Creative Debuts Widescreen Zen Player

[Slimy]

If there's any love lost between Creative Labs and Microsoft over the latter company going ahead with its own MP3 player brand to compete with its own one-time partner, judging from today's announcement, it's hard to find out where it went. Creative picked this day -- right in front of an anticipated Microsoft announcement on its Zune device -- to roll out a widescreen version of its Zen player in North America.

Called the Zen Vision:W, some of its competitive advantages are a little more obvious than even Zune's. On first glance, it looks like a UMPC, though maybe a little stretched out, with a 4.3" TFT display using the "widescreen" 16:9 ratio. Launched in Korea two weeks ago, North America will get a 30 GB edition priced at $299.99 USD, and a 60 GB edition priced at $399.99 USD.

Creative is saying the 60 GB model can hold up to 240 hours of video, assuming that's all you store on it. The small print reveals this video would be encoded using MPEG-4 Simple Profile (SP) at 500 Kbps throughput. That's far from what you'd want to see on a big-screen TV, but for a presumably lower-resolution display, it's actually quite adequate.

The W does include AV outputs to a 480-line display (standard NTSC TV resolution), so how well its videos translate to a 20th century display, if not yet a 21st, remains to be seen.

Since Apple launched its video-capable iPod last year, multimedia analysts have been saying if any new portable media device has a chance to upset the iPod, it would have to give the consumer freedom and a download service on a par with iTunes. Surprisingly, Creative may be taking the best shot at this one-two punch we've seen from outside Apple thus far.

Like other Zen devices before it, the Vision:W will support multiple codecs: in this case, MPEG-1, -2, and -4 SP, along with DivX 4 and 5, XviD, and on top of that, TiVoToGo for transfer and display of files downloaded via TiVo. The Zen isn't locked into a single DRM scheme, enabling it to display a variety of videos that aren't just Hollywood films and repurposed reruns.

As for the #2 punch, Creative made sure the new Zen is fully compatible with Amazon's Unbox video download service. Already, Unbox is making available content from Paramount, 20th Century-Fox, Universal, and Warner Bros., while iTunes today is limited to offerings from its Pixar-pal Disney, and Sony remains locked tight with its PlayStation Portable.

Although the PSP is certainly popular, its own PSP-centric derivative of MPEG-4 encoding is not exactly portable in its own right. If Creative can succeed in making media portability a must-have feature, it could use that to its advantage against both Apple and Sony.

Of course, like the iPod, the Zen Vision:W will house multiple JPEG images and, lest we forget, MP3 songs. Transfer between the W and the PC -- or possibly some cameras as well -- can take place via a USB 2.0 cable, or indirectly by way of its built-in Compact Flash memory reader. An optional adapter makes the CF reader compatible with SD, SmartMedia, and MultiMedia Card.

All this makes the W connective, but admittedly, what it lacks is the built-in networking features that will distinguish Microsoft's Zune, including the feature where one user can "DJ" songs to a handful of other Zunes in its immediate vicinity. But that kind of connectivity hasn't yet popped up on consumers' wish lists just yet - at least, not above, "Make the screen bigger," and, "Let me see what I want to see."

Add to all this the fact that Creative has buried the hatchet with Apple, letting it concentrate on product development rather than on legal proceedings. And with Apple having missed an opportunity, some say, to widen its own iPod screens to something closer to what we've seen in that company's patent applications, Creative could have its best shot in years to actually become the iPod contender - in some respects, even a better shot than does Microsoft.

Source

[Slimy]

FEATURES

Experience 16:9 widescreen entertainment on the move. Enjoy your favorite blockbuster movies in superior spectrum of sight and sound. The ZEN Vision W is in a league of its own with powerful multimedia features to support popular formats of movies, music, photos and includes FM radio.

Available in both sleek 30GB and heavy-duty 60GB models, you will never run out of space for the moments you cherish. That's tens of thousands of photos, up to 240 hours of movies1, or even 15,000 songs2 all stored in your pocket. Tune in to the radio, or make personal voice memos. Take a closer look at the ZEN Vision W, and see how it lets you live your life your way.

4.3" WQVGA wide aspect high-resolution TFT LCD screen

View 480 x 272 resolution in a wide aspect screen at up to 262,144 colors in your videos. You'll see crisp, clear details in every movie or photo, even under bright lighting.

Up to 240 hours of movies

Big screen blockbusters, yesterday's picnic, or even your favorite TV shows8. They can all fit in your pocket and are perfect for sharing. ZEN Vision W supports many video formats, such as AVI, DivX? 4 & 53, XviD4, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG4-SP, WMV9 and Motion-JPEG, which simply means more choices and fewer restrictions.

Tens of thousands of photos

View precious memories - tens of thousands of them - in 262,144 vivid colors in actual resolutions. Complete with a thumbnail gallery, ZEN Vision W makes it easy to scroll through your entire photo collection. Zoom in to close up preview of your new images in actual pixel resolution and decide if you really want them in your library.

An amazing 15,000 songs

Perfect for taking with you on the road or anywhere. Set the tone as you like it with the 5-band custom EQ or 8 preset EQ settings. At up to 96dB signal-to-noise ratio, your music will sound as good as it looks.

TV-out for movies and photo slideshow

Connect the ZEN Vision W to a projector or TV with the bundled AV cable, and delight everyone with big screen movie magic delivered in true resolution.

