Zen or iPod

D

doclife

CAG Veteran
Ok, so everyone's talking about the zune/iPod but I don't want the zune, i'd really like to know how the 30gb Zen Vision:M and the 30gb iPod Video compare with eachother and if you guys have any opnions on which is better/why, i'd appreciate it. Thanks.

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Zen vision:M is way better. cheaper, better screen, great sound quality, and you don't have to look like all the other douche bags with an ipod. I just bought my wife a ZVM for v-day and she really likes it plus it is easy for me to transfer songs to.
 
Zen if you plan on using it as a video player. The iPod's mp4 format is a bitch unless you want to pay for shit on Itunes. iPod if you're mainly using it for music though.
 
I just got a 30gb video iPod a couple months ago and love it. Originally I didn't think I'd watch many vids on it but lately I'm finding myself putting lots of TV shows and movies on it. Quality is great too and I don't see how anyone can complain about it. I like how it automatically bookmarks your spot in a video or audiobook, so if you decide to listen to some music, you can go back to the movie or audiobook and continue from the place you left off.

I hear Zen's are pretty good too but I've never used one.
 
I just went through the same decision making process and ended up with the Zen. The Zen ended up being about $100 less than the iPod video and seems to do pretty much everything the iPod can do, and more. On top of that it does everything that the iPod does better. The only downsides are that you don't get the trendiness of the iPod and it is about twice as thick. After weighing the options I found that the Zen was a better choice for me. The screen is absolutely beatiful. The colors are extremely bright and the picture is crisp. I use WMP11 to sync and it works great.

I picked my Zen up at Buy.com for 159.99 after a 50 rebate and 10% of coupon that is floating around.
 
I'd probablys say the Zen M Vision.

The iPod looks sexier IMO, but just because something looks pretty doesn't mean it's good inside and out. The Zen can read ogg, Xvid. divx and other video formats that the iPod can't read.

The Zen has its own converter so even if you don't have the right format, it can convert it for you (it's not that long to convert anyways.. like 600 MB takes about.. 10 minutes?.. more or less).

The button was kind of tricky the first time I tested it out, but I got use to it.

I don't think iPods have FM transmitter connected to the player, but at least the Zen does .. for all your.. traffic/weather/lovely music needs....

There's also a lack of accessories for the Zen M Vision, but it's all good, you only need to buy a case and an adapter - I wouldn't think you need any glittery bling case for a Zen.

I think I would only want the iPod for more music listening (iPod nanos) and these tokidoki cases. Even for music listening, I'm sure you'll get bored someplace so having a video player can be a good thing. I mean between the 30 gb ipod and 30 gb Zen, both with video feature, the Zen would be good.

You should buy one for $174.99 (after rebates) at buy.com or wait for a deal someplace... like newegg or amazon..
 
[quote name='gofishn'] On top of that it does everything that the iPod does better.[/QUOTE]

Can you give some examples? Not saying that I disagree with you, but I've never used a Zen so I don't know much about them.
 
[quote name='norkusa']Can you give some examples? Not saying that I disagree with you, but I've never used a Zen so I don't know much about them.[/QUOTE]

1. The screen is absolutely beautiful.
2. More sound formats supported.
3. More video formats supported.
4. Sound quality seems better.

I have compared both side by side as well. My friend has a 5G iPod video and the Zen really seems to outdo it feature-wise. Again, the Zen can't match the sleekness and trendiness of the iPod. The price and feature set of the Zen is what sold me.

EDIT: Forgot to add that I like the interface better. That may be a personal preference, but just find the overall layout of the Zen to be a little more user friendly.
 
[quote name='gofishn']
3. More video formats supported.
[/QUOTE]


Does that mean you can drop divx vids into the Zen and it'll play them without any need for conversion? My only complaint about the iPod is that you have to convert all your vids to .mp4 before playing them.

And is the screen on the Zen really *that* much better than the iPod? Like I said before, I've never used a Zen but I really can't imagine how the screen quality on the video iPod looking better than it already does.
 
Go with the Zen. I just got one (60gb) and oh man this thing kicks ass compared to the Ipod. Only thing (outside of whats been stated) the Zen lacks is accessories in excess. You'll have to hunt a bit for them. But they're out there!
 
The iPod looks better. Also, I had it for over a year no complains.

If you are short in cash and you really must have an mp3 player now, go for the one cheapest in $.
I remember when the iPod came out, I really wanted an MP3 player, now that I got one I don't find much use for it.
 
I'd go with a Zen. I have one and my sister has an iPod and personally the Zen is much better. Best of all you don't have to use iTunes.
 
