Creative Zen 20 GB Portable Media Center

• Watch up to 85 hours of movies, recorded TV or home videos
• Store and listen to over 9,000 songs
• Carry and enjoy tens of thousands of photos; Up to 7 hours of video and up to 22 hours of music
• Large, high resolution 3.8" TFT LCD Screen
• Removable rechargeable battery for up to 7 hours of video or 22 hours of music

I've had a few days to play with a Zen Portable Media Center because a friend of mine, who's the owner, had trouble getting content loaded. The Creative support folks were friendly, but clueless on this very newly released product. Since I'm his technology guru, he asked me to show him how to get it working.

The Zen is about the size of a paperback novel. It's small but is too large to carry in your pocket. It comes in a nice case the folds nicely into a simple stand. This let's you set the Zen on a table or airline tray-table while using it.

My first impression when I turn it on is that UI is a clone from XP Media Center Edition (which is Microsoft's Media Center PC OS). I own a couple of XP Media Center PC's so found the UI very familiar and intuitive. However, my first reaction was the navigation and play back controls were reversed. I've had a couple of other folks who played with the Zen make the same comment. Perhaps the UI control layout was designed by a lefty (I'm right handed) or perhaps they were XBox users (many XBox games use the left thumb for naviagation). It's a minor nit in any case.

To load content on the Zen you must load Windows Media Player 10 which was just released from Microsoft. Clearly Microsoft wants to get into the content management market and is trying to "one up" the iPod and iTunes by supporting not only audio but video.

However Windows Media Player 10 was where my friend had difficulty. He was not able to figure out the new quirks of the substantially changed Windows Media Player UI. To load new content you must have the Zen plugged in, be in the Sync tab, and then create "play lists" of video, audio and picture contents that you want synced. Once the "play list" is created then the content can be synced to the Zen. It's not hard, but it's a bit of a stretch to call that a play list.

Once you've start the sync process you can prepare to wait... and wait... and wait some more. TV shows saved in XP MCE can be added to the "play list" and synced, however they must be converted to a WMA file that is compatible with the Zen. This takes about the same amount of time as the play time of the show. A half hour show takes about a half hour to convert and download, an hour show takes an hour and so on. Also, TV shows that I downloaded from my XP MCE machine had the colors goofed up. It was sort of like watching the film negative of the TV show. I suspect that's something that will get fixed in a software update (and is not a significant issue for my friend since he doesn't care about TV content).

My friend really wants to load DVD movies for long plane trips (he owns them and doesn't want to pay for them again to download them to his Zen). So this is where I went to work.

My first attempt to load a movie was using a product called "DVD To Pocket PC" by Makayama. It is suppose to convert DVD's directly to wma files for Pocket PC's and is suppose to work for the Zen. I tried the trial version and was initially unsuccessful (presumably because XP SR2 was installed). I ended up trying it on a non XP SR2 machine and it worked well. Since the application is fairly turnkey, it's probably a good choice for moving content from DVD's you own to your Zen.

Next I tried Dr. Divx. This application can convert unencrypted DVD's to Divx avi files. This worked for me (though it took a few tries to get the hang of it), however it's not nearly as turnkey as "DVD To Pocket PC". Also, Divx conversion takes awhile (somewhere between 2-4 hours for a full length movie). Be sure to use one of the portable formats because the Zen has a limited bit rate it can support. I had a little trouble getting the aspect ratio right, but a few tries resolved this too. Once the movie is converted then you must go to Windows Media Player 10, put it in a "play list" and sync it with the Zen. This takes awhile, but is worth the wait. The movies look and play great.

Having used it for a day or so I have a wish list of features that the Zen doesn't have (nothing here is a killer problem, but would make a good product even better).

* It needs parental control I'd like to protect some content from my kids. Currently there is no way to do this.

* I'd like visualization plug-ins when listening to music.

* Since it's used during travel, a travel alarm clock feature would be very nice.

Pros:

* The player sounds good, the UI is great, and the size is very convenient, and the features are fantastic.

