MP3 players forum: Ipod vs. Creative

One of the main things I see is the price diffrence which on Amazon.com has The Zen for $199.99 and the iPod $239.99 for the 30GB model

<QUOTE>I'd get the ipod [if you were talking about the 5g, video ipod]
I looked at both of these products and I think Im going to buy the ipod, because of itunes. On itunes you can buy any show you cant think of!</QUOTE>

I don't have to worry about that since I get my shows for free (Don't ask, don't tell) and the Zen supports many diffrent video formats (AVI, DivX 4 and 53, XviD4, MPEG-1, -2, -SP, WMV9) whereas the iPod is more limited and it seems to mainly support video bought on iTunes (Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong people). So chances are almost any video I get will play on the Zen.

My question goes more towards the quality and longevity of the iPod. It sucks that it seems to use prepriotary software (limited play of audio and video formats that aren't available from iTunes. Again, someone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) and every year a new and better iPod comes along.

Well, I'm still thinking of either getting The Zen or the ipod, I keep going back and forth on which one to buy. I think the ipod has way more video content, but it cost $2 a show!
The zen, I have no clue where to get videos! [although i have like five sights that let me watch shows for free, how do i download those onto my ZEN?]...

Firstly let me tell you this i a proud owner of a Zen Vision M.. But i'm NOT an ipod hatter.. Lets look at them at a neutral perpective...

Now let me make one thing clear, I'm a have a Black ZVM (I'm a guy).. The ZVM is definitely bulkier than the ipod.. But i like the way it looks.. It is appealing and elegant.. Also since you could find an ipod in almost everybody's hands, when i carry a ZVM i grab more attention. The ipod is definitely sexy, but wait till you switch it on.. You will definitely fall in love when you turn on the Zen vision M.. The screen is superb.. Literally the ipod looked like a 1996 JVC TV in front of the High definition screen of the ZVM.. Most of my friends (who have an ipod video) look with envy eyes at my ZVM. They definitely agree that the screen clarity and detail is way superior.
Then comes video.. Well till now you would have got a picture of which would play better videos.. The ZVM's video quality was awesome. The video flow was more smoother than the ipod.. I suggest you go to Bestbuy or Circuit city and compare the quality of both of these before believing me..
The music playback in both sound the same. Well both have the same digital music output so i purely depends on the headphones that you use.. The ZVM has gapless playback and i'm not too sure about the ipod.. When it come to compatibility, the ZVM is the race leader in the category of 30GB players.. The battery life is also better in ZVM (practically 15hrs for audio and 4.5 hrs for video) in comparision to (14 hrs of audio and 3.5 hrs of video) for the ipod.. I'm saying this coz i've tested it.. FM recording is a very good option in ZVM, and lets not talk about the FM in Ipod where you need to spend an extra $40 on the accessories to listen to some radio.. Hmmm thats why the ipod has come with so many accessory option.. Now the question of getting video content online. Well I've not had a chance to try any of that coz i've got a ton of videos on my laptop and i just transfer then on my ZVM.. Come on guys is this the only reason you choose the ipod.. I suggest download videos on ur PC and then transfer it to the player.. Then enjoy clear videos on the ZVM rather than on the ipod. And if speakers are a part of the accessory list then take it from me Creative make some of the state of art speaker and they are compatible with the ZVM!!

I'm just thinking of what more should i add. I think the final question that you wanna ask yourself is "Should I go with the regular crowd and take a Thinner player or should i go with one thats gonna deliver what i want" ??

I suggest you go to a store and play with these for a while checkout both of then, and then select what fits you.. I telling writing this recommendation coz i've got many friends who have an ipod and are repenting on their decision after i showed then the ZVM that i bought.. $229 is not a small amount of money. So think twice before investing..

Good luck happy shopping!

Thanks for your post I loved it. I've owned at least three Creative labs MP3 players and loved all of them, but received an iPod as a gift and followed the herd. Sure iTunes is great and the player plays nice as far as syncing music and video is concerned, but recently my player started having problems and I took it in for service. My extened warranty is with Best Buy where the player was bought, but the player is sent to Apple for repairs. Well three send backs later still and now a broken hard drive, which happened when it was at the Apple repair factory and I'm still waiting. The original reason for repair was to replce the battery! It requires four returns to get the player junked for another one. This alone has completely turned me off of any Apple product. If the player is junked out I'm getting a 30or 60 GB ZVM! Your description really helped me make up my mind and for a while I was swayed by the new Microsoft Zune, but once again my heart belongs to Creative. Thanks again for your post!

I have had my ZEN VISION M since MAY and not one freeze up or problem.

I bought the Creative Zen Vision:M and returned it within a week because the interactive controls are just too clunky when compared to an iPods (both on the player and the software). iTunes trumps the Creative sync software in terms of ease-of-use and practicality.

Creative only gets props for supporting more file types, but I can live with my AAC format on the iPod.

Get the iPod.

Hey Everyone!

I've got a Zen Vision M and love it. Yes, it's got a steep learning curve as far as navigation goes, but other than that it's got everything going for it. It's a little bit thicker than the ipod, but that's easy to get used to. My biggest reason for going with the Zen is the FM tuner - I listen to a lot of radio at work and on the go. I'll say this - I've owned a Zen Nano and a Zen Micro 5gb, and the FM reception on the Vision is much better. ipod = no FM.

My biggest gripe about all of this - why is the latest headlines all about the ipod vs the Zune? Why isn't the Vision M in the competition? From my perspective the Zen would be the winner, minus the wifi that the Zune offers. (and many other minuses)

For those that don't know, the latest firmware update for the Zen reinstalls the FM recording.

For those of you considering a purchase, think it all through before going with the other two with the biggest ad campaigns!

Does anyone know anything about the Porter Personal Elite, more so for pictures, but audio, video, reports are excellent, screen is 3.8"I just read a big article on these in Digital Photography?May be more money but do the features it offers make it worthwhile, anyone know?