[quote name='phobophobia']Use your own judgment. Most of the people here probably made their decision based on price.[/quote]

Yeah... Zen is cheaper, does EVERYTHING functionally the Ipod does (except DRM), and then it does icing and gravy.

Drag and drop + MSD partitions FTW.
 
OMG, I wasn't really expecting so many helpful replies. I was actually expecting someone to call me a newb or something along those non-helpful lines. lol. This forum is great and you guys are awesome. I appreciate all your input and it really helped. It's my birthday and I really wanted either a zen or an ipod and you guys have helped me out a lot. Thanks.
 
[quote name='mrblinG22']Zen. The only thing i really dislike about the zen is the touch sensitivity.[/quote]

Same here... that's why they made an option in the settings to adjust the sensitivity. Now it's superb :).
 
Another question, what's the best deal for a Zen w/o using a rebate. I think amazon.com has it for $200, so is that the best non-rebate deal?
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']Zen if you plan on using it as a video player. The iPod's mp4 format is a bitch unless you want to pay for shit on Itunes. iPod if you're mainly using it for music though.[/QUOTE]
I have no problem getting videos on my ipod from torrents off the net and from dvds, just need the right software... I am a mac guy anyway because I am an artist, I love my ipod only paid around 200 for a new 60GB video have a program for converting torrent video downloads, one for converting dvds, no problems whatsoever

I knew this would become an anti ipod thread (as in people siding against it, although some comments are better left unspoken)... I am glad after seeing macintosh struggle for soooo long that they finally found their calling.. I love my ipod, my 20" imac at home and G5 at work (and I work off of 4 different computers, only one is a mac)
 
[quote name='zman73']I have no problem getting videos on my ipod from torrents off the net and from dvds, just need the right software... I am a mac guy anyway because I am an artist, I love my ipod only paid around 200 for a new 60GB video have a program for converting torrent video downloads, one for converting dvds, no problems whatsoever

I knew this would become an anti ipod thread (as in people siding against it, although some comments are better left unspoken)... I am glad after seeing macintosh struggle for soooo long that they finally found their calling.. I love my ipod, my 20" imac at home and G5 at work (and I work off of 4 different computers, only one is a mac)[/QUOTE]

No need to be so defensive. They both have their pros and cons, but for sheer bang for your buck the Zen wins hands down.
 
The biggest reason for me in buying a Zen versus an iPod: you can't transfer files off an iPod.

Before people get all huffy and label me a music pirate, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not out to spread my MP3s to all my friends and I generally think that people who have no respect for copyright are idiots. BUT, if I rip one of my CDs to MP3 format, I'm damn well going to use that MP3 anywhere I feel like it.

With the Zen, I can download files from the music player to my computer any time I feel like it. With an iPod, I couldn't. If the files on my computer were to get wiped out (hard drive crash, etc.), I could transfer them back to my computer from my Zen. With an iPod, I couldn't. If my Zen ever breaks down and I buy a new one, I can transfer the files to my new player without trouble. With an iPod, there are transfer and authorization restrictions.

I agree that the iPod is the nicest looking, smoothest functioning player on the market BUT, as long as Apple is intent on thrusting their restrictive DRM schemes on my music, I'll never buy one. The same goes for Microsoft and their Zune. DRMed up the butthole.
 
[quote name='gofishn']No need to be so defensive. They both have their pros and cons, but for sheer bang for your buck the Zen wins hands down.[/QUOTE]

Didnt think I was being defensive, Ive always preferred mac, just like no ,atter what Apple does, there will be people who hate their products

Competition is what pushes others to make better products, I expect to see and ipod incorporating some of the features on the new iphones very soon
 
It seems like MP3 player questions is a really common thing (from searching the forums for a thread myself).. maybe one of them should be stickied..
 
[quote name='Chris in Cali']Zen if you plan on using it as a video player. The iPod's mp4 format is a bitch unless you want to pay for shit on Itunes. iPod if you're mainly using it for music though.[/QUOTE]

I disagree, it is quite easy to get most anything into mp4. There's any number of programs available to do almost all the work for you, many for free. Granted I had some initial hangups with importing the file to iTunes and getting on the iPod the way I wanted it, but that's more on an issue wth itunes itself, getting it into a mp4 was as simple as finding the right software (which was free) and took all of maybe one night or so to figure it all out. Besides if video is the main function, IMO niether the Zen nor the iPod is the product to go with.
 
I'm one of the few that will vote for the ipod. Nothing beats the scroll wheel interface. Screen looks great. I think a few people are looking at the previous generation video ipod, not the one with the new brighter screen.
One thing to consider is the HUGE aftermarket gear support.
This is more important than you think when you use it at the office, in your car, hooked to your receiver, and alarm clock. Even for small things like a nice protective case.

