Creative Zen V Plus Review
In this review we will take a look at two of Creative’s high capacity flash-based MP3 players, the Zen V and the Zen V Plus. The Zen V Plus adds an FM radio, video playback, and capacities up to 8GB. Both versions of the Zen V also come in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB capacities.
The Zen V players are priced to compete with other high capacity players like the Samsung Z5, SanDisk Sansa e200, iPod Nano, and Meizu miniPlayer, to name a few in this fast growing category. Fans of the Zen line will be pleased with this entrant for the familiar, easy-to-use interface and design found on the entire Creative Zen line of MP3 players with a few extras. Simply put, the Zen V and V Plus are smaller and slightly improved versions of the Zen Micro Photo.
Accessories
Inside the box you will find a typical set of accessories in addition to the player, including earbuds, line-in cable, standard USB cable, cloth lanyard, and a carrying pouch that will hold all of the accessories.
Currently, there are quite a few standard accessories from Creative and third party manufactures such as leather and silicon cases, armbands and chargers. The player will also fit in some of the upcoming TravelDock speaker docking stations.
Design
The Zen V Plus feels good in your hand - like a lightweight, polished river rock. It is one of those things you’d like to hold even if you were not using it. The player feels light and plastic-y, but it does have a sense of durability. The best way to describe the Zen V’s build quality is that it is like that of a very well-made toy.
Scratching
One of the more frequent complaints Creative got about the Zen Vision:M was how easy it was to scratch. Even under normal and careful use, the Zen Vision:M develops scratches on its surface due to the soft plastic used for the entire face of the player.
The Zen V, however, has a very durable scratch-resistant coating covering the player. While I would not call it scratch proof, it does hold up very well under real world use. Over the month of using this player, I would purposely and carelessly toss it face down or face up on a desk or counter, put it in a bag for transport with other items without a case, and basically use it without care for its shiny finish. Also on multiple occasions I would try to scratch the player by rubbing it face down on my desk or lightly rubbing it with metal keys. Today, after a month of light abuse, the player only shows light scratches on the face that are difficult to see and are only noticeable when you look for them.
The bottom line is you can use the Zen V outside of a case without fear of scratching it if you are not abusive with your gadgets. To fully enjoy the design and size of this player, sans case is the best way to go.
Screen
The screen on the Zen V measures in at 1.5” sporting 128x128 OLED pixels. Creative decided to use an OLED screen instead of an LCD for two reasons: cost and battery life, the latter probably being more significant. OLED provides those benefits but usually falls a little bit short in the areas of color and clarity when compared to most LCD screens. OLED generally has a slower screen refresh rate than an LCD, so the screen has a flicker to it that can wear on your eyes if you are viewing it for extended periods of time. This is not to say that the screen is bad; it far exceeds the needs for browsing music, tweaking your settings, or displaying tiny album art. What I am pointing out is that the screen is not the best for displaying photos or watching video but will be sufficient for the average user.
User Interface
Navigation Controls
I have complained about players’ interfaces being too small for my larger than average hands, but the Zen V is surprisingly comfortable. I find it no more difficult to hold and use than players in the same class such as the Samsung Z5 or the SanDisk Sansa e200. Even though the Zen V is shorter than these players, the thickness provides more comfort when holding and operating the controls.
Creative has ditched the touch interface for this player and has gone with all tactile controls. I really appreciate this because I find that tactile controls are much more accurate than touch interfaces. The player does exactly what you want it to do when you press the buttons. Some early reviews have reported that the joystick felt cheap, but I don’t find this to be the case. Like the overall build quality of the player, it does feel like a toy and it does feel plastic-y, but the joystick does not feel like it would break under normal to heavy use.
The one thing I would change about the navigation controls is the location of the back and play/pause buttons. It would seem to favor left handers because it’s easier to extend your thumb to reach the buttons than it is to bring your thumb in to press these buttons. If you have larger hands and you reach in for these buttons, you lose some of your overall grip on the player when using it in your right hand. If you were to move these buttons to the left side of the player it would be more comfortable for right handers, but lefties would find it more cumbersome. Putting both buttons at the top, one on the left one on the right, would make it more comfortable for both parties.
Graphical User Interface
Across the board Creative has a very easy and intuitive interface, and this also holds true for the Zen V. If you have used any of the recent Zen models you are already familiar with the Zen V. Here is a quick video of the player in use. If you’ve not seen the Zen interface, it will give you a great over view. Please note that the quality of the actual video playback is much better in person. Refresh rates of the OLED screen and the frame rate of the camera do not match, causing an exaggerated flicker in the video.
Transferring Media
There are many different media players that will allow you to transfer your tunes to your Zen V, including Windows Media Player, Winamp, and Media Monkey to name a few. The player comes bundled with Creative MediaSource 5, which is Creative’s answer to a media player slash organizer. While it is just like any other media player, it is less bloated than Windows Media Player so it runs quite a bit faster. This version of Creative MediaSource is a nice improvement over recent versions, but could still be improved on consistency and user interface.
If you have Windows XP and the latest updates, you can drag and drop your music on to the V. It works just fine but it is not as seamless as a drag and drop UMS drive. I really would like to see Creative add UMS support for their players so transferring music is more transparent and can be used with operating systems other than Windows XP.
Battery
The battery is rated by Creative at 15 hours. I did a few drain tests and they actually went beyond the rated 15 hours, closer to 17 hours. However, under typical use I was getting closer to, and slightly less than, the rated 15 hours. This is probably more accurate and closer to what a typical user will get out of this player.
Features
FM Radio (Zen V Plus Only)
The radio reception is on par with any standard FM radio. Reception can vary, however, depending on the headphones, because the Zen V uses the headphone jack as an antennae. I found very slight variation among various headphones and earbuds, but it was inconsistent - meaning that there were no apparent characteristics that made one better than the other. Something missing from this model that has been on previous Zen products was FM recording. It may be for legal or licensing reasons since users have been reporting that new versions of firmwares for other Zen models have removed the FM recording feature.
Line-In Recording
Creative has added a line-in feature for direct encoding from any audio source in either 128 or 160kbps MP3. The line-in feature has a sync track option that will automatically break up tracks into individual files if you are recording directly from a CD. These track separations are cued by a few seconds of silence in between tracks. You could also plug a microphone directly into the line-in but, depending on the microphone, you may need a mic amp.
Voice Recording
Voice recording is very straightforward and the recordings sound as good as any other voice recording MP3 player. The recording screen shows the levels before and during recording. Recordings can be paused and resumed and still keep one continuous file. It would, however, have been nice to be able to choose the recording format rather than have only one option, the IMA ADPCM 16kHz mono WAV format.
Organizer
The Zen V has a built-in, read-only organizer that will display your contacts, calendar, and task list. You can edit this with the supplied software, or you can automatically sync the player with Outlook.
Removable Disk
Aside from media files, data files can be transferred to and from the Zen V in two different ways. The first way will only work if you have Windows XP with the latest version of Windows Media Player installed or Creative’s software that is bundled with the player. This works fine, but you are out of luck if you wish to take your data to a different operating system or a Windows XP machine without the above mentioned software installed.
The second option is to use the removable disk feature on this player. Under the menu item “extras” there is an option to partition the player’s memory to work for more or less any modern computer you may encounter. But the drawback to using this feature is the partitioned space. Even when empty, it takes away from the amount of music and media you can store.
