Microsoft Zune

kaimera

from Ballmer in NYC

SB: “We’re going to keep going with Zune”. It’s two things: Service and a device. The Zune service, that’s going to fan out its footprint. Hardware will continue to improve. “The question is whether even if we flog them heavily, is their profit upside”. We’re going to keep going “I won’t say full steam ahead, because that implies acceleration of investment, but we’re going to sustain our investment.” We like it and the future may be the software/ecosystem on other devices.

hmm

youcancallmeal

Hopefully they'll bring the product to Europe soon. I'm afraid of mine breaking and then having no option of replacement under warranty or even just paying for a repair

here.from.day.1

Bought a 120GB over in NY the other week to replace my 80GB one. Got the Home AV pack too with the dock and remote, pretty sweet little setup.

For anybody whos interested http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ in NYC will ship internationally.

hshortt

If anyone would like the offical Zune Car Charger and FM Transmitter, let me know. I'm not using my one. A tenner.

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=103749

here.from.day.1

You'll probably have to put it up on adverts.

hshortt

Link added to previous post.

cheerio
Howard

here.from.day.1

Ill take it actually. Posting on adverts.

hshortt

PM Sent, thanks for the interest.

here.from.day.1

hshortt wrote: »

PM Sent, thanks for the interest.

No problem. Replied to your advert.

Back on topic, was anybody with the 120 disappointed they only give you the standard headphones and not the premium ones I got with my 80?

kida

Has anyone succeeded in getting onto the zune marketplace from here?

Gran Hermano

kida wrote: »

Has anyone succeeded in getting