How to Copy DVDs to the Creative Zen Vision :M MP3 Player

Creative, with their long line of MP3 and PMP player, is a dominating force in the personal audio/entertainment market. They have a wide range of players to choose from, and a majority of them can play video.

The Creative Vision :M mp3 player is one such device, and has a large screen with a resolution of 320x240, which is a good size for watching videos and movies. The only problem with the device is the lack of online stores that sell videos for players. You must convert your own videos to put onto the device. The only problem there is that DRM videos can't be changed in video size. This means that you'll need to convert your own DVDs to video files and transfer them to the player.

This is quite simple to do, but requires the right tools to get it done. If you're new to converting DVDs, this tutorial is for you. Read on to find out the easiest method for adding your DVDs to your Creative Zen Vision:M.

Items Needed:

DVD Shrink
AutoGK
Zen Vision:M
PC

Step 1: Download two free programs - Auto Gordian Knot (AutoGK) and DVD Shrink. You will need DVD Shrink to copy your DVD to your hard drive, and then Auto Gordian Knot to convert it to the specs of the Vision:M.

Step 2: Run DVD Shrink and insert a DVD into your computer. Click OPEN DISC at the top of the program to open the disc. Then click RE-AUTHOR and copy the main movie to the other side of the screen. Choose BACKUP and have it saved as a VOB file, not an ISO file.

Step 3: Now that a VOB file has been ripped to your computer, you're ready to convert it. Start AutoGK and browse for the VOB file as the input file. Choose a location to have the output file saved.

Under audio-track, there should only be one option, but if there's more than one, choose the first one, or any title 'English' (or whatever language you would like it to be in).

In Step 3 of the program, choose the PREDEFINED SIZE radio button and choose the one you want. The 1/4CD is ideal to conserve space, but it depends on the quality you want.

Finally, choose ADVANCED OPTIONS and set the fixed width option to 320. Choose XviD as the codec, and choose an audio bitrate - 128 for small file size, or 256 for higher quality.

Choose OK. If everything is set like you want, choose START and wait for it to finish.

Once finished, plug in your device and transfer the video to it. .