Photos
As I discussed earlier, the OLED may not be the best for viewing photos but will be sufficient for the average user. Browsing photos on the Zen V is very easy and straightforward. Slideshows can be played at the same time music is played.
Video (Zen V Plus Only)
Video on the Zen V Plus is more of a bonus feature than a main feature. Video is very watchable even with a small screen and only 15 frames per second. But the converted files are very large, most of the time larger than the original file size. How can that be on a 128x128 pixel screen? The Zen V Plus uses a Motion JPEG Video Codec because it does not have the processing power to play back highly compressed video files such as DivX or XviD. Every hour of video will take up 1.2GB of space, so don’t expect to get too many movies on the smaller capacity Vs.
Audio
The audio quality playback is what you would expect from any Creative Zen player. While it may not be audiophile quality, it will not disappoint the casual-to-selective listener.
Playlists & Bookmarks
Creative does a really good job with bookmarking and playlist features on this player. Playlists are easily created by adding to and saving your “now playing” lists. Additionally, you can name these playlists, which is different from previous Zen players. For audio books, podcasts, and other long length files, you are able to add up to 10 bookmarks so that you do not have to scan through an hour or two of audio. But, if you do need to scan through long files, unlike with other MP3 players, it is not difficult to do since the scanning gets progressively faster as you hold down the button.
Album Art
Album art is displayed on the “now playing” screen and can be made full screen by pushing the center of the 5-way joystick. This player handles album art better than most other MP3 players by reading it directly from ID3 tags. Some other players require an actual JPEG file under a specific size and dimension in the album folder residing on the player. It works, but it can get messy and may take extra steps to get it to work properly. This problem does not exist with the Zen V. The Zen V will read the embedded album art and display it correctly without problems or additional steps. When you are not adding album art to your ripped CDs, the Zen V handles album art from pay downloads and subscriptions just as well.
Conclusion
The Zen V is not a leap in innovation; it is very similar to the rest of Creative’s Zen line of MP3 players with subtle and incremental improvements. Overall I am really happy with the Zen V / Zen V Plus. It will keep up with other flash players in its class like the Z5, Nano, e200, and many others entering this category. Comparatively, the Zen V has more of a “fun” feel to it. It may not be the most feature-filled player, but it’s straightforward, no nonsense, and feels great in your hand.
Be sure to check out our Creative Zen V Plus forum
Purchase
Amazon
Pros
- Easy Interface
- Dedicated Volume Buttons
- Scratch Resistant Design
- Great Form Factor
Cons
- No UMS Music Transfer
- Windows XP Only
- Impractical Video File Sizes
- Low Refresh Rate OLED
Comments
Noam on October 7, 2006 7:41 PM
Very nice review.
I like the videos you've been adding to the reviews recently.
Keep it up.
stan on October 7, 2006 7:46 PM
does the joystick scroll fast? i didn't watch the whole video, but it looked a little slow...
Doug on October 7, 2006 11:37 PM
I thought the quality of OLED-screens is better than LCD-screens.
Very usefull review though, keep up the good work.
Omar on October 8, 2006 12:15 AM
Nice Review, as always.
Utew on October 8, 2006 12:35 AM
Nice review Enzo, Thanks.....
The lack of variable-speed scrolling bothers me a bit.. as this would be an annoying impediment on the 8 GB ZV/V+ especially.. also I'm not a fan of the joystick control.. being too short for comfort...
The price is right though... too bad the SOC can't handle faster video as Motion-Jpeg is not really adequate (considering the filesizes).. I do understand that video on a screen this small (and low res/quality) is more of a gimmick than a really useful feature...
..again, nice review.. THX...
trab on October 8, 2006 12:04 PM
oh boy.... another excelent mp3flash player! WHYYYYYY :P
I'm about to buy a new one. As far as now I thought that I'd have to decide between
- Apple IPod Nano2Gb
- Samsung YP-Z5F 2GB
- Sandisk Sansa e250 ...
..and now this! So here is number 4 in my list.. *whine*
What would you choose? Plz help..
Noam on October 8, 2006 1:13 PM
Not the nano.
It lacks all of the great features the last three on your list have.
The only thing an iPod nano can do is make your friends go "wow".. once. After that, no one really cares.
Choose for yourself, not for your friends.
Make a comparison chart for all three players, and see what's most important for you. Once you know, pick the one that is most fit for your needs.
ccy on October 8, 2006 2:32 PM
Nano is just for listen to music... Nothing more...
If you want to just a listen to music... Yes.
But, I will not buy NANO. Why? With Samsung Z5... I can do so many other thing.
trab on October 8, 2006 2:58 PM
What do you especially mean by "so many other things" ?
How about the fact that you actually just can send the samsung into a sleep modus and not turning it off completely? Isn't it annoying?
erik on October 8, 2006 4:31 PM
i am not going to buy anything from Creative. I have ZEN vision M with broken HDD. no more creative!!!!!!!!!
Utew on October 8, 2006 8:21 PM
erik,
A broken HD would be the HD manufacturer's fault.. as Creative doesn't make HD's. The vaunted Rio Karma had HD problems out the wazoo, but again ..it was a HD manufacturing defect, not Rio's....
HD's, though they can suffer a lot of abuse.. are inherently less reliable than Flash memory players (statement of the obvious here...sorry)
mst on October 8, 2006 10:37 PM
I myself, am debating between this and the Sansa e250. Like trab, I like all of them. Can somone help us?
Noam on October 9, 2006 12:46 PM
trab, sleep mode isn't the center of the MP3 player universe.
"so many other things" is, for example, FM radio, FM recording, voice recording, UMS (drag-and-drop, copy paste), not as overpriced as the nano, memory expansion, video and more.
The nano has music playing, 2 or 3 lousy games, and coolness.
iampiti on October 10, 2006 9:44 AM
One thing I'll never understand is why they don't add UMS as an option?
Does microsoft bribe them so that the players only work in Windows?
A happy Z5 user
Daniel on October 10, 2006 2:29 PM
I've this one myself. Bloody good player.
Stephan on October 10, 2006 11:25 PM
I had 2 Zen V Plus players in the span of one week. Both had repeatedly locked up and I had to reset it just to get it to turn off. I loved the look and feel and since it interfaced with Rhapsody, I was very on board. However, my experience with this player has been terrible. I just traded it for the Sandisk Sansa e250 on even exchange at Best Buy. We'll see how that works. . .at this point perhaps I will just continue to lug around my laptop and spend more time reading the liner notes while listening to my CD's. :-)
Terry on October 11, 2006 7:46 PM
I have had two ipods since September 9 and had to return both. The first one froze up and would not respond to any commands and the second one would not import music. Both where defective and Circut City returned my money. I'm not going to try a third one. I am very disapointed and I don't know what to try next.
Eric B on October 12, 2006 12:10 PM
I have had the Zen V for a couple weeks now and agree with all the points in the review (except the placement of the buttons but then I am left handed :grin: )
My only "feature requests" for the player itself would be for it to leave the screen on when plugged in to a power source and the ability to delete songs from the "Now Playing" and not just remove them from the current playlist.
My problems are not with the player itself but the music management software. I keep my ripped library in high quality OGG or MP3 format which makes for some larger files. I love the media explorer's ability to auto convert files (only the MP3s though) to wma for placement on the player, allowing me to get many more songs on. The issue however is that the auto convert only works when you drag/drop songs in. It does not work in MediaSource 5 or in the "Fill My Player" option which is a great way to fill up your player with a random selection of music.
