Hard drive MP3 player advice

[muddocktor]

Hey you all, my little Sandisk flash based player is giving me trouble with the damn headphone jack and I only get music out of one side now. So I have decided to go ahead and get me another MP3 player, this time hard drive based. I will send the Sandisk off for RMA since it's still under warantee though and use it for ultraportability stuff.

Anyways, I am looking at 2 different MP3 players right now and want some advice on selection. The 2 I'm looking at are the Creative Zen Vision:M 30 gig and the new Microsoft Zune, which is also a 30 gig model. Both run approximately the same price, with the Zen being around $230 and the Zune at $250. I don't want an ipod as I think that it's not a good value for the price, which is in this price class and it doesn't have the FM tuner either.

I would like some comments and suggestions on these players. I know the Zune is brand new so there's nothing on it's reliability, but the Zen's been out a while. How reliable has the Zen been? Also, I am open for other suggestions on an MP3 player in this range of size and price. But I want to cap the cost to around $250.

How about it, can you all help me out?

[MountainDew]

I have a Creative Zen Xtra I bought a few years ago, and it's still kickin'. The Zune looks really cool, but all I hear about is how it cares more about DRM than the user ("What? You're using a different pc now? Well, I'm gonna have to dump all your files and upload whatever is on your other pc. Wheeee!"). I'd probably go for the Creative, or wait a couple weeks and see what Zune stories emerge.

[airbornflght]

I'm seriously thinking about buying the 60 gig vision:m. because it is the only player that has a high capacity >60gigs and can play wma's. unless someone else found another player. Though the vision:m looks really nice.

[Nomad]

I think you'd find yourself sadly disappointed a few years from now if you bought the Zune.

[airbornflght]

yeh, I'm not even considering the zune. I am pretty sure that I am going to get the 60 gig Creative Vision:M