Integrated Plug&View? Compact Flash I & II Slot7

Transferring pictures from your camera to ZEN Vision W has never been easier. Simply slot in your camera's Compact Flash (CF) memory card and lets ZEN Vision W do the rest. The optional Compact Flash card adapter supports all your favorite memory card formats such as SD, MMC, Memory Stick and more.

Share your sight and sound

Watching movie with your best mates on a picnic trip is now easier with the high gloss and scratch resistant wide color screen. Built in with a quality audio fidelity speaker, ZEN Vision W is the perfect pocket cinema.

Long lasting battery

Get more video and audio playback time with the included removable and rechargeable battery. Enjoy up to 13 hours of music5, or 4.5 hours of movies6.

FM radio

If 15,000 songs aren't enough, listen to more music with the integrated FM radio. 32 station presets let you switch stations with ease.

Personal organizer

Store and view all the information that's important to you - daily tasks, contact lists and even a calendar - that you sync with Microsoft Outlook, or edit with Creative Media Explorer.

Voice recorder

Meetings, lectures, even voice memos to yourself - record them all with the integrated voice recorder, which stores hundreds of hours worth of recordings.

Full access to online music stores

Select more than a million songs from a myriad of online music stores - Napster To Go, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, Rhapsody To Go, and so many more. With PlaysForSure support, you will always be able to play any digital music you purchase.

Get ZENcast

Enjoy the ultimate collection of free video and audio podcast channels on www.zencast.com. Manage all your favorite subscriptions with ZENcast Organizer and experience the best of the free-to-share formats available.

Fits your life perfectly

Select from an extensive line of accessories that make the perfect companion for ZEN Vision W - CF Adapter, case, screen protector, car charger and IR Remote.

SPECIFICATIONS

Capacity: 30GB / 60GB

Dimensions: 30GB - 134mm x 75mm x 22mm

60GB - 134mm x 75mm x 26.4mm

Weight: 30GB - 276g (with battery)

60GB - 297.1g (with battery)

Battery Life: Audio playback > 13hrs

Video playback > 4.5hrs

Video Playback Formats: WMV9, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4-SP, MJPEG, DivX 4.x/ 5.x, XviD-SP

Audio Playback Formats: MP3, WMA, WAV

Photo Formats Supported: JPEG

Battery: Removable and rechargable Li-Ion battery

Signal-to-Noise Ratio: Up to 96dB

Harmonic Distortion Output: <0.1%

Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz

Audio Output: 3.5mm stereo mini-jack, built-in speaker

Video Output: Composite TV-Out; supports NTSC and PAL systems

Interface: USB 2.0

Card Slot: Compact Flash Card Type I & II

PIM: Syncs with Microsoft Outlook ? Contacts, Calendar & Tasks

PACKAGE CONTENTS

• Creative ZEN Vision W
  
• Earphones
  
• Power Adapter
  
• USB Cable
  
• A/V Cable
  
• Pouch
  
• Installation CD
  
• Quick Start Guide
  

Source

[RadishTM Veteran]

Cool to see it supports XviD (Y)

Radish?

[Sartoris]

It looks like a digital camera. Nice though.

[fu5i0n]

WOW that looks nice. ITS funny how both Creative and Microsoft reveal them on the same day. This looks much better than the ZUNE

[Toology]

This looks much better than the ZUNE

Don't even compare the two devices. They are of a totally different class. The Zune is primarily a digital audio player, the Zen Vision W is a portable media player that focuses on video.

[Randolph]

Photo Formats Supported: JPEG

Only JPG? :no: (N)

[I am Reid]

I thought everone said that widescreen format was stupid, and that it was dumb that you are going to hold the player sideways to see the videos. Oh wait nevermind that was because it was made by microsoft, so that makes it a horrible idea, but this is a differnt company so those dont apply here.

[L3thal Veteran]

Wow, I may actually pick this up since it supports XviD.

[dagamer34]

iPod killer!

I had to say it. :whistle:

In any case, there are now just some people that refuse to buy anything that isn't an iPod, which includes me. So I ask myself why? Why won't I buy it. And I actually have a decent answer. Hardware is not as important as the software that runs it. That's why iPod sell like crazy because the iPod+iTunes combo is near impossible to beat, regardless of what the player can do. That's why OSX+MacBook is also overprced (and it is) but still viable to the point where people still want one (me too). That's why just about every "PlayForSure" device is almost worthless, because the WMP software used to sync songs is in annoying and mostly crappy.

Of course, if Apple had announced something like this on Tuesday, people would be throwing away their current iPods and getting somethign like this instead.

The truth hurts. :(

[emzino]

Can I plug this into any PC and it will pick it up?

E.g. I go into Uni, connect up the USB, it will pick it up and I just drap & drop music/work onto it.

[Matt B]

not sure about music/video of putting it on to play, but im almost positive it could be used as a 'usb' type drive as well

[blackice912 Veteran]

I'm totally iPod biased and won't get any PMP except an iPod, but I like this. Enough to get one. Someday.

[Herby]

I love that panda! :D

? ?

[SamNeeds]

It looks great...and the panda! haha

[Herby]

It's the panda from the Zen Vision M Commercial :) :

CreativePanda60sec_full_LoRes_web.wmv (2,64 MB)

CreativePanda60sec_full_HiRes_web.wmv (6,19 MB)