The lack of OGG support on either the player or the management software is also disappointing for me but what can you expect?
Overall I am really happy with the player but the management software could use some work
Loughlin on October 13, 2006 7:53 PM
This or the Sansa 280????
taco man on October 21, 2006 3:17 PM
I can't decide between the Zen V
plus or the sandisk sansa 8gb, someone please help me!
Keegan on October 22, 2006 4:43 AM
I ended up buying a Zen V tonight. Upon turning it on, the battery promptly died, so, while it's been charging, I haven't REALLY gotten to play around with it, but, so far, I really like it. A whole lot. I don't know how I feel about the joystick control. It's not terribly comfortable (for me, anyway), but it works. I guess they all can't be as cool as the click-wheel. I know my way around a few different players, and this one's definitely my favorite. Also, I can tell you that this bad boy will work just splendidly on a Mac with the use of XNJB.
I had one of the older Sandisk Sansas that I thankfully did not pay for, and between my not actually getting to USE it before it died, the wonderful Sandisk customer support folks (and by "wonderful," I mean "dumber than a fencepost"), and the countless other people with similar experiences, I'm never buying anything from them. I can't speak for the newer Sansa models, but it had no reset function, meaning, if you had a corrupted file on it (and you will at one point or another), the thing would freeze and have to be replaced completely. Again, I don't know if the new Sansas have a reset feature, but, if they don't, I'd definitely expect that to happen with them.
So, with that in mind, I suggest the Zen V. iPods are fine players, but, for their price, they're quite feature-less. You're paying extra for the name, that's it. I paid a measly $90 for a 1gb Zen V, compared to $150 for a 1gb Nano.
clark on October 22, 2006 3:11 PM
i've had my zen v plus for a month and the 5-way directional joystick has broken off has anyone else had this problem??
Mr. Bill on October 22, 2006 10:09 PM
There's some definate animosity between Creative and Apple, which could explain why they stick with windows, but there's a better explanation.
The Creative file structuring system is special, it always has been, but it does severely restrict how music is loaded. I don't really understand the advantages, but this is what Creative sued Apple for stealing.
Also, some creative players (the entire muvo line and I think the zen nano) are mass storage devices; they're the smallest players creative makes and are designed to make it easy for you to add/remove music at a level anyone could understand. Mine says it doesn't support mac, but I've had no trouble with the laptops at school (iBooks; g3 and g4)
Johndoe on October 23, 2006 5:43 AM
I saw someone who was talking about an ipod nano....
Ive recently purchased one and i'm selling it.
I bought the 8gb one,looks great,is crap.
My god,the people who say the sound of the ipods is great should be shot on sight !
the sound is HORRIBLE
The EQ is HORRIBLE
No seperate volume buttons,so forget about afjusting sound on yer bike.
Its total crap.Except for the design.
But other than that...
Just dont buy it,you'll regret it like i do...
Go with Sony or Samsung.Those are the greatest sounding players out there.
And sony has sonicstage,and i take that as a plus.It converts my music easely to all the same bitrate,atrac 3 format.
I wouldnt be able to do that with any othe rprogram by myself.
Sonicstage is a little slow in transfer,but ones your music on it,well dont erase it ^^
Nick on October 23, 2006 5:16 PM
how long does it take to transfer a song from your cd player to the creative zen using line-in encoding?
can you do it straight from a portable cd player too?
one more question, does the line-in encoding and some of the other features take up a lot of space. meaning, they aren't really giving you 2gb or 4gb's worth.
Jenn on October 23, 2006 11:56 PM
Another great review, Enzo!
I wanted to add that the V and V Plus also support screen orientation, which is a pretty unique feature. The display rotates up to 360 degrees, with the controls adjusting accordingly. I don't know about the V Plus, but with the V, the feature is only accessible after a firmware update.
FarZad on November 3, 2006 11:09 PM
Excellent review Enzo!
I recently bought the Creative Zen V 2GB. It was happy with it and it working great untill about 40 days passed and it went comatose - meaning that it just froze, the display was still on but it was unresponsive to any buttons pressed. It also didn't connect to the PC.
I didnt know of the reset button at this time so I waited for the battery to run out, after which most of the data dissapeared and when connected to the PC, it was detected by the PC but not by zen media explorer. So there was no way of adding any more files.
Does anyone know of this problem or has experienced a similar problem with their Zen V (plus)?
A question for the Zen V plus: when they say "plays small video clips" does that meen there is a limit to the size/length of a single video file? if so, what is it?
asti on November 4, 2006 3:54 PM
I bought a Zen V plus some days ago and until now I am really satisfied BUT: I would like to watch movies on it, especially cartoons are good enough to see. Until today I only converted one file to the readable format for the Z, all other trials ended with an error from the video converter. Unfortunately no one in the Creative forums nor in other fan forums is able to explain which specifica source videos must have to get a successful encoding. A big minus for the customer support of Creative. What a pity.
asti
FarZad on November 6, 2006 2:50 AM
Thats true asti, but dont forget, for its size the Zen V plus is quite remarkable. And I think i now understand the comment "small video clips", I believe its intended to suggest small size and low resolution. So in other words, its not meant for cartoons, anime, and certainly not for movies. Even if you managed to get the format correct, you won't enjoy watching them with such low quality...at least I wouldn't.
The Puckster on November 14, 2006 1:38 PM
Is the battery replaceable? That's a huge bonus in my book...
none on November 14, 2006 9:37 PM
how much is the retail for the 1gb, 2gb, 4gb and 8gb
Catgirl on November 15, 2006 12:52 PM
Call me stupid, but how do you get the Zen V Plus player to turn off? I can return it to a locked position, but I don't see an off button. I'm am so new to these MP3 players, lol.
deb on November 16, 2006 10:19 AM
I saw someone with this player today. I was surprised by the size of it. It was smaller than I'd expected. Anyway, does it do bookmarking?
Soph on November 17, 2006 2:34 PM
Can you buy music videos online that will play on the zen v plus? From which sites- napster? And is it ok to play music videos on it or does it mean you can only play shorter length vids than that?
A more important question: how many hours of video can 6gb and 8gb have on them?
Thanks 4 your help
Sophie
FarZad on November 17, 2006 7:54 PM
Questions questions questions...I guess I'll answer a few then.
The Puckster and none: I cant help you with that, but you can search that on google and im sure you will find those answers.
Catgirl:
You turn it off the same way you turned it on...8^)
deb:
Yes, it does do bookmarking
Soph:
Im not sure about buying music videos, but if you go to http://www.zencast.com, you will find lots of videos, dunno...maybe its there. It cant play compressed video files, so the the file gets bigger after you convert it.
