I am planning to purchase a Zen Vision: M for use with my MCE 2005 pc. I
would like to transfer My Recorded TV, Music, etc... to the ZVM, but I am not
familiar with the process and limitations of this.

Would you give me an idea of the time and effort required to do this?
Can CGMS-a shows like the Sopranos be transferred?
Is the Album Art and ID Tag a problem when syncing?
Best way to organize photos for slideshows with music?
What is the simplest and best way to sync my MCE content to the ZVM? (ie
third party software, settings for best quality video transcoding, id tag and
Album Art compatibility, etc...)

Dell XPS Gen 4
P4 3.6 ghz
2GB RAM
250GB HDD
nVidia GeForce 6800 256mb
Emuzed Angel Dual TV tuner
SoundBlaster Audigy 2 zs

Thanks!

CC

Well, first off, the Vision:M isn't a Portable Media Center because it's not
running Microsoft's software. ;-) But I'll try to answer your other
questions.

I have a Zen Vision:M, and it seems that the MTP protocol on the device is
utterly and completely BROKEN. So what this means is that when you connect
it to Windows Media Player 10, and it's supposed to transcode your content
for you...it doesn't. It will not transcode DVR-MS files. It will not resize
your photos. I've been struggling with getting video content onto the
Vision:M, and it's been painful. The Windows Media Encoder can't transcode
DVR-MS files directly. Most video editing applications can't work with
DVR-MS files. I've discovered a few freeware/commercial apps that can
re-save a DVR-MS file to a straight MPEG, which you can then encoder with
the Windows Media Encoder. All in all, it's been a bit of a frustrating
process. I've seen more success with DivX because at least they have a
somewhat decent encoding tool. Windows Media Encoder is VERY lacking.... :-(

If you mean shows recorded with DRM, no, probably not. I haven't tried
because none of my TV shows have DRM on them.

No. Although I've noticed that tagging the files themselves with the album
art works nicely. If you use the Creative tool to transfer over music, it
sees the album art as photos, and tries to put them in seperately. Embedded
album art is the way to go, even if it doesn't show up in Explorer...

There's a slideshow creation tool that's supposed to come with the Creative
software, but I've been unable to even FIND it. Their instructions for using
it are bizarre to say the least...

I hope I've helped a bit!

Jason Dunn
www.digitalmediathoughts.com
Daily News, Views, Rants & Raves

Jason,

What happened to the Portable Media Centers it seems like Microsoft did not
follow through, and they died on the vine. LG is promising a PMC version 2,
but little or no word from anyone else. Did the initial PMC makers get burned
by Microsoft's Draconian DRM, and their mostly unsupported DVR-MS file
wrapper?

Creative was one of the first PMC makers, but have since discontinued their
PMC. The ZV:M has gotten many excellent reviews, many saying that it is far
more versatile than the Video iPod. I have not seen any reviews that even
bother to compare it to any of the few remaining PMCs.

Is there any third party software that plugs into the MCE 2005 UI that might
do a better, faster, easier job? (TGB has DVR2WMV, but I have heard that
their are some quality and reliability issues. Is there a XviD/DivX
transcoder for the MCE 2005 UI?)

What is the video quality and playback like on a TV?

Do you have the latest firmware for your ZV:M?

I have read that the Creative software is not very good, but some seem to
have no problem with using WMP 10. I have a TechSupport request into
Creative, but it has been 72 hours since their auto response stating it would
only be 1 or 2 working days.

Keep me updated on your progress!

CC


"Jason Dunn - MVP" wrote:

Actually, PMC v2 is shaping up to be really strong:

http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/...on=expand,9450

http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/module...rder=0&thold=0

http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/module...rder=0&thold=0

http://www.bostonpocketpc.com/module...rder=0&thold=0

It did seem to die on the vine though, you're right. Hopefully v2 will get
more action!

That's largely because the new PMCs aren't out yet - they were JUST
announced at CES two weeks ago, so it will take a few months for them to
show up.

I was talking to these folks:
http://www.mytvtogo.com/site/index.html

They're working on a new version of their software that will allow for many
more encoding options, and they also informed me that they're working on a
version (2-3 months down the road) that will allow for seamless encoding and
transferrence to the Zen Vision:M. Hopefully Creative will fix the broken
MTP problem before then though.

I haven't connected it, but I imagine it will be crap - 320x240 over
composite is about as bad as you can get. I have an HDVT, so digital
upscaling makes matters even worse. It might look passable on an analog TV.
You really need 640 x 480 to have a decent TV experience (IMO).

Yes, I updated it last week from the Creative Asia site. Is there a newer
one?

Believe it or not, the Creative software has gotten much better, but it's
still not powerful enough.

Jason Dunn
www.digitalmediathoughts.com
Daily News, Views, Rants & Raves

Jason,

According to this it can output 640x480.

http://www.asia.cnet.com/reviews/por...3,00.htm#video
Performance
Since the Zen Vision:M can play both 320 x 240-pixel and 640 x 480-pixel
resolution videos, it is capable of outputting to a large external display
such as projectors and LCD TVs without any glitches. The Vision:M also lived
up to its video format support claims in our lab tests.

I think I also read it can output up to 720x576 DivX, Xvid files to TV.

Has this not been your experience?

Here is some potential software for the ZVM. It says it supports MCE, but
does not say how.
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/... 4&newsLang=en

Well, I'm wondering if I should wait for a PMC2, or go with the ZVM now. Has
it been working any better for you?

CC

"Jason Dunn - MVP" wrote:

I'm very impressed with other Video Vault software. In fact I'm using
it exclusively to transfer recorded tv from MCE to my video Ipod. it
transcodes at lightening speeds. far faster than any of the MS
software built into MCE.

