Creative Zen Vision 30GB vs. Consus PMC-300 20GB
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Comparisons
| Specifications | Creative Zen Vision 30GB | Consus PMC-300 20GB | Archos AV420 20GB | iRiver PMP-120 20GB |
| Picture |  |
 |
 |
 |
| Dimensions (inches) (mm) |
4.9 x 2.9 x 0.79 124 x 74 x 20 |
5.1 x 3.1 x 0.86 130 x 78 x 22.5 |
4.9 x 3.1 x 0.8 125 x 78 x 20 |
5.5 x 3.3 x 1.2 139 x 84 x 31.7 |
| Weight | 239g/8.4oz | 253g/8.9oz | 280g/9.9oz | 280g/9.9oz |
| Capacity | 30GB | 20GB | 20GB | 20GB |
| Battery Life (Music) (Video) |
13hrs 4.5hrs |
8.5hrs 5hrs |
16hrs 4.5hrs |
10hrs 5hrs |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion |
| removable? | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz | 20Hz - 20kHz | No info | 20Hz - 20kHz |
| Signal/Noise Ratio | up to 97dB | 90dB | No info | 90dB |
| FM Tuner | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Recording | FM/Voice | Voice | Line-in/Voice | Voice |
| Realtime Encoding | No | No | Video (MPEG-4 SP) | Audio |
| Built-in Speaker | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | USB2.0, CompactFlash, CompactFlash adapter | USB2.0, USB On-The-Go | USB2.0, CompactFlash, CompactFlash adapter | USB2.0, USB On-The-Go |
| Remote Control | Optional | Yes | Yes | No |
| LCD | 3.7" 640 x 480 262,144 colours Transflective |
3.5" 320 x 240 16 million colours |
3.5" 320 x 240 262,000 colours |
3.5" 320 x 240 260,000 colours Transflective |
| Specifications | Creative Zen Vision 30GB | Consus PMC-300 20GB | Archos AV420 20GB | iRiver PMP-120 20GB |
| OS Support | Windows XP | Mac OS, Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP, Linux | Mac OS 9/X, Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP | Mac OS 9/X, Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP |
| Formats | Video: AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 (SP), WMV 9, Motion-JPEG, DivX 4/5, XviD (SP/ASP without GMC) Audio: MP3, WMA (including DRM), WAV Picture: JPEG |
Video: MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (including DVD .VOB), MPEG-4 (ASP without QPEL) Audio: MP3, WMA, AC3 (in Video mode), WAV (in Video mode) Picture: JPEG E-Book: TXT Subtitles: SRT Lyrics: LRC |
Video: MPEG-4 (SP), DivX 4/5, XviD Audio: MP3, WMA (including DRM), WAV Picture: JPEG, BMP |
Video: AVI, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-4 (SP), XviD Audio: MP3, WMA Picture: JPEG, BMP Subtitles: SMI |
| Upgradeable firmware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio effects | 8 EQ presets 1 5-band Custom EQ Smart Volume Bass boost |
Left-right audio balance | No info | 5 EQ presets, 1 custom EQ |
| Can use as external HDD? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price (USD) | $400 | ~$350 (S$599) | $359 | $450 |
Summary
| Device | Creative Zen Vision | Consus PMC-300 |
| What's good | - High resolution screen gives full potential when watching high quality videos - Variety of video stretching options - Video can be automatically resumed from last played position - Highly graphical interface - Intuitive and easy to use - Looks good, and feels sturdy - Small (especially when compared to other players) - Sounds good - FM tuner & recording - Voice recording - Built-in speaker - CompactFlash slot with CompactFlash adapter support (much more convenient than USB OTG) - Removable battery |
- Quite a wide viewing angle - Very smooth video playback - Not affected by reflection as much as the Zen Vision - Supports AC3 in videos, including 6-channel (Surround) AC3 - Can seek to specific time in video - Sounds pretty good despite lack of audio effects - Mass storage class device (does not need drivers to be installed) - Fast transfer speeds - 13 seconds to start up - Video output is of very good quality - Thoughtful bundling of accessories (cleaning cloth, remote control) |
| What's bad | - Very limited viewing angle, and player has to be tilted left for optimum angle - Video convertor is slow - Occasional jerkiness when playing high resolution videos - Takes approximately 30 seconds to start up - Not very long battery life for video playback - Video output is a little fuzzy compared to PMC-300 - Player can only resume playback for the last played video - No additional video information available - Windows XP only |
- Overly sensitive touch buttons - Jagged edges and lack of detail due to lower resolution LCD screen - No battery charging status - Inaccurate battery indicator - Unpolished menus - Lousy user manual - Requires user to manually set player to index music - Slow indexing of music - Cannot index music in folders - Cannot index WMA files - Occasional hangs when browsing music - Audible clicking of hard disk - Slight vibration of hard disk can be felt - No auto-resume (must manually bookmark video) |
Conclusion
Creative has certainly put a lot of work into the design, both hardware and software, of the Zen Vision. The Zen Vision is an exceptionally well-crafted player. The magnesium alloy case gives it a sturdy feel. The high resolution screen makes it a pleasure using the Zen Vision. The intuitive and graphical interface means the Zen Vision does what it's supposed to do, and is so easy to use. Little things like translucent menus add to the overall experience. With a 640 x 480 screen, you can now enjoy DVD-quality video with hardly any loss in detail. Photo viewing also makes more sense on the Zen Vision. Using a CompactFlash slot with support for an adapter makes it more convenient since not all cameras support USB On-The-Go. Also, using USB OTG means bringing along extra cables, something a traveller would not want to do. Creative crammed so many features into one small package - small enough to put in the pocket.
The Consus PMC-300 is Gajah International's first attempt at a Portable Media Player. The PMC-300 suffers from a very unpolished graphical interface. Add the fact that the touch sensitive buttons are too sensitive, and it becomes a chore to use the PMC-300. The PMC-300 is also too thick to put in the pocket comfortably. The screen's lower resolution means there is a loss of detail when watching DVD-quality videos. Numerous problems plague the music playback function of the PMC-300 as well. The PMC-300's saving grace is that it is actually more comfortable to watch videos on it because of its wider viewing angle and smoother motion. It also supports the Dolby AC3 format, which means it can playback most downloaded XviD videos, which is more convenient because (assuming you own the DVD), a downloaded video would have a better video quality than if you used a third-party software to convert your DVD to DivX or XviD format yourself. Of course, the other factor is that the PMC-300 is much cheaper than the Zen Vision. The PMC-300 retails for S$599, while the Zen Vision retails for S$799, which gives a S$200 price difference.
To sum up, the Consus PMC-300 is a decent newcomer to the Portable Media Player market. For its price, the PMC-300 offers somewhat of a compromise between price and usability. The Zen Vision, on the other hand, is one of Creative's best products to be released. It is almost everything you need in a Portable Media Player, and for a somewhat decent price tag too. In deciding the score to give the Zen Vision, I was torn between giving it a 9 or a perfect 10. It was a difficult decision, but I finally decided to go with the conservative figure and give it 9 out of 10.
Creative Zen Vision 30GB: 9 out of 10
Consus PMC-300 20GB: 6 out of 10
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