At good quality, you're looking at about 100MB for 4min
At ok quality, you're looking at about 68MB for 4min
so there it is...I'll leave the math to you
I dont think theres a limit to the length of the video, so you're fine as long as you've got the space. And btw, 6GB zen v does not exist.
kh2u on November 18, 2006 1:43 PM
this is my like first time leaving a message on this site. Well i have the creative zenv to but i gave to my sis and bought a new one samsung YP-Z5. WOW!! its like the best it comes with so many features, Touch pad, photos, and the quality is like bestest shit ever. You no those commercials of the ipod nano's where u see people dancing and all these cool colours start changing well samsung should have something like that because YP-Z5 is wayyy better than the nano. I have like so many friends with Ipod Nano's and there scratched like shit. My ipinion is if you need a good mp3 pic out of these ones. Samsung YP-Z5, Creative Zenv, Sandisk Sansa e250. Very good choices
zeph on November 19, 2006 2:44 AM
can anyone find out if there's an mp3 player with
- line-in recording
- that holds pics
- that holds over 1000 songs
- scratch- resistant casing
- around the price of 150+
- radio
- built-in voice recording
- less flickering
- cool design
- cool user-interface
- thats slim or small
FarZad on November 19, 2006 4:26 AM
um....how about the zen v plus 4GB+
Brittany on November 19, 2006 3:06 PM
Which is better the creative zen micro photo or the creative zen v plus!
answers plzzzz
Ryu on November 19, 2006 5:25 PM
I got a 1gb zen v yesterday. For the most part its a pretty good player with superb sound. My only complaint is that it has froze on me to the point that I had to reset it, then today it froze again. I think this happened because I unplugged it while charging but I'm hoping this problem somehow goes away. Any suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks.
Shibby on November 19, 2006 7:56 PM
I just recieved a 2GB Creative Zen V from a friend. Excited, I put music in it right away and let it charge all night. It turns itself off automatically when it is fully charged, so I didn't have to worry about wasting battery life. The next day, it froze up while I was deleting repeated songs. It took me a while to figure it out, but there's a TINY reset button just under the power slide. I used a needle.
For those of you who are having trouble resetting the time, go to into Time and Date, then press and hold the back button. An extended menu will come out that has "set time" on it.
kh2u on November 20, 2006 11:26 AM
I had problems Creative Zen v alot reseting it. Eversince iv had it i reseted it more than ten times dunno whats wrong with it. But i bought a new mp3 Samsung YP-Z5 very good crisp clean sound!! It is wayy better than Ipod nano. Zeph im gonna name some mp3's with feaures you said.
SanDisk Sansa e270
creative zenv
Samsung YP-Z5(doesent feature that much stuff)
FarZad on November 21, 2006 2:06 AM
I think we are on to something...Ive also had to reset my zen v plus a couple times. Can someone take this to creative labs? I want to know what they've got to say about this.
Alexandre on November 22, 2006 7:08 AM
How do You reset the creative zen v plus?? My creative froze up for the second time and I don´t know what to do.
Helen on November 22, 2006 2:32 PM
GOOD. but the player always freezes. and you need to use likke a needle to poke into that little reset button. urghhe. but still i luvv it. better than nano fer sher ♥♥♥ Helen.
mary on November 22, 2006 8:26 PM
hey, ive been looking for an mp3 player cuz my mom wants to get me one for christmas, but she doesnt want to spend very much (like maybe a little over 100, if that). i know i def dont want a ipod, and ive been thinking about a zen v. anyone have suggestions? thanx!
Revoke on November 23, 2006 3:54 PM
All Of You I Have One Name To Shower On Ur Devices
IPOD 30GB 5th GEN...........slim, major storage space, good battery, plays movies, photos, downloadable games, removable storage device, tv out, and it looks cool....POW
Jon on November 23, 2006 6:00 PM
Hey everyone i work at circuit city and i sell mp3's i would just like to say that the Creative Zen V Plus is worth the price. I have got a lot of people to go to a ipod which is a rip off to a creative for many reasons one they only want to use it for music so the creative is by far the best bang for buck. Now for the those who said it froze up on you ooo well get over it return it and get a new one apple and many other mp3's freeze up. So please do not say the creative is a bad product it is very nice and will meet most peoples need. I recommend this product to anyone it is very nice.
ink! on November 25, 2006 5:00 PM
i am thinking of getting a mp3 player for my birthday. i have never heard of the make creative, zen v looks really gud, but i'm hesitating because i havnt heard of the make. so is it any good, is it reliable?
kimii on November 25, 2006 11:30 PM
maybe its reliable.. cuz its better than an ipod...
if you look at its features.. its pretty good... plus an affordable price!
maybe i would get v plus this christmas.... it would range about 7k here in our country.. pretty cheap than an 11k ipod nano...
question though... how many hours of video can i put?
i dont understang sori...
thinking of getting the pink n white accent :))
FarZad on November 26, 2006 2:15 AM
kimii
Look at my post on November 17, 2006 7:54 PM
Im having doubts about the zen v's reliablility, im beginning to think that cramming all those features into it is whats causeing it to freeze up every now and then.
But then again...this is my 1st mp3 player, so I don't know if this problem occurs for other players. (like Jon said on November 23, 2006 6:00 PM)
Don't get me wrong, im still happy with my zen v+...gotta love that reset button =D
btw kimii, what country are you in?
kh2u on November 26, 2006 8:44 PM
Iv had many problems with my zenv reseting it so i just got a samsung YP-Z5 its like the best mp3 there is(WAYY batter than the nano) the quility kills the nano and it has more cababilitys cheaper too around $99.99
not bad for an mp3 thats better than a nano.
Its doesent get scratched that easyily if you take care of it.
I have a question why do the ipod nanos get scratched that easily
someone awnser back if you no!
Julia on November 27, 2006 10:35 PM
ok first of all i'm retarded cuz i just realized how to reset it but o well the screen on my Zen V is pitch black when i first got it it was perfect but gradually the screen got darker and i could only see it in the dark and now i cant' see it at all no matter how much i charge it. has this happened to anyone else or do i just have really bad luck w/ this stuff? i no its on cuz i can listen to it but not see the screen and if i reset it does it erase all the songs? i hope not
thnx for your help plzz help
HawkMan on November 28, 2006 11:07 AM
Which is better the creative zen micro photo 4GB or the creative zen v plus 2GB!
comoon guys (and girls) answers to me! i need help!
Douglas Brown on November 28, 2006 2:34 PM
I've been trying to find to find my first mp3 player for a while. I've done a lot of research and ruled out about everything but this. Besy Buy had a thing where you could try out all sorts of players, and while I couldn't try out the V, I found I disliked the Z5's controls. I was pretty set to buy this player, but now that I'm hearing about the freezing I'm not so sure. Does freezing occur in the normal V as well?
Perhaps you could offer some advice. What I want in an mp3 player, in this order, is
- at least 4gb of memory
- good tactile controls
- Less than 200 dollars
- Mid-sized and durable (no 1st gen nano for me)
I don't care about features, and I don't care about looks and I don't want an iPod because I feel they are ridiculously overpriced. Thanks for the help.
Tgai on November 28, 2006 10:38 PM
I bought a Zen V 1Gb 24 hours before getting on a plane for a business trip. Spent five hours in the air and three hours on lay-overs. Used the Zen round the clock during all times allowed. Worked perfectly. Since then I have used my Zen V constantly in my car, rigged into the stereo system, and it works flawlessly. Never froze once.
Now I plan to upgrade to the Zen V Plus 4Gb. I hope I don't run into this freezing problem.
Tgai
kimii on November 29, 2006 9:49 AM
FarZad
im from the phils
and thanks.. im a kinda MV addict.. so i hope all those vids would fit!
im planning to buy a 2gb.. is that enough? or should i go for the higher ones..?
----------------------
looking from the other's comments..
some are disasitified with their ZEN V! not ZEN V PLUS
which is good.. lols.. just jokin..
----------------------
Hawkman
looking at its features and capabilities, go for the v plus!
micro has video and much more features...
if youre a pic addict.. go for the micro cuz i know u wanted the memory cuz its high.. but im recommending v plus.. :D
FarZad on November 30, 2006 12:15 AM
If you're going for a V PLUS, and this goes for everyone: I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO GO FOR THE 4GB and I will tell you why...
