to random people before, and never really thought much about it, but now that I can, it's pretty nifty to be able to. Ahh, and before I forget, the battery life of the player has been pretty impressive, so far, though I haven't used it for hours on end. I lean more towards the Turn-It-On-For-An-Hour-At-A-Time-Several-Times-A-Day mode of usage, and at that rate, I only have to charge it every few days. Even watching video and looking at pictures only moderately drains it. I imagine that watching a feature-length film would take the battery down pretty far, but I have yet to get around to that. So, with that, I'll make a brief list of little things I dig about the Zen, along with the few cons I've found... - you can set your own background picture, as well as customize the display in a bunch of other ways - the interface is so similar to WMP - the level at which you can work with your own files - the stability of the software - battery life - the beautiful display Cons... - included accessories suck - it attracts dust like a magic wand - the controls take a bit to get a good feel for - this is less of a player issue, rather than an included-software issue, but I have yet to successfully use the Video Conversion software. I'm not sure why, but every time I try, it fails. Maybe it's the files that I'm trying to work with, or maybe it's the software itself...I don't know. I'll keep working with it, though. Then again, out of everything I've tried to load onto the Zen, only two things have required a conversion, though I'm not exactly sure why, so it's not that big a deal. - it's a tiny bit big With that, I'll round this out by saying that if you're in the market for a very well rounded, stable MP3 player that can also play back amazingly vivid videos and pictures, get the Creative Zen. For the price, it really can't be beat. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Zen Vision M is a superior player. *by P***A on July 27, 2007* I was choosing between the Ipod video or Zen Vision M (ZVM). Frankly, I really didn't care whatsoever about which player I bought - Ipod or ZVM; I just wanted the "better" one (Toshiba Gigabeat S was out of the question due to reliability problems and short battery life). Now that I have the ZVM, here are the reasons why I bought the ZVM over the Ipod. The ZVM has: *Longer battery life - ZVM video lasts about 4 hours - which is twice as much as Ipod. As a result, I don't have to worry about the player running out of juice at the end of a movie like with the Ipod video. Also, it's just nicer to have longer battery life. *Digital camera storage - The ZVM can directly store my photos from my digital camera so that I don't need to bring along a computer to store my photos when I travel - just plug my camera to the ZVM, download photos, then erase my camera's card to take more pictures. *Hard drive capabilities - The ZVM acts like a hard drive. Just plug to a computer and download what you need. For example, I can go to my friend's computer and copy all the music/video/etc files I like with drag-and-drop ease. Also, I can now store very large PowerPoint files on the ZVM so that my work presentations have a better bang - and I get better results. *Multiple file format support - The ZVM plays a lot of video file format's that I already have such as divx, xvid and WMA. This is not a major issue to me however because even with an Ipod, video/audio conversion is not a big deal - just an extra step. *Software ease-of-use: With the ZVM, I don't have to rely on iTunes to get files loaded onto the player. Itunes program isn't bad, but sometimes I think it is a little cumbersome. Currently, I just use Windows Media Player and/or the regular Windows XP Explorer interface. *Better screen: The ZVM has a better screen than the video Ipod. For example, the ZVM has 260+k of colors vs. 65k on the Ipod. The difference is readily seen with the ZVM having more vibrant colors and a less washed-out appearance. *Accessory support: For $25.00, Amazon.com sells a combo that includes an AC adaptor, car charger adaptor, direct USB cable (no need for included ZVM dongle), and a battery pack (uses 4-AA batteries) for those long flights. *Cheaper: The ZVM is priced much less than the Ipod. *FM Radio: Despite a large library of songs, it's nice to be able to hear fresh music over the radio. *Recording capability: The ZVM can record FM radio. But for me, I like the fact that I can put my BlackBerry on speakerphone and then use the ZVM to record the conversation for business legal and future reference. *Short-cut key and easy navigation: The short-cut key is great; I have mine set to the microphone record function. I haven't had any problems with the ZVM's navigation on screen. *Multiple subscription service support: Although I haven't used them all, I hear the music subscription support is great. For example, I heard that with Yahoo (at least for your 1st month), you can pay $15 and download all the music you want. What a deal. *Customizable EQ: The ZVM has preset EQs also, but I prefer to set the EQ my way. Despite these features that the ZVM has, there are a few shortcomings. For example, I wish the ZVM was thinner for the amount of hard drive space it has. I purchased the 30GB