Zen Vision M (and other vid players) - Encoding/Converting

[Revo75]

Well I got the Creative Zen Vision :M 30GB Video/MP3 player and couldn't be more happier. Although I don't have to put up with alot of the BS my cousins do with there video ipod, us Zen Vision M users are a bit limited in our tools. Because of the ipod's large user base they have places like podtropolis where people can just get their vids without the need to convert, not only that they have a large array of specific tools to even further ease their pain. like videora.

Now I have WinAVi Video Converter, and the latest K-Lite Mega Codec Pack installed. I really don't want to use creative's encoder, it doesn't have any tunable options or tweaks really just 3 settings. It would be far more effective and faster to just convert them using WinAvi, TmpEnc, or the like. When testing out WinAvi between Divx/Xvid/WMV9 I found that with the right settings not only does it look better or just as good its also sometimes upto 30% or so smaller.

After a doing 2-3 days of research and testing, I've hit a stonewall, no matter how many different ways I encode the file wether it be mpep4/mpeg1/2/xvid/dvix5/dvix3/wmv9(and variants). None will play in my zen vision, sadly the closest ive gotten to find some good info on compadibility is http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=14331&nav=1
which doesn't help much at all when choosing encoders and the like for it.

So I say use Zen Vision :M users come together and share as much info as we possibly can about our expierences with different encoders and which ones work, which ones are faster and all of that. Thanks for taking the time to read, lets hope we can crack open this baby soon.

[celtic_druid]

I would have said the opposite. As I understand it the Zen and others support the now quassi standard mp3/XviD/DivX avi's. Everone has been encoding/creating such files for years so there are hundreds of tools/encoders.

The ipod on the other hand supports mp4. Which although part of the official MPEG-4 specs that have been out for somet time now, has been slow to be accepted. It is only recently that usable tools have started to become common. GUI's for ffmpeg, mp4box, etc.

I'd suggest encoding with DivX/XviD and one of the handheld profiles. Should produce something compatible.

[Revo75]

That's the thing, Ive tried many different encoders, codecs, prfiles, and modes to no avail. it just simply doesnt play back on the player. Could it be fault to WinAvi. The closest I got with it, is it starts playing for when second and then freezes at 4secs. What could it be?

[celtic_druid]

I wouldn't let winavi or any codec packs near my PC.

Looks like it supports ASP except for GMC. So you don't have anything that specifies what framerates, resolution, etc. are supported?

Of course even if it does support ASP features, some require more decoding power, which would probably mean less running time. So you might be better off sticking with SP anyway.

[CaptainVideo]

Win AVI converter is complete garbage. You are using the wrong tool. I advise you to purchase the very cheap DivX Create bundle. It's only $20 but allows you to convert and encode video that will work with the Zen. Or if you read and learn from this site, get GordianKnot and use XviD.

[whitejremiah]

and please, for the love of god, uninstall that codec pack.....(codec packs tend to cause more issues than problems they solve, and anyone who knows what they are doing enough to actually properly USE a codec pack already knows better than to actually go ahead and use one.....)

[Revo75]

Thanks for the feedback, I NEED this codec pack if not my 300+gigs of videos in all sorts of different formats would be unplayable, unless I got the codec for each and every single one. plus klite has checks to ensure all the installs are compatible and work together and on top of that they have a tool that can check for errors in codecs. I will try out the mentioned tools thanks! Also on a side note a nother big plus is that it removes all the spy/adware found on many of the codecs.

[Scarpad]

I've used alot of tools for Xvid/Divx. For the Greatest compatibility use avi.net
files produced in it usually play in anything. Also Fairuse is a good one to try and it has a built in ripper.

[Revo75]

I've tried Avi.net and GordianKnot but they are both used mainly for dvd or mpeg2 ready video files and to convert them for use on standalone dvd players. Avi.net was unusable for me. I tried GordianKnot for a bit but it could only process avi files. Not to much value in there for me. The only one that did work for me was Divx Create bundle but you cant change anything in there so its useless to me too. Ill keep on looking

[Revo75]

I got evrything working perfectly, using Dr.Divx. The size to quality ratio is amazing. some files came out 40megs smaller then the creative encoder on standard quality and looked so much better! I might write a guide for divx capable media players