Like I said earlier, creative labs really mean it when they say, "plays short video clips"
I also said: It can’t play compressed video files, so the file gets bigger after you convert it. At good quality, you're looking at about 100MB for 4min.
You don't want the player to get filled up with videos and leave no room for music!! Trust me, it fills up quite quickly...4GB may seem distant to you right now, but it wont after you've had the ZEN for some time.
Its ok to go for the 2GB ZEN V, that’s understandable if you have a budget to stick to, but if you don't get the 4GB ZEN V+, you are (in my opinion) wasting money because you will be confined to that 2GB (or 1GB?) and wont be able to use your V+ to its full potential.
And just to clear something up, I have the 4GB ZEN V+ and it DOES freeze. But the reset button always does the trick and it comes back to life exactly as it was before (it takes about 1min to rebuild the library). YES! Reset does NOT mean that you will loose all (or even some) of your data.
Ben and pebo on November 30, 2006 8:20 AM
well done but weres the 8 gig info?ps our website has loads of info on the zen, click randy racoon
J on December 1, 2006 2:22 PM
I highly reccomend NOT buying any iPods. The only thing they are good for is music, and you can get something so much better...for so much cheaper. ALSO: iPods have a One-Year Warranty!! After one year, the battery kills over completely and it costs about $70 to replace it. $70? That's almost enough to buy a NEW iPod with! Imagine paying $70 for a new battery every year! Waste of money. The only thing it's good for is some "Ooo!" and "Ahh!"s.
kh2u on December 3, 2006 2:38 PM
Hey you got a point J the battery does die after a year it is a waste of money paying $70 dollars for that shits!!!
Does anyone no why the Ipod Nano get scratched that easily
Someone plz tell me!!
Iv had my mp3 Samsung YP-Z5 for like a month now and it still hasent got one scratch on it!!
Lin731 on December 3, 2006 7:44 PM
I wish I hadn't bought the Zen V Plus, It played FM radio fine, then I loaded in and installed the Zen cd, rebooted, hooked into my musicmatch program. It was downloading my files when I left. When I got back, the Zen was shutdown and won't restart. Thought the battery was dead, plugged it into my USB, nadda, no charging icon, the Sync Manager didn't recognise that it was plugged in, screen won't turn on nothing. After reading my book a bit, I see they don't want you plugging into the USB on the front of your PC for recharging, so tomorrow I'll try the back one and see but how crappy is that with such a short USB cable? Now if that doesn't work, I take it I'll have to find a pin and reset the thing and hope it doesn't freeze and dump all my stuff again? I may have made a BAD choice with this MP3 player (my first one ever and proving to be more aggravation that it's purchase price was worth).
SEP on December 4, 2006 12:58 PM
I just got my Creative zen v plus 4 G and it works great. I got it for audiobooks that I can download from our library for free. I can bookmark it between tracks. The zen music software is so much better than windows media player so its almost worth buying just for that. It freezes sometimes but the reset button works fine and its boots up quickly. Anyone know of a reliable wall or car charger? I can't seem to find one.
sac on December 5, 2006 4:14 PM
i really like this but it FREEZES!!!!! I am torn about what to do
Ste--ve on December 7, 2006 12:19 AM
How Does The Zen V+ charge and is this player good or bad some 1 tell me. cause i dont want something thats gonna freeze up all the time.
Str_88 on December 8, 2006 5:29 PM
Hey, i just bought the creative zen V (not the plus) and i wanted to know if the creative zen V supports album art, i know that the V plus support, but i can't see how to put that feature in the zen V.
Plz i am waiting for answers!
Thanks!
kawaz on December 9, 2006 7:21 AM
hey can u plz tell us exactly what video formats can be converted for the v plus and how long can each video go for and how many minutes of video can the v plus hold all together plz answer thanx
kawaz on December 9, 2006 7:24 AM
hey can u plz tell us exactly what video formats can be converted for the v plus and how long can each video go for and how many minutes of video can the v plus 4gb hold all together plz answer thanx
Joe on December 10, 2006 10:52 AM
It looks very impressive although I think that it's small capasity (8gb max) will most likely hold back a few hardcore mp3 users that would like more room for their Videos/ Music. Although It is sufficient to my needs If I were to get one. However I already orderd a ZVM at 200.00 + tax @ wallmart... How could I pass that up? Before I ever heard about this little wonder.
GREAT REVIEW... the video you made was espesially ensightful.
Cristof Addison on December 10, 2006 7:48 PM
Julia on November 27, 2006 10:35 PM
"ok first of all i'm retarded cuz i just realized how to reset it but o well the screen on my Zen V is pitch black when i first got it it was perfect but gradually the screen got darker and i could only see it in the dark and now i cant' see it at all no matter how much i charge it. has this happened to anyone else or do i just have really bad luck w/ this stuff? i no its on cuz i can listen to it but not see the screen and if i reset it does it erase all the songs? i hope not
thnx for your help plzz help"
No your not retarded mine did the same thing and no reseting it doesnt delete the songs but i doesnt fix it either im not really sure that you can fix it but if find anything i will post it
SHiNiCHi on December 11, 2006 6:03 AM
for everyone having freezing problems, please upgrade your firmware !, you can download it from creative website.
after upgrading it, my zen v plus 1gb have never ever again locked-up ;)
John C on December 11, 2006 3:16 PM
I found this site, 'anythingbutipod' because my bro-in-law wants an MP3 player, and he specifically said 'not an ipod'. Well, I have read reviews upon reviews, and I have two observations. 1) although the reviewers are able to type/spell, the commenters are, by and large, juvenile or biased. and 2) the problems with the MP3 players run across the board, none of them have sterling reputations.
My own experience with the iPod is so good that I am considering disregarding his request, or just putting a check in his stocking. I mean, he's a physician and can get anything he wants. I suspect he erroneously thinks you have to have a Mac to use an iPod.
He wants it to hold his 300-CD music collection. Not photos, not FM, not data drive, just music.
And the WOW factor that several comments have mentioned - that WOW is for the ease of use, not the coolness specifically. Hold an iPod in one hand, click 3 or 4 times, and there's music. I have shown my iPod to many folks, and they 'get it' upon first showing. These others seem like you have to program the things to make them work.
Khonsu on December 11, 2006 4:42 PM
But what about the battery dying with the $70 replacement? I can't be spending so much on an MP3 player only to have it die on me. If I didn't have such a huge mp3 collection, I would have stayed with my ancient iRiver 390T--it took one rechargeable AA battery, played for hours, and held about 80 songs. When I was younger, I delighted in making a special playlist for that day, but as I've gotten into college, I just really want to lug around my playlist that fluctuates between 2GB and 4GB of music.
I really wish large capacity MP3 players still used rechargeable AA batteries...recharging it every night while you sleep and never having to pay a dime after purchase was so nice. There was no threat of needing total replacement like the internal batteries in today's MP3 players. So easy...I just wish I could find a no-frills MP3 player for a middling price with a large capacity that JUST PLAYS MUSIC. If I want to play movies, I'll do it on my PC or my portable DVD player. I don't need to squint at a tiny screen for that. I don't need CD art. I don't need movies or videos or bells and whistles. However, I refuse to pay that $70 replacement fee for an iPod.