Cons:

* It's a bit pricey

* Moving TV content was only partially successful from my XP MCE machine (though I suspect this will get fixed), moving content is very time consuming and is probably something you want to do over night.

* It's not really a direct replacement for an iPod (it's too darn big). Though that's not really a fair criticism of the Zen because it's not intended to directly replace the iPod

All in all, this is an impressive product, even considering this is V1.0 of the software management (WMP 10), and the hardware, and the firmware.

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Buy Creative Zen 20 GB Portable Media Center Now

I recently bought an Archos, but had to take it back because it failed within a week. The replacement went the same way, so being sold on the concept, I went for the Creative Zen as a replacement.

Although it lacks all the recording feature of the Archos, I think its a better machine. So far, its tough enough to stand the kids use in the car without any signs of fatigue.

For content, I find it better to skip Media Player 10 altogether, and I bought a program for $ 25 called the Pocket DVD Wizard, which lets me put my DVD's on the Zen, and the quality is good.

A good tip is not to use Media Player to load the file at all, just let the Wizard do its work, then plug in the Zen, go to Windows Explorer, and drag the movie or mp3 from wherever you saved it straight into the video folder on the zen.

Its much faster that using media player, and the results seem to be better (one less conversion!)

Overall, im very pleased with it.

Read Best Reviews of Creative Zen 20 GB Portable Media Center Here

I had been waiting patiently for PVP (Personal Video Players) to arrive. Saw Archos, wasn't impressed. Creative Zen looked really good at the store, so I bought it. Have been playing with it. The video and audio play features are pretty reasonable. The speakers could be made a bit louder. The major flaw with this device is the limited ways in which u can load up the video files into it. You will need a Windows Media Center PC OR a PC with a TV tuner/capture device to get video in acceptable formats accepted by Zen. Annoyingly it does not have video/audio inputs for capture. It has video/audio outputs to connect it to a TV. The Windows Media Player 10, converts all files to wmv (very slowly) before syncing it with Zen. The Zen, irritatingly needs to be connected to the PC while the Windows Media Player converts the mpeg files to wmv. I am sure that there are lots of third party tools that can handle the capture/conversion rapidly, but I don't feel like investing more into this solution after spending 500 dollars on it. On the plus side, it is a very well made and polished piece of hardware. The video screen is very sharp and clear. I will probably return this and wait for the next release of Zen, or maybe wait for Apple to redo the magic they did with Ipod and hopefully they release a video version of Ipod. If you already have lots of video content already available in easily convertable format and/or own a media center pc, go ahead and buy this device. I guess I will wait around for version 2.0 of this device. Takes too much time and hassle to load up media onto this device. Creative should go with Linux and/or their own proprietary media management software. I own the Creative Zen MP3 player and the software is okay , if not excellent. Microsoft Media Player 10 was a bad choice.

An update to the review. I have recently bought iRiver PMP-120 that is NOT based on Microsoft Media Center. There is another iRiver product model, PMC-120 that is based on Microsoft media center. Dont buy PMC-120, as U will run into same problems as the Creative product. With the iRiver PMP-120 + Pinnacle Dazzle USB Capture Card + Pinnacle Studio software + iRiver supplied DIVX codecs, I have been able to successfully capture a/v signals from my dish tv box, and then import them onto iRiver PMP-120. End Result : A portable DVR that can play captured video whenever I want. I was even able to capture HD channel outputs from my dish tv box using the A/V cables. You will need to experiment with AVI formats and media conversion, before you get it right. The Pinnacle Dazzle capture device + software is about 60 bucks. iRiver provides all the media converter software and DIVX codecs that make it easy to import videos. Use the Portable Media Center profile, when using the iRiver DIVX codec.

Want Creative Zen 20 GB Portable Media Center Discount?

