page_title: Creative Zen
section_title: ZEN V/ZEN V Plus
hierarchical_section_title: Creative Zen / Discontinued players / ZEN V/ZEN V Plus
caption_attribution_description: Rachel's Zen V
context_page_description: ZEN refers to the series of portable media player designed and manufactured by Creative Technology Limited, the names of which start with the word ZEN, e.g. ZEN, ZEN X-Fi. The players evolved from the NOMAD brand through the NOMAD Jukebox series. Three of Creative Technology's players won the Best of CES award from 2004 to 2006 in their respective categories, with one winning the overall award. The ZEN series has a strong foothold in Asian markets, especially in Singapore, the company's headquarters.
  All players support MP3 and WMA formats, while some models support also WAV and Audible formats. They are bundled with device drivers and Creative MediaSource, a media player that includes transferring and syncing abilities exclusively for the players. Some models are PlaysForSure-certified for being compatible with Windows Media Player via Media Transfer Protocol and supporting the Janus DRM. They are natively compatible with Windows, with some also supporting Mac OS X.
  The latest Creative Zen models were released in 2012, with the last firmware updates releasing in 2013. While not officially discontinued, Creative Technology's website designates the Zen line as "archived".
context_section_description: Creative's first flash-based portable media player was released on June 20, 2006. The scratch-resistant models have an OLED display with a resolution of 128×128. They come in white and black with orange trim for the 1 GB version, green trim for 2 GB, and black with blue trim for the 4 GB version and later an 8 GB version. The ZEN V Plus plays video and has an FM tuner, while the ZEN V does not. The players support the same formats as the Vision:M, while the videos will be trans coded upon transfer. There are also built-in microphones for voice recording, as well as wires for line-in recording. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a life span of up to 15 hours of continuous audio playback.
  The ZEN V Plus won the CNET Editor's Choice award during that month.
  On September 29, 2006, Creative announced that the blue-and-black ZEN V Plus had been upgraded to 8 GB. Four days later, the company joined forces with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to release a pink version of the 2 GB model, now available in most areas. In Europe and Japan, the 8 GB version is now available in a red-and-black color.
  On August 8, 2007, Creative released a 16 GB model of the ZEN V Plus, making it the highest capacity flash-based player until the ZEN beat its own record with the release of its 32 GB model.
caption: ZEN V (Green/Black, 2 GB)
exif: {}