If someone can point me in the direction of something that caps at about 8GB without freezing, without battery replacement, without a bunch of extra crap--JUST MUSIC--then I'll buy a new MP3 player. I actually bothered with a VCast cellphone to try to get more music--great phone, but I just need more space! (Also, I don't like the software to load up the VCast music feature on my Nokia--just let me pick a damn song and put it on there--I don't want a fancy playlist, I don't want any random or anything. Just give me straightforward functionality!)
Vladimir on December 15, 2006 4:12 PM
This is a very good mp3 player, but compared to sansa e280, it's crap. Sansa e280 is cheeper and has better sound. The sansa looks worse, but who cares??
ali on December 15, 2006 4:17 PM
Does anyone know how to STOP a track? I just want to STOP it- not have to switch it off. I can pause, sure, but I want to stop tracks and have silence. I hve the 1gb model. I think it's pretty sweet.
alyssa on December 17, 2006 9:46 PM
for the creative zen v
im confused and feel a little dumb... do you have to replace the battery or does it come with a rechargeable battery? :/
thanks
oh and you can fit all the accessories AND the player in the cloth sack that comes with it right?
sankar on December 18, 2006 1:44 PM
though i have installed the software when i connect the device and open creative media exp ... iget the 'player not connected' message ... please help...
davis on December 18, 2006 4:40 PM
I have the zen v plus 4GB and it froze on me and I lost half of my songs. My computer wont recognize it but will still charge. Im kinda pissed now cause i cant load the songs I lost nor any new ones. Anyone expirince anything like this. Plz help.
sankar on December 18, 2006 8:55 PM
same here .... my comp detects the decice on ceonnection n i get the 'MTP medial player options tab' ... but on selecting the 'Organise media files' option and on going to 'Creative media explorer' i have a problem ... there it says my player is not connected ... i my small beauty but cant use it ... pls pls pls pls help
DC on December 20, 2006 10:49 PM
Never had a problem with my zen plus 2gb
Just make sure you update the firmware and never unplug it when its transferring.
And if you use the storage option make sure you do the following.
Stopping Your Player Properly
To prevent data loss when in Removable Disk mode, ensure that:
you have stopped your player properly in Windows before unplugging it from the USB port on your computer (refer to the steps for your respective operating system).
you do not unplug your player from the USB port on your computer when transferring files to or from the device, or when files stored in your player are in use.
Caution!
Only disconnect your player after the Do not Disconnect message disappears from the OLED display. If not, your player may not be able to function normally.
To stop your player properly, click the Safely Remove Hardware icon on the Taskbar, click Safely remove USB Mass Storage Device, and disconnect your player when you are prompted to do so.
For the person who said how to turn off.
To turn off your player, slide the Power switch towards the Power icon and hold it there until the Shutting down message appears.
sankar on December 21, 2006 12:38 AM
i have resolved my problem ... if the s/w does not detect the device you need to alter the registry entry for the USB port to allow 'Everyone' full control .. to know more details you can check Solution ID # 10053 in the creative support site...
Lou on December 21, 2006 12:57 AM
Seems to be a great product but XP only really sucks. No Mac support either? I had to order XP on Ebay so I can use this item but I will use a second hard drive to run XP by sliding out my hard drive and switch to XP when I want to add things to use my Zen. This sucks big time. I hate Microsoft XP with a passion. To be forced to use Microsoft spyware (XP) to use an mp3 player seems criminal. Creative must be in Microsoft's pocket. What a disappointment to have XP forced upon oneself. It sucks, it sucks, it sucks... I mean XP and Bill Gates lame development team. I will never use Microsoft products other than what I have to. They have never made any products that were desireable. I know this is about the Zen Plus player but XP is inseperable from this equation. Sad to say XP makes this player suck. What narrow mindedness and arrogance. The fm radio is great but the autoscan sucks and is a pain to save stations. With all this in mind I do love this little player and I think all of these should have an expansion slot for SD, thumbdrives, etc. of some sort. Also a battery you can replace at anytime that isn't proprietary. How can you change the drive in this little unit to have more capacity instead of having to buy another??? Other than that it is great.
Cons: XP only, no expansion slot of sorts, no battery slot to replace the battery, fm autoscan sucks but fine once all is programmed, the toggle stem should stick out a little more,
This should be renamed Zen XP Only Player to make it clear to the buyer that it is associated to Bill Gate's clown development team.
b on December 21, 2006 4:50 PM
Agree with the no more Creative comment. I had a Zen Micro - the company 'replaced' the bad hard drive once and then when it happened again shortely after they said I could by a new device from them 'maybe with 10% off but I would have to check with my manager."
The argument that it's the HD manufacturers fault is ridiculous - develop a product that works or don't sell it. (That's like a car manufacturer selling cars that drive off the road and pointing customers to the tire company).
Creative's service is awful...no wonder Apple has run off with the market.
miki on December 22, 2006 12:58 AM
Actually our creative service in australia is pretty good.
my creative zen neeon after about ~8months with it one of the head phones died. isent it to the creative labs and they sent me a new one that works fine.
my friends creative zen eeon broke down 3 times.(errrrr...) and he got a new one each time...
Kayla on December 25, 2006 9:26 AM
I just got a 4GB creative Zen V Plus and I love it. It is small and able to fit a lot of songs. I just hope it does not freeze!! It has been good so far.
Kayla
Sam on December 25, 2006 12:01 PM
hi. i just got me i-pod 2 day n dnt now much about it. i got 2 questions. 1st 1 how do i get movies on there and i want to now how do i delete all the songs at the same time not indervidually.thx.
Jackie on December 25, 2006 12:08 PM
Please tell me how to set the date/time on Creative Zen V-5. Thank You.
Kelly on December 25, 2006 3:25 PM
I got the Creative Zen V Plus last night for christmas. So this morning, i installed all of the software on my computer. Then i charged it for about 3 hours and it was done charging. At first i thought something was wrong because the screen would go off and it would be black, but the mp3 player was still on. Then i found out that under "system" on the main menu, go to "player settings" and then "Display timer" and you can set it to be 30 seconds which is the most. So the screen will stay "on" for 30 seconds and then go black. i guess this is to save the battery. Then i started putting a few songs on it and i was suprized by how easy it was! All you have to do is find the song (mine were in media player) and drag it to the "music" folder for your creative zen. Then i started messing around with changing the background, screen and pictures and videos.
Pro's
-Good Price $106.72 at buy.com
-Small and color choices
-good accesories you can buy. like fm transmitters (to play it in the car) and power adapters (so you wont need to use your computer to charge it)
-many cool features like recording, radio, changing the screen orientation and the joystick changes too! :)
-bright screen that you can see at all angles.
-album art can be made full screen when playing a song by pressing the joystick.
Con's
-alot of software that maybe isnt necessary.
the yahoo and the audible software. but i don't know maybe i`ll use it.
-short USB cable.
but so far it seems like a really good mp3 player for the price.
and i havent had any problems with it freezing.