On Thu, 19 Jan 2006 23:22:02 -0800, CaveCanem
<CaveCanem@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:


Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
Expert Zone Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

Barb,

The Zen Vision: M is a belated Christmas present to my brother who produces
shows for Biography, Storm Stories, National Geographic, etc... He will be
primarily using it as a MP3 player, but I thought it would be nice if he
could also carry his productions with him. Family and friends are always
asking to see his work, and you never know when a career opportunity may
arise. I waited for the ZV:M because of its form factor, video versatility,
and tv output. But now I am reading about the PMC2s that are coming out in
the smaller, more convenient, form factors.

The first PMCs died on the vine due to poor follow-through by Microsoft (ie
unplayable protected content like the Sopranos; lack or versatility; and
other constraints). It seems like Creative, iRiver, and Samsung got burned,
and are waiting on the sidelines to see how the PMC2 plays out.

My questions are:

Should I wait for the PMC2, or is it just another train wreck looking for a
place to happen?

Is Vista's DRM going to be more flexible, and user friendly?
Will you have the option in Vista MCE to record tv in a MPEG 4 format so the
lengthy process of transcoding will no longer be needed when syncing to your
space-challenged PMC2

Or Should I Go with the Zen Vision: M?

How long does it typically take Video Vault to transcode a one hour show?
Is the Video Vault quality good on TV, or does the Video iPod not have a TV
output?
Is CGMS-a content, like the Sopranos, playable?
Does it work with MCE's UI?

Thanks!

CC




"Barb Bowman MVP-Windows" wrote:

Interesting - I was prepping all my content for 320 x 240, that being the
screen size, but I've just transferred over a 640 x 480 video without
problem, so it seems that I was wrong. Cool!

I've just contacted them and will be checking out their software. I'll write
about it on www.digitalmediathoughts.com

I connected the Vision:M to my freshly-installed MCE 2005 PC - which has
almost nothing on it, not even office, and only one MPEG2 decoder - and
guess what? It transcoded the video correctly! Very bizarre. It did NOT
resize the images correctly, however, so I'm convinced there's something
wrong with their MTP implementation. But overall, I'm much happier with it
now that I can get my DVR-MS TV shows onto the device. :-)

Jason Dunn
www.digitalmediathoughts.com
Daily News, Views, Rants & Raves

http://www.divmm.com/ has free trials of most of their video vault
software. go take a look. i've commented some on the Ipod version (and
the blazing conversion speed) in my blog. believe you should be able
to try the VV for Creative Zen M before purchasing. I didn't get
enough hands on the PMC2's at CES to say anything conclusive. the
Vista questions - well - it isn't feature complete yet, but very
unlikely on mpeg4. the whole DRM issue - we don't know what the final
DRM will be like.

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006 14:11:01 -0800, CaveCanem
<CaveCanem@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:


Barb Bowman
MS Windows-MVP
Expert Zone Columnist
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/e...ts/bowman.mspx
http://blogs.digitalmediaphile.com/barb/

Jason,

Have you output that 640x480 video to TV, and how does it look?
Is the Playback stutter-free?
Is the quality good-enough to be useful to someone in video production?

CC


"Jason Dunn - MVP" wrote:

Although I don't like it either, DRM isn't "Microsoft" blocking access to
programming such as the Sopranos, but it is the signal saying it is encoded
and not to be copied to another source. The battle isn't with Microsoft,
unless you want them to illegally decode broadcast material, but with the
source of the broadcast protecting their rights with encryption.
--
Chris H.
Microsoft Windows MVP/Tablet PC
Tablet Creations - http://nicecreations.us/
Associate Expert
Expert Zone - www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone


"CaveCanem" <CaveCanem@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:4AFAA188-285C-45BF-B228-718D5AB3F0D6@microsoft.com...

I was all set to try for you, then I realized that Creative doesn't include
the video-out cable in the box. :-(

http://www.creative.com/products/pro...roduct=1 4484

Cheap buggers. :-(

Well I have RTead All your Posts. And As i am the owner of Zen Vision I can
Say there is no problem going Ahead. It's One of the most accomplished Port.
Media. Player. Thta's Right Zen comes Under the Category of PMP's. Well As
far as i see i have no problem recording the TV-Shows. Well You Can record
show on ur MC in any Format . And Creative has provided some great converter
which converts the video . Well Actually it Converts in .WMV format and i
have encoded my videos by selecting Best quality (that is Max. File Size.)
but on optimum i also got a great quality. Touch and Feel of the player is
great . Videos displayed are of great quality( depends on the way you encoded
it) On the TV. well there was one problem that is of ablum art. But that's
sorted out with Latest Firmware . ID Tags is still a problem Because if you
don't have proper id tags with at least well defined title you will be in
shown the song name in the player as <UNKNOWN>. But songs would Transfer.
Creative has bundled a gerat software for transfer and sync. Just Check Out
The Demo at local Retailer. I am Sure Your doubts will be answered
--
Shining Whizard
(Satyajit Tambe)


"CaveCanem" wrote:

There isn't a DivX transcoder for the MCE UI, but there is Crunchie, which
transcodes in a DOS window (once you set it up, it just runs). It's
available in the download section at www.MediaCenterStuff.com along with
DVRMSToolbox, which can extract the MPEG file from within a DVR-MS.

Dana Cline - MCE MVP

"CaveCanem" <CaveCanem@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:1CF3FDA8-33CA-416D-98EB-5A682BE9257B@microsoft.com...

"DRM" and "user friendly" are mutually incompatible terms, and probably
always will be. DRMs main purpose is to limit what the user can do, so it
couldn't ever be called "friendly".

Dana Cline - MCE MVP