Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
by Creative
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List Price: Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
Customer Review: This could benefit from a video out... but that's probably too much already.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had mine for almost a month now and so far it's still working like it did on the day I opened the box. I've got some words to say:
HAPPY WITH:
1. The battery life is very good! The longest I've used it straight on audio is about 16 hours.. maybe more. It was on while I was sleeping, I kept it on all the way to work and while working, by the time I got back home, it was still playing. Another day, I watched a couple of movies during a long ride before it turned off.
2. The whole thing looks sturdier than the iPod Nano. But I'm still careful not to drop it on hard surfaces.
3. Syncs fast; easiest through WMP. I like the fact that it uses standard USB.
4. FM Tuner is great when I'm sick of whatever I uploaded and I'm away from my computer.
MOSTLY NITPICKING:
1. Video and pictures look good, but the colors aren't as "colorful" as opposed to watching them on a monitor. I don't know if there's a problem with my device, or that's just the way it is, or there's something wrong with my eyes. But color is the only problem regarding the screen... for me, the screen is big enough and the picture is sharp enough that I can read embedded subtitles.
2. As it goes with most of all bundled earbuds, ditch those and plug in a decent pair. (My mom's sansa earbuds had a better sound...)
3. I had the opportunity to test the microphone a few weeks ago and I think I'm bringing this one when spring term starts so that I could record the lectures.
4. I've been having some problems with DivX/XviD movies encoded in 24bit colors... the audio starts to lag behind after about 20 minutes.
5. The bundled encoder fixed said problem. Although it encodes at a snail's pace, it does the job... I just put in 2-3 movies to convert before I sleep and when I wake up, they're done! I just hope they would release an update that will allow it to play videos over 320x240 so that conversion would mostly not be necessary.
6. I KNEW I should have gotten the 16G one... I'm always running out of space, deciding what to delete to make room for the next movie. Good thing there's an SD card expansion slot which is going to be put to the test once my order arrives.
7. EDIT (01/16/08): Works fine with a newly-purchased SDHC from Transcend... no lag time on audio/video... BUT it doesn't save where you left off when you're playing from the card. Once you push that back button, the counter resets to 0:00:00. I also tried using a regular SD card but that failed miserably...
8. The front is not too scratch resistant, imho... mine got scratched on the day I started using it. Get yourself a screen protector and slap it on the moment you take your device out of the packaging. Mine is now wrapped in an invisibleSHIELD... got rid of those small scratches, too.
9. Freezes sometimes, but it's nothing a good poke at the reset hole doesn't fix.
All in all, I'm not disappointed with my purchase... I've had iPods before, none of them compares to this one in size, quality, and price.
Customer Review: EXCELLENT PLAYER!
Summary: 5 Stars
Pros
Surprisingly noticeably clearer screen (I had the zen vision m before)
Looks nicer than promotional pics
Very light
Thinner than I thought
small usb cable (I like it, but some may not)
Easily recognized by computer and even easier to sync
Sd card slot is a little sunken in so it is hard to accidentally pop it out
Fast sync with window media player
New interface shows album covers kind of like the new ipod nanos
If you have external speakers you can use it as an alarm clock (settings also allow you to have a reoccurring alarm, so you don't have to re-set it every time)
Cons
small usb cable
Cant rotate the screen
Software for video conversion (very easy to use)
Cant bookmark sd content
Doesn't resume playback on sd content
Might have to use an external card reader
SD card slot
-a neat feature is that I can take pics with my digital camera (canon sd 750) take out the card and view them in the player
-there is no lag time in loading audio tracks
-there is no lag time in loading video (video was 25 seconds long)
-there was about a 1sec lag time in loading pics (maybe because the pics were in multiple folders)
-in order to use the sd card as a removable drive you have to be in "removable disk" mode
-if you are in removable disk mode your player will not be seen in Windows media player, the memory card will and you can sync like that if you wish
-when I transferred files with the sd slot in my computer the player did recognize the files and had no trouble playing them
-when dragging and dropping WMV files the player would start to play it then freeze...if you use the software to convert the WMV files it plays it perfectly
-you CANNOT bookmark audio content on the sd card (bad if you want to store audiobooks in it)
-it does not resume playback of sd content if it is turned off then turned back on again
-when you "random play all" it does not include the audio in the sd content (good thing if you want to store audiobooks in it)
I had a zen vision M but I always wanted something smaller. when I heard about this I sold the M and bought this one, so far it's basically the same product with the SD card slot, refresed graphics on the user interface and a suprisingly clearer screen. It was either this, the new nano, or the samsung yp-t10...
I'm glad I chose this. In my opinion for this price range nothing can really compare
(I uploaded some pics from the player)
-if anyone has this player please respond...
if the hold switch is on for at least 30 sec. and then released does your screen turn a blank white but the player still functions? If I turn it off then on again it works fine, but I want to know if its a glitch in the firmware. have you already installed the new firmware? please respond, I need to know if I should send it back.
Customer Review: Instructions did suck but after 3 years it's great
Summary: 5 Stars
Creative Zen 4 GB (Black)
This is what I said 3 years ago:
"I spent a lot of time looking for an MP3 player and finally chose this one. However, I 've got at least three gripes:Poor instructions, the mediocre headphones and the lack of a case.
I've had this 5 days but I am still trying to figure out how to use it properly! Granted there is an online (rudimentary)help manual and the player did come with a quick start guide, but I don't think that's enough if you really want to get the best out of this player.
Why do manufacturers continue to provide scanty instructions? They spend millions on persuading us to buy stuff but not how to use them. All that will happen is that since I don't know how to use this properly , I'll end up using only the very basic functions, feel aggrieved about the money I spent and then vow to never buy a Zen product again!
