Creative made a big splash with its original Zen Vision portable video and audio player, and it has upped the ante with the widescreen Zen Vision:W. With a stunning wide-format 4-3/10-inch color LCD screen and a host of useful features, calling the Vision:W an MP3 player is almost an insult.

We tested the 30GB version ($299.99; a 60GB model is available for $399.99), and we immediately noticed the heft and firm feel of the player. The Vision:W is significantly heavier than other portable players, but it feels solid and its metal shell provides much more protection than the plastic construction of many competitors.

Obviously, the main selling point of the Vision:W is its wide-format screen. With a resolution of 480X272 pixels and the ability to display over 262,000 colors (compared to the iPod's 65,000), movies, video clips and pictures are rendered beautifully. The Vision:W is compatible with DivX, AVI, Motion-JPEG, WMV9, XviD and multiple MPEG formats, and others can be converted with the included software.

The Vision:W can download video content from a variety of sources, including Creative's ZenCast service, Amazon Unbox, MSN Movies, TivoToGo (some format conversion is required) and others, but not iTunes. There is a CompactFlash memory card slot for displaying and transferring images directly from a digital camera. The player even has a television output to show stored videos and pictures on a big screen.

On the music side, the Vision:W can handle MP3, WMA, WAV and Audible audio books, and it is compatible with most online music providers. Your album cover art has never looked better than when viewed on the Vision:W. Music playback sounds good but not great, but the player has eight equalizer presets and a five-band equalizer to fine-tune the sound to your liking. For more listening options, the Vision:W has a built-in FM tuner, as well as a voice recorder to capture lectures and other content.

Who needs a pocket organizer anymore when the Vision:W MP3 player will sync with your Microsoft Outlook for contacts, to-do lists and a calendar. In typical Creative fashion, the controls and user interface are simple and intuitive. On the negative side, the handy removable rechargeable battery is rated at only 13 hours for music playback and 4.5 hours for video. The Vision:W lacks any line-in video recording capabilities, so all video content must come from your computer.

Overall, the Vision:W is a wonderful portable video player, but if you are more interested in music playback, consider a different, less hefty unit. However, if portable video is what you have in mind, the Creative Zen Vision:M is about as good as it gets.

Pros: Beautiful widescreen display, easy to use, solid construction, broad format compatibility
Cons: Significantly heavier than competing audio/video players, no line-in recording, unimpressive battery life

Warranty
90 days labor, 1 year parts