Some of the complaints labeled against the ipod are unfounded.
It already supports more than just ACC files.
Plus you can convert practically and video or audio for the ipod. There are tons of freeware & shareware that does this.
Including getting the stuff back off your ipod.

Another big benefit is resale value, I sold my 1 year old ipod nano for just $20 less than what I paid for it when I moved up to the video. Try that with any other MP3 player.

Yeah it cost a little more $$$ than most. But the best usually does.
 
The iPod. It is very easy to use and iTunes as a media player is better than any other one. Plus it automatically converts your music files to m4a so I dont see why people are complaining about that.
 
[quote name='n25philly'] Zen or iPod?

The answer is neither!
[/quote]


Sorry, I musy be more tired than I though, I though it said Zune or ipod! Get a Zen
 
if you use iTunes - get an iPod, that's its selling point - seamless interface with your digital music software.

if you want more flexibility, get a zen.

it's like apples and pcs - one that does everything right, and one that can do anything.
 
[quote name='Rozz']The iPod. It is very easy to use and iTunes as a media player is better than any other one. Plus it automatically converts your music files to m4a so I dont see why people are complaining about that.[/quote]

If you are into audio, then what you described is the EXACT reason not to use itunes/ipod.
 
Not much a fan of Apple so I purchased a Zen Vision: M last year

This week I think I saw it in the Bestbuy or Circuit City ad for $200 very nice price unless you see a better deal.
 
[quote name='CaptainChunk']If you are into audio, then what you described is the EXACT reason not to use itunes/ipod.[/QUOTE]

There are plenty of ways to improve your converted music for your ipod, such as importing with LAME and turning up the importing settings to 160 or 192 kbps instead of the default 128

I listen to my ipod sometimes out of my nice set of Harmon Kardon soundsticks and the quality is very clear
 
I actually just picked a Zen up tonight, but I have a question for anyone who owns one. Do you have to let it charge for awhile before it will power on the first time? The charge light is blinking but the screen does not come on.
 
[quote name='jcp4322']I actually just picked a Zen up tonight, but I have a question for anyone who owns one. Do you have to let it charge for awhile before it will power on the first time? The charge light is blinking but the screen does not come on.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I just got mine last week and it did the same exact thing. Let it charge for like 30 minutes and it will come on.
 
I have a zen microphoto and love it. i've used tiny sansas (m240, got it cheap through cag) and ipod nanos and the zen interface is just nicer imo. i've tried both the ipod 30 gig and ZVM and the Zen is better, cheaper and cooler.
i'm not that big a fan of the buttons when i was trying it out, but i've gotten used to the all touch of the microphoto.

you can use programs to convert video to put on the ipod, but the OLEDs Creative uses are great and are much better than the ipod.
i'm not a fan of apple, hate the whole bandwagon, ipod standard everyone has, but the Zen is cheaper, works better and has a lil more (fm tuner which is nice to have)
 
[quote name='CaptainChunk'], and you don't have to look like all the other douche bags with an ipod. .[/QUOTE]

wow! what a convincing and mature arguement.
 
[quote name='Ironmaus']The biggest reason for me in buying a Zen versus an iPod: you can't transfer files off an iPod.

Before people get all huffy and label me a music pirate, that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not out to spread my MP3s to all my friends and I generally think that people who have no respect for copyright are idiots. BUT, if I rip one of my CDs to MP3 format, I'm damn well going to use that MP3 anywhere I feel like it.

With the Zen, I can download files from the music player to my computer any time I feel like it. With an iPod, I couldn't. If the files on my computer were to get wiped out (hard drive crash, etc.), I could transfer them back to my computer from my Zen. With an iPod, I couldn't. If my Zen ever breaks down and I buy a new one, I can transfer the files to my new player without trouble. With an iPod, there are transfer and authorization restrictions.

I agree that the iPod is the nicest looking, smoothest functioning player on the market BUT, as long as Apple is intent on thrusting their restrictive DRM schemes on my music, I'll never buy one. The same goes for Microsoft and their Zune. DRMed up the butthole.[/quote]

actually, if i understand what you are talking about, if you enable disk drive on your iPod you can drag videos, mp3s, or any file onto the ipod and unload it on another comp.
 
Ive been messing with my zen all day, and am really frustrated with the touch pad. I turned the sensitivity down to low and it still jumps all over the place. But what I need to know is does the IPod automaticall convert files such as .avi to the right format?
 
Wow. Good thing I stumbled upon this thread!

My iRiver H340 of 5 years just went kaput, so I'm in desperate need of a new mp3 player! I was about to cave and pick up an iPod, but it sounds like the Zen is exactly what I want in a new player!

Hopefully I can find one in Osaka next week! :D
 
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