:)
i would recommend buying this.
but it is a little bit small.
elmo03 on December 26, 2006 9:09 AM
i got a CREATIVE ZEN V PLUS 2day 1GB for $150. It took me almost 2 hours to work out how 2 add songs to it (maybe im just dumb and dont noe how 2 read).
anyway it took 4ever 2 charge....also i have had it 4 less the 24hrs and i didnt even get 2 play any songs on it and it froze up!!!! I WASNT HAPPY AT ALL . so i got online and looked up reviwe sites and found this one.....thanks 4 the tip on the reset button i had no clue it was there i was goin 2 returne my MP3 2moro and get my money back which i dont really wanna do coz i love everything bout my new V+. i'll c how it goes over the next few days if it locks up again im goin 2 return it A.S.A.P
Jamie on December 26, 2006 10:53 AM
Bought my son a zen v plus, can't seem top get the mp3 to be recognised by the compouter. I do not have a high speed usb port which is troublesome, but using windows xp. Downloaded the cd everytime I go to media player it says it is not connected. I have two of these mp3's and neither seem to work any ideas
alyssa on December 26, 2006 11:58 AM
the battery on one of my zen v will not charge...its been plugged in for a long time and it hasn't changed...the other one is charging fine though...has anyone had this problem before?
sweetdude! on December 26, 2006 1:44 PM
ok,just one question. i had an ipod but it broke and now i want to buy a zen v plus. but all my music is on itunes on my computer. if i get a zen will i be able to download music from itunes onto the zen? answers pleeeeeeeeeease!
jonathan on December 26, 2006 9:55 PM
hi, i just got my zen v plus and i pluged it in before installing the program, when it was in and charging i was reading the book that came with it and said do not connect to your computer before setting up the software. is this a problem?
sarah on December 27, 2006 1:34 AM
how do you delete tracks on your zen v plus ?
Dan on December 27, 2006 7:29 AM
Is it just my Zen V Plus, or are all like this? When I gently shake it or tilt it I can feel something moving inside my player. The player seems to work fine, but this is making me slightly concerned and I wonder if I should return it for another one, which I would rather not.
Basically it just feels like there is something loose inside the player. Anyone else notice this?
Elisa on December 27, 2006 5:01 PM
How to you set the time on your zen v plus? Please respond.
Elisa on December 27, 2006 5:02 PM
Oh yeah. How do you set a picture as your wallpaper?
javier on December 27, 2006 5:41 PM
how do u reset my zen v plus?
Tiana on December 27, 2006 7:00 PM
I just got the Sansa e250 for a christmas present...and LOVE it. I cant put it down. The music quality is pretty good, and watching a video on it was better than I thought. You do have to convert the video files, but it only too a few minutes. I think the controls are pretty easy to use and its easy to load music files from your computer. I would recommend it to anyone. You definately get your money's worth with this product. I havent had any problems with it yet.
sandy on December 27, 2006 7:19 PM
damm it i cant use this thing of zen v plus too difucult for me
plus i brough one and usb cord idont think it works
im sad =(
but ill get
i guess
Dan on December 27, 2006 10:54 PM
Alright, returned the MP3 player and got a new Zen V Plus. Answered my own question and no, there isn't suppose to be a movable "loose" thing inside the player. So if when you lightly shake, please don't shake it hard, lol, and you hear something moving around I would go return it.
Great player! Best bang for the buck imo.
Beats the ipod nano hands down!
marcie on December 27, 2006 11:59 PM
mine keeps freezing.
i kept resetting it and what not and i got it to move like one time.
idk what to do.
i think i might take it back get a new one or something.
i got it two days ago.
kinda disappointed cos it was a gift but
i was completely happy with it 'till this...
any suggestions??
Dan on December 28, 2006 6:31 AM
You can try updating the firmware, I haven't had any problem yet. Sign up for the creative website forums and also try to look in the database of questions they have there. Might solve your problem, if not, go ahead and exchange it.
diane on December 28, 2006 10:07 AM
Hey,
I'm a new Zen V Plus user up in Toronto ... and I love it, except my joystick broke off - and I've had it less than a week. I don't think I was pushing it particularly hard when trying to move through the directories, either?
Is this a constant problem for anyone else? Do I go back to the story I bought it from, or just try to find the Creative folks in Canada? Help!
Cait on December 28, 2006 12:20 PM
Hey i just got a zen for christmas and i LOVE it.
cait on December 28, 2006 12:24 PM
How do you get ur own pics as ur backround??
Briar Prescott on December 28, 2006 2:26 PM
my zen is frozen i've tried everything it won't turn off it won't respond to being pluged in to the usb cable so what shoulg I do.
Silver on December 28, 2006 2:44 PM
Mine just did that two seconds ago, there is a little hole on the left hand side of it, get a needle and stick it in the hole, it resets it and don't worry you won't lose any of your stuff off there :D
silver on December 28, 2006 2:46 PM
cait: to set the background to what you want go onto a picture and hold down the back button then go onto set as wallpaper and then when the picture comes up just press the middle button and it will set the picture as your background
sugarberry on January 2, 2007 2:30 AM
The first time I got the Zen V Plus it froze. I was trying to charge it overseas with a usb adapter plug that I had bought, while also trying to play songs. When it froze I think I had the lock slide set and then I pulled out the usb cable from the player as it wasnt charging.
I didnt know of a reset button until I found this site! Wouldve saved me a night of worry while waiting for the battery to drain! I was mainly worried that having the screen frozen on would burn the image into my screen, can this happen with OLED, does anyone know??
The generic usb wall adapter travel plug that I bought still doesnt work!?
Now that Ive played with the player a bit, im REALLY HAPPY with it!! no complaints!! and its so CUTE...
Things that could be improved:
- replace the coloured plastic parts ie. the joystick and volume buttons, with something less cheap and plasticky feeling/looking!
- tell me where in Australia I can get the transparent printed patterns put on! I should have got it when I bought it :(
- sound clarity could be better. Its not bad, average, but could be so much better.
- Would be good if more colours were on offer, I got the 4gb meaning only blue on black.
Ronald on January 4, 2007 10:18 PM
I just noticed that the 8 GB version is now available in the US and not just Singapore!
Lenny on January 6, 2007 2:12 PM
I just bought the 8gb version from a website in the UK but haven't got it yet. I'm concerned, how often does this device freeze and has it happened to everyone?
cesar aka big C on January 6, 2007 2:40 PM
i bought a fuckin dumb bitched out ZEN plus. i spent over $50.....fuck ZEN compiny....i thought it was going to last but it froze on me and i'm not very happy with it Fuck ZEN v PlUS ... period
Hater on January 6, 2007 2:48 PM
Judging by the way you speak Cesar, you are probably some ghetto ass piece of trash that cannot operate any MP3 player. Its cool, you welfare check will come in another month... not all is lost.
dtroxmysox on January 7, 2007 2:21 PM
I'm after a very VERY cheap (preferably under £80??) video player. I thought this would be a good bet, but it only does short videos. I'd like about 7 hours (?) or is that too much to ask? I'm not fussed about extra features- I just want to watch films on the bus or plane or whatever. Any suggestions?
Redlipstik29 on January 7, 2007 8:03 PM
I just returned my Zen V Plus this evening at Best Buy...frozen for 3 days, resetting didn't work...light stayed on for 2 of those days. Read about firmware and think that may solve our freeze problems. Anyway, not sure what player to buy now....I just know it won't be anything Ipod. I'm still liking Creative..but think the minute I get a new one, charge it, then update firmware or let the freezing begin!!!
p.s. What a great site to come across...answered many questions. Thanks!
Roo on January 8, 2007 5:08 PM
4gb zen (not v) or Samsung YP-Z5??
I am wondering about buying either a 4gb zen creative (not v) or a Samsung YP-Z5. But ive had alot of hassle with my old mp3 player, and had to take it back several times. I want to buy this one off line, and sending it back is obviously harder. Does anyone with a 4GB ZEN (not V) have the freezing problem?or have creative now sorted it and is it just the V? Because if not it seems as tough the Samsung if floorless.