As for the sound, I know other reviewers have been raving about the quality but I feel I haven't had the chance to see what this baby can really do with the supplied head phones. They don't fit my ears properly and what I can hear doesn't seem to me that much better than the throwaway headphones snagged from a recent long haul flight. So now I will have to buy a separate headset.
My advice to anyone buying this or any other product is try and read the instructions before you buy if you can and make sure you are aware of the quality of any included accessories."
UPDATE OCT 2010: It's now three years down the line and I must say I have been very happy with this player.
I bought Creative headphones separately and they are fine. The player has never gone wrong except for the odd reboot and the battery is still holding its charge fairly well after this time.
Granted, this is only 4GB and you can't browse the optional SD card (unless someone can say if an update works)but since I use a 8GB SD card, I really don't need extra capacity.
The recording facility has been very useful for meetings and picks up sound well while being unobtrusive.
I got my wife a Sony Walkman NWZS545RED 16 GB Video MP3 Player recently but I prefer the Zen. The controls are much easier to use and you can see what you are doing in the dark. The Sony is more fiddly to use, can't delete without using a PC and we have never got the professed 30 hour battery life - perhaps because we never figured out how to completely switch it off e.g. in sleep mode, if you jog it, it starts up even when you put on the hold button.
In summary, I will use this till it falls apart!
Customer Review: Best little mp3 player I have ever used!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this player after I had been using a Zen V for several years. It was a great little player, but unfortunatly, my library got too big for it.
I upgraded to the 8gb version of this about 6 months ago. I was highly impressed with it, and still am. The basic things I really noted in it are these:
Pros:
-Colorful, vibrant screen perfect for watching videos on or looking at pictures (has millions of colors vs. the iPod video which has thousands)
-Can play many formats of music; doesn't have the limitations an iPod does
-Sleek, flashy, design; player is about the size of four stacked up credit cards
-Easier to use than an iPod; more options and menu functions
-Has a built in radio; headphones are the antennea
-Sound quality is amazing if used with a decent set of speakers/headphones
-Durable; I have dropped mine many times and gotten it wet, but still it functions perfectly
-Syncs directly with Realplayer/Windows Media Player or you can drag-and-drop files onto it
-Outstanding battery life; I left it on playing music on 'lock' for 9 hours straight and it used only half of the battery.
-Background can be changed and customized to any picture of your choosing
-USB cord is not player-specific and fits many of my other USB electronics, so it's very easy to replace.
-Reset button on bottom of player. Will reset and turn off the player, but will not erase your files.
-Registering your player gives you access to great customer service, who will respond quickly to any problem you encounter
-SD card slot for extra storage. Does not merge with library though, has its own seperate folder, which is not a problem for me.
Cons:
-Scratches easily. I recommend a screen protector.
-Will not play iTunes media; only iPods can sync to iTunes. I would suggest getting a converter/virtual burner such as NoteBurner (http://www.noteburner.com/) to get your iTunes music into a playable format
-This has not happened to me, but I've heard that in the older versions of the firmware, you can get the "white screen of death". However, I do not believe this will be a problem since the newer players have new and improved firmware.
This is well worth your money, it's an amazing price!! I like it a lot better than other mp3 players I have used/owned, including the iPod! I highly recommend it, and I will remain loyal to Creative. Their players are of very high quality, and of very reasonable price!
Customer Review: Greatest Value MP3 Player Ever
Summary: 5 Stars
At US$89.99 (current promotion), the Creative Zen 4GB is the greatest value mp3 player ever. You have 2.5" 320x240 16.7 million color, smooth and bright video playback, great for video, photos (able to zoom in on actual higher resolution) 97dB SNR, great for music (the greatest so far except X-fi enabled products), SDHC, great for expansion/add-on. It has a very small footprint, it can hide behind a credit card! It supports AAC/WMA/WMA lossess/MP3, comes with voice recorder and FM tuner. It's very user-friendly too. Get a 16GB SDHC at US$57.99 (from Newegg.com) and you have a total of 20GB, cheaper than Creative Zen 16GB(US$179.99). If you want better earbuds, consider Creative EP-630 (great bass and noise isolation) or the latest EP-830 (only available in Singapore). If you want better sound enhancement, consider getting Creative Aurvana X-fi Noise-cancelling headphones. If you want a killer MP3 player, wait for the upcoming Zen "Share?" in May 2008. Any cons? Yes, the firmware still has some bugs that may need resetting, so be prepared. The SD card has yet to be fully integrated with the main memory and unable to copy files to SD card. The shiny plastic surface is prone to scratches, so get a skin. One-handed use is possible but a bit awkward for left-handers. Left side of casing has a tiny imperfection due to plastic moulding. Once a while, a JPEG photo cannot be viewed though thumbnail shows it. Only able to drag and drop JPEG photo (not other format like GIF, BMP, PNG), video and MP3/WMA files provided it is the right format and resolution. If you charge using USB and on/off the player halfway and unplug, the player may hang. You can reset using the pin hole, press and hole, then switch the player on again. If it cannot work, continue charging till full and use the recovery tool from Creative's website. Future firmware upgrades should resolve those bugs and SD integration issues. Other features that are missing include built-in speaker, wi-fi/ bluetooth/web-access. You cannot find any equivalent high quality player today.
GAPLESS PLAYBCK:
There is gapless playback (I tried with Slow Dance CD, the songs are all "joined" that you need gapless playback to enjoy) provided the songs are encoded in 192kbps or lower. I tried WMA 192kbps and it works. But 320kbps and WAV (lossles) there is no gapless playback. Windows Media player provides gapless playback till 320kbps from my investigation. If you use WAV (lossless)there is no gapless playback too for Windows Media player.