Okay, I've had the Creative Zen PMC for a few months now and I think I have had enough experiences at this point to share my opinion. I absolutely think that this device is awesome!! There are a few things that could be improved with the next model but overall the unit is great. First off, I am 25, and active duty in the military. I also take full time classes in college to finish my Masters degree. I needed something that I could store files on while moving between computers, I wanted to take Mp3s with me everywhere I go, and finally, being able to watch some movies on a plane or even during a TDY and be able to look at pictures of my family and my girlfriend, which was a must. This device delivers on all of my expectations. It is very easy to use, very simple to figure out how to interact with the device and more or less, the unit stand up very well. The screen is rather prone to fingerprints but the screen is VERY crisp and clear. The battery life is about 7.5 hours watching movies so you can easily get through a plane ride. The battery comes out easy enough to change and a spare battery is priced well (Around $35). I wish that you could charge a spare battery in one of the charging cradles rather then having to put it in the unit in order to charge. But not a big deal. The external speaker is not very loud but the headphone jack offers superior sound!! Scrolling through the menus was easy enough for my 5 year old nephew who reads pretty well. Putting movies on this unit is easy but a little involving. Later in this review I will tell you EXACLTY how to put the movies on from DVD to Mpeg-1. But first, the optional devices. I HIGHLY recommend a charging cradle which allows you to just drop your PMC into the cradle and transfer files from your computer. The USB port also charges the unit as well which is very convenient. Oh yeah, you can charge this unit from any USB port which makes it yet again, very versatile. I would suggest you get a couple cradles like I did. They are very cheap and you can keep one connected to your computer and the other connected to your stereo like I did. With a cradle connected to your stereo, you might want to get the optional wireless remote. The remote is easy to use and only has a few buttons which made me happy. Efficiency is achieved through simplicity. Windows Media Player 10 is definitely not my favorite program in the world but it does effectively transfer files to their right location well and in a decent amount of time. This allows you to truly "Drag and Drop" just like advertised. The program will then convert any files over to an applicable format. Please don't complain about conversion times and processes. This thing is designed to use specific formats to maintain simplicity.

NOW HOW TO GET DVDs ONTO YOUR PMC!!!!

Now, the first thing you need to do is relax and don't be an impatient wuss. When I was only 140 lbs 7 years ago and started working out in the gym, I knew that it was going to take patience and dedication to get to the lean 215 lbs I am "7 YEARS LATER!".

Anywayz, you will need the following "FREE" software: Smartripper, TWO versions of DVD2AVI (Versions 1.82 & 1.77.4), and finally TMPGEnc.

Two different versions of DVD2AVI are needed because interaction problems regarding SP2. If you do not have SP2, then I would guess you might not experience the problems I had. It took me a day or two to search for, pinpoint, and bypass what was going wrong regarding interaction and I finally realized that it was the simplest to use two versions. Anywayz, when you download version 1.82, rename that as "DVD2AVI SOUND", as this version will correctly process your sound. When you download version 1.77.4, rename that as "DVD2AVI VIDEO", as this one will correctly process your video.

First use Smartripper to rip your .vob files into a folder. Open DVD2AVI programs and properly process your D2v files (You will know what this is once you start using the program) and the 2channel sound file). When you are finished processing those files, then you will want to open TMPGEnc and put it all together. TMPGEnc will ask you for a video stream and an audio stream. It will then allow you to create a destination location. Just put it on your desktop for now and then move it later. (...)

Now the final thing to remember is the same as the first: BE PATIENT!!! Your computer is not lightening fast no matter how expensive and brand new it is. It takes time to convert files. There are some programs advertised out there that claim to do all of this in no time at all and for a nice hefty price. My suggestion to you is to learn about your computer and your device by trying it yourself. These files are free and I promise you, THEY WORK!! I was blown away at how nice of a job it came out. God luck to all of you and I suggest you seriously give this product a chance!! Once you learn how to interact with it, you will be amazed at how easy it is to use.

I don't know what all these guys are smoking, but this thing is great. I am a gadget geek, but this is very easy for a pc user to use. All you need is media player 10 and an XP pro machine or MCE. Convertion does takes some time, but it converts the video to utilize space , and all video convertion takes time.

I have an ipod as well but this is with me at all times, with my TV shows with me on the road that i capture hi def...looks sweet.

Get this if you want a great multimedia portable with great battery life.

And common 425.00 is not alot for this device.