Is there anyone who has one? Is there anything better?

 

Who has a PMP?

Although I dont like many apple products, their ipod is a definite must if you are looking for a pmp, i own a 2gb nano (only for music and pictures), the battery life is excellent, and using itunes to load your songs is super easy, cant say the same for windows media player based PMP's, i owned a sandisk mp3 player and it was a bit of a chore to create and upload playlists through windows media, so IMO, go for an ipod.

I will be using it to watch Movies in wide screen, and tv shows that I have on dvd. It originally caught my eye because of its wide screen.

 

Both the iPod and Zune have their issues, file types on both are one of these issues.

 

Does anyone have experience with loading files or converting files for these two devices?

I have a Zune and I love it! Its awesome for movies and the battery lasts longer. Its not good for working out/running but thats why I have a cheap MP3 player for running.

I bought a Zune at Christmas time last year, and it is nice player. The large screen, and the ability to use "Playlist" was a major attraction. I would suggest going and listening to them, and physically hold them to see what you like.

I bought a Zune at Christmas time last year, and it is nice player. The large screen, and the ability to use "Playlist" was a major attraction. I would suggest going and listening to them, and physically hold them to see what you like.

Well I bought the wife a 30GB Video iPod a while back, and I've seen how video plays back on it, I wasn't impressed.

 

I do like the size of the iPod though. I have been reading some stuff about the new Zune that is coming out, and maybe it will be better, or maybe the older still in stock Zunes will get cheaper.

Cowon A2 or Creative Vision W

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/cowon-a2-30gb/4505-6499_7-31563859.html?tag=prod.txt.1

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/creative-zen-vision-w/4505-6499_7-32058044.html

 

Both score an 8.0, so pick one

 

Just say no to Apple and Microsoft portable media players, they're gimped and don't have nearly as many features.

 

http://seekingalpha.com/wp-content/seekingalpha/images/just_say_no.jpg

 

The Cowon can record video sources so thats neat if you'd use that feature but the Vision W has a bigger screen.

Also, the Zune will let you send files to another Zune via it's wireless feature.

I have a Zune and I love it. The larger screen and the built in FM radio have been a God send. I have owned a 5th gen Ipod video, the current Zune competition and I definitely like the Zune better. That said, I also have a nano for working out since HDD + constant jarring = bad. The wifi is kind of useless unless you get a hack for it, its way too limited without one.

iPods all the way

I would get a Zune over an Ipod.

 

I hate iTunes. It always has a program or 2 running in the background. It is as bad as spyware. Plus if you delete a song from your computer and plug in your ipod, it will delete the song from the ipod. Lame.

 

Of course both are going to have issues, but just don't get an ipod whatever you do.

I've never been a fan of apple products so I would have to say zune. It looks really nice for Microsoft's first real product in the industry. Not a fan if tunes either.

I say yes. I got one as a Christmas gift last year and love it. It's great for music, but I love to share photos and videos with people. You can get all sorts of videos on them as well using free video encoders. I've got various YouTube videos on my Zune and share them with my friends. Plus the Zune Player is really nice. It's very sleek and works better than iTunes (I used to use iTunes and hated it).

Go with the Zune. I had an IPOD and got screwed by them after just 7 months. The battery died and I brought it to the Apple store. They told me that it had a small pink dot, and that I had gotten it wet. No replacement no nothing. I didn't get it wet either. I had it in a protective cover for that reason. The batteries aren't worth a crap on the IPOD's either. You only get so many uses and then you have to buy a new battery. If you do get an IPOD, make sure you get the warranty on the battery, so you don't have to buy one at full cost. Stay away from IPOD.

I have a zune, just bought the newly released red version a couple of months ago; I absolutely love it. I have owned many different mp3 players from different manufacturers and the Zune is my sweet spot for what I'm looking for in a hard drive-based player (I use a flash-based Sansa also); however, it really just depends on how a person is going to use the device and the music. I do not use iTunes or purchase music from iTunes, so the zune being incompatible with these songs is not an issue for me. I subscribe to emusic (have done so for years) and am not interested in the other online offerings. The Zune works for me because I only need it to play DRM-free mp3s.

i'm now on my second ipod, and i haven't had a single issue with the battery (the first one's died i admit... but it only took a few days to replace and even then it was a couple years old, then when it finally died it was around 3 years old... not to mention my music collection was bigger then its HD). My new ipod has very good video play back so i have no clue what your talking about by not being impressed by the video play back... maybe the videos you're wife downloaded or what ever are low quality. no matter what you buy a low quality video won't look good. i watched gladiator on the way to montreal, and it was amazing.