PLEASE HELP!
Roo on January 9, 2007 2:19 AM
I wrote the above comment wrong! i meant i cant decide between the 4GB ZEN V (not plus) and the samsung. any advice?
danny on January 10, 2007 3:58 PM
i have the 4gb zen plus, and its the 1st player ive had. I just wondered how do you delete tracks on it?? Danny
Phell on January 10, 2007 5:25 PM
I bought a creative zen v plus this week and so far it's been working great for me. This thing is a thousand times better than my old ipod mini... especially in the sound department. Being somewhat an audiophile I've been most pleased by the sound quality.
The only problem I've had so far is with the video converter. In seems like it doesn't want to take .AVI files so I have to convert them... but the converter always seem to fail converting them ("conversion unsuccessful"). I tried converting the .AVIs files with a 3rd party program into .WMVs or .MOVs so the converter would possibly have and easier time converting what was initially a .AVI but no dice there either. The only filetype I've been able to convert so far is a .MPG.
Now since All my video files are pretty much .AVIs only, I can watch about none of my stuff on my V plus (supposed to read videos) which is a major bummer.
Anyone had this problem or knows how to fix/bypass this? Convert everything into .MPGs before then converting them with the creative program?
Thanks.
Nick on January 10, 2007 9:33 PM
i got te zen v plus for xmas and started adding songs right away. but even tho its a 4 gb, when it got up to about 220 mabey 250 songs it starts to freeeeeezzzzzzzzzeeeeeee up. it gets really annoying someone help. oh yea i wanna no how to change video quality so that it will play on the zen v plus
Thanx, Nick
Email nickyrayblue222@hotmail.com
Kourtney on January 12, 2007 2:59 PM
I'm from Winnipeg in Canada...which basically means..it might just be the coldest place on Earth. What I like about my Zen is, that with the joystick I can scroll through my library with my mitts on. I've discovered that you cant with the touch dial. The one thing I dont like about it, is that it did freeze up...and I didnt know how to reset it...but the battery died and it was fine after, but the accessories are all fairly expensive...and really only available online.
bob on January 12, 2007 9:58 PM
To set the date it works much like other features. To change the date under system->clock settings->hold down the back button until another menu comes up and adjust date/time.
Hope that helps
gtapb1 on January 13, 2007 12:47 PM
How long does it take for the Zen V Plus 2gb or 4gb to charge? I was reading the Zen V Plus forum and it said that the manual said to charge for 6 hours. Is that really true?
John on January 14, 2007 2:20 AM
I am having problems with my Zen V. It worked for a day or two, but now my computer will not reconize it anymore and i am unable to access anything on it. I will not go into the docking mode. So i am at a stand still and pretty up set about it. Can anyone help?
cftuiy urbeajx on January 14, 2007 3:34 AM
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Lindsey on January 14, 2007 3:29 PM
Thanks Bob (Jan 12) I just set the date and time on my Creative Zen Plus 4gb!
Mine has been fantastic! Got songs and books on there.
A really cool toy!
Erin on January 14, 2007 4:08 PM
The first Zen V plus I got worked fine for a few days, then froze up and wouldn't work anymore. My second one worked fine for only hours before freezing. Even when reset, it just freezes as soon as you turn it on again. Unfortunetely, there's no way to upgrade the firmware if you can't get it to function without freezing :) I'd appreciate any suggestion.
I've had the old creative jukebox zen xtra for years and it has worked without major problems, wish this one was like that!
john on January 14, 2007 4:41 PM
I am just having problems with my zen v plus. the music that i have on it is fine but it will no go into docking mode.
Mark on January 15, 2007 2:37 PM
does anyone know anything about the zen v plus 8gb's VIDEO battery life?
Mark on January 15, 2007 2:40 PM
everywhere ive seen has only talked about music playback battery life but what about video battery life
Shana on January 15, 2007 6:33 PM
I just bought my zen v plus a few days ago and i find it really tough to turn it on at times. Sometimes I hold the power button for like 30 seconds and it won't turn on. Sometimes it takes me as much as a few times to try to turn it on. The blue light on the play and back buttons were on but not the screen. It appears that it's easier to turn it on after using it for a while.
Anyone has the same problem? Any suggestions?
Kaze on January 16, 2007 12:44 AM
I recived a Zen V for christmas, I had checked it out before hand and I could have sworn on the back on My 2 GB ZenV box it said video. Now I have to find that box :|
I (personaly) love the screen.
The player goes every where with me and hasen't a single scratch as of yet. I carry it in my pocket whithout a case.
My battery life does not seem around 15 hours, then again, It is on and off with the display constently.
The only problem I've really had is that the Zen's head phones were severd when I bought them, at the base of the plastic part of the earbud that goes in your and and the stick (thingy) that attaches to it.
MJ on January 16, 2007 7:52 AM
I just ordered 2 V Plus - an 8GB for myself and a 4GB for my wife. After having read so much about "freezing", would you all recommend updating firmware before putting any music on the player? Thanks in advance.
ema on January 16, 2007 6:20 PM
is this freezing supose to happen coz i dunno it its worth sending it back or not.
but it pisses me off coz it does it constantly
n my battery is crap im sure it wears down to quick
hmm
jun on January 16, 2007 8:56 PM
wow.....i did alot of reserching about this...after reading alot im very undecided
i dont no if i should get the sandisk e200 series(not sure which one yet... or the creative zen v plus... plz help
MJ on January 17, 2007 12:15 PM
I just returned the sandisk e270 to amazon.com. I loaded tons of music on the player, plugged it into the aux jack in my car, and was treated to a loud "POP" each time the track changed - on it's own or by skipping tracks. The POp was terribly loud as I had to have both the stereo and player volumes at max in order to hear well.
I contacted tech support and was given a link to firmware update. I did that - including reformatting the player and erasing all my music - then reloaded the player with the same problem. It did in using the headphones too. So, back it went.
I am waiting on my V Plus now. Hoping to have better luck with it :)
Erik on January 19, 2007 1:26 PM
My Zev V was good for a couple of weeks then i started to get lines in the screen and then my screen went black i mean i can still listen to music i just cant c what song i am listenin to andi cant look at my pics , cant c a thing on the screen and it bothers me
roy on January 20, 2007 12:35 AM
i cant get it to turn off when it is connected to my computer and it wont charge i dont know what to do retrun or wat please help it wont charge an dwont turn off when i try to charge when connected to computer please help
roy on January 20, 2007 12:37 AM
oh i have the zen v 1gb
lay on January 20, 2007 1:29 AM
mine just forze! what do i do??
austin on January 22, 2007 3:28 PM
i have a 4gb plus and how to put videos on it
carbs on January 25, 2007 1:28 PM
I used to have the old Zen Touch 20gb, it was great, but it had software problems, and towards the end of its life it the buttons would perform the wrong commands... then it practicaly exploded in my hand (it went through a year of extra-ordinarily tough treatment, it did rather well)
I just bought the 8gb Zen V plus and its pretty groovy.. high expectations
rob johnston on January 25, 2007 2:44 PM
ive got the zen v 2gb had it nearly for a week the only problem ive had is the charge time its ment to take 6 hours for a full charge but i left mines on over night aprox 8 hours and i only had 1/4 battery should i take it back or just wait ages ? write back
beanie on January 26, 2007 6:21 AM
omg people i got the Zen V 1gb and i