simply because it was thinner than the 60GB, although I'd prefer 60GBs. When the thin 60GB comes out, I'll be buying that and ebaying my 30GB. I've found that the thickness of the 30GB is the max thickness I would want to have in one of these media players. However, with the 30GB ZVM, I don't mind the extra thickness over the Ipod - probably because I don't notice the difference. Maybe it's because the difference is marginal or that the 30GB Ipod and 30GB ZVM weigh the same. If I could choose one word for the ZVM, it would be - versatile. I'm not a Creative fanboy or anything. I just like the features the ZVM has. If in the future, the Ipod has all the above features and remains thin with 60+ or more GB, I'd would be buying the Ipod. For now however, I'm more than satisfied with the ZVM. It's a great all-around media player. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Why I chose this over an iPod *by B***S on February 20, 2006* I'll try and avoid philosphical discussions of the iPod and competition. I don't know why iPod users seem to need to bash products that they've never seen or touched, but they seem to. I was looking to replace my Zen Touch 20 GB. I was almost going to buy the black iPod video 60 GB. I went with this instead. I only wish that it had a 60 GB model. They've made improvements over the Zen Touch. The buttons on the front are better, the navigation is better, and the USB cable charges the thing as well, the external power supply isn't required (although it is supplied!). The iPod charges $30 for their AC charger, but this one is included, kinda. The only bad thing about that is they both plug in to an external dongle. The dongle plugs into the Zen Vision, and both the AC adapter and the USB plug into the dongle. I'd like to leave my USB plug at home, and the AC adapter at work so that I always have power somewhere, but I have to remember to bring the dongle with me everywhere I go, or buy another one or buy a docking station. Kinda irritating. In addition to that, there is a noticeable lack of accessories for the Creative player. If that bothers you. So as for the un-avoidable comparison to the iPod... It's slightly less than once heavier than the 30GB iPod. Not a big deal to me. It's dimentions are identical to the iPod from the front, but it's a little bit thicker. Extra space to house the FM receiver, recorder, and more battery life I suppose, not a big deal for me. It's very stylish, solid, good looking machine. So is the iPod. However, the video iPod that I was playing with actually had a bit of a sharp edge where the plastic front met the metal back, which completely ruined the asthetics for me. The Vision also has a screen with more colors and brighter images. It just looks better. But most of all, the great thing about the Vision is the fact that I don't have to use iTunes. The iPod and iTunes are a great combination for those who aren't the most computer saavy. But the Vision works with creative's iTunes equivilent just fine, in addition to windows Media Player 10, in addition to the windows file system directly, akin to a mass storage device. So with a little knowledge, you have many more options. I like that. OK, so even more most of all was my real test. One morning, I wanted to watch a 15 minute segment of a local new show on the train. I was hoping to be able to plug it in to the TV and record it directly, like some other products on the market do. I wasn't. However, I was able to record it on tivo, transfer that video to my computer, and using Windows Media Player convert, resize and transfer to the Vision in one step. All in all, it took about 30 minutes, but only because tivo is really slow. If I had tried to do that with the iPod, I would have had to transfer the video from tivo, find some sort of software to convert it to a format that QuickTime Pro can play, then convert and save it in the right size/format for the iPod, and then transfer it to the player. I never did it with the new show recording because I didn't know how to get it into Quicktime, but I did take a 5 minute MOV file that I already had and converted it to iPod format and that alone took forever. It's this lack of flexibility that killed the iPod for me. The Vision will take many different formats without converting, the iPod will only take a very specific format. That's bad in my book. Now if you only EVER plan on buying video from iTunes, then that won't be a problem for you. The rest is just a pain in the butt. I can't make that committment. So that did it. I love the thing, although I'm still kinda getting used to it. I'm not anti iPod, but the iPod just isn't for me. I'm above it. Creative has been making these things for a long long time, and although apple has come along with a very good product for the masses, it isn't the end-all be-all. Apple has, however, motivated some of the Asian players again, and there's nothing wrong with a little healthy competition. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/47734293-creative-zen-vision-m-30-gb-mp3-and-video-player](https://www.desertcart.com.pa/products/47734293-creative-zen-vision-m-30-gb-mp3-and-video-player) --- *Product available on Desertcart Panama* *Store origin: PA* *Last updated: 2026-06-23*