 

itunes isn't nearly as bad as windows media player, and you can end those extra processes that itunes has... so i don't really see why your complaining either. the ipod is a good product, no it's not the best, and yes its overpriced, but i trust the product because i've used it before and i've been nothing but pleased with it. it's not a terrible mp3, and its not a complete waste of cash. i wish people would take an objective view on something made by microsoft or apple for once. might actually push them to make better products.

looks cool i'd get it

I pretty much thought my options were an iPod and a Zune, I was wrong. These two being the most know about and most easily accessible made them the two choices. Thank you Phunky your post was most informative, I have been researching other options thanks to you. I thought since the iPod and Zune were both about $250 that they were the cheapest ones, I knew about the Archos but didn't know there were so many options out there in the $250 to $300 range. This thread has been most enlightening thanks to all of you for your input.

 

I like the Cowan for its video run time, but I think I'm gonna go with the Creative. It has the same amount of play back formats, two less hours of vid, but it does have a detachable battery so that makes up for it. A wide screen is a must, so no iPod, unless they make a new one, and soon. I like the Zune and iPod for their size, but the file formats just aren't there. I know they have Zunes at BestBuy so I'll go check em out and see how they feel, hopefully they'll have the Creative too. They had it at the website, fingers crossed.

 

Thanks again guys.

I have a Zune. The second one I have bought actually due to the first one being stolen! I love the clear high quality screen and I have a program that convert DVDs and stuff to the Zune format so it works out well for watching movies and my shows. Also the FM tuner is great! I would not recomend it for running though it is too bulky for that and the HDD shuts off if it is jarred too much as a safetly precaution! Good luck! either way with the Zune or the Ipod you have to buy music to play it indefinately with zune you can pay 15 bucks a month and have unlimited downloads but if you ever stop paying the 15 bucks a month then goodbye to all the songs you used to be able to play!!! LOL and god forbid that you dont have internet every 30 days to renew your rights!

I pretty much thought my options were an iPod and a Zune, I was wrong. These two being the most know about and most easily accessible made them the two choices. Thank you Phunky your post was most informative, I have been researching other options thanks to you. I thought since the iPod and Zune were both about $250 that they were the cheapest ones, I knew about the Archos but didn't know there were so many options out there in the $250 to $300 range. This thread has been most enlightening thanks to all of you for your input.

 

I like the Cowan for its video run time, but I think I'm gonna go with the Creative. It has the same amount of play back formats, two less hours of vid, but it does have a detachable battery so that makes up for it. A wide screen is a must, so no iPod, unless they make a new one, and soon. I like the Zune and iPod for their size, but the file formats just aren't there. I know they have Zunes at BestBuy so I'll go check em out and see how they feel, hopefully they'll have the Creative too. They had it at the website, fingers crossed.

 

Thanks again guys.

Creative Zen Vision W all the way dude!!! I have the 60Gb Widescreen bad boy. You can not get more versatile. Neither the Ipod nor the Zune offer true 16:9 widescreen like the Zen W. I have about 7 full length movies (awesome quality btw) loaded and about 30 gigs of music with over 15 gigs left to spare. I has a built-in speaker which the other two don't have so you don't always have to have headphones. My model was the first Zen to offer Album art that syncs perfectly with WMP. The only drawback is the size. If you plan on jogging with your PMP, this is not for you. I don't mind the size (of my PMP and myself hehe). Bottom line is: if your an Apple/Itune® go with the Ipod. If you are a Windows reluctant, the W is the way to go. If you need a good app for ripping...try Fair Use Wizard LE. It rips DVDs into awesome widescreen quality and keeps files under 700Mb.

 

Happy shopping!!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

80g Ipod <<----- love it, no issues, have had for a year now, been dropped many times from 5-6 feet, completely submrged in water, and used 8 or 9 hours a day.

The Zune comes in brown. What more could you want?

I have an iPod and I like it. Just a 2 gig Nano just for music to take to work and the battery lasts a long time for me. Don't know about video.

Not a huge MP3 player fan, but from what I hear the ZEN is the Best value.

iPods all the way

Do the opposite. It's a trap!

I'm going to BestBuy in the morning to see if they have the Creative one, if they do I'll be out about $360 in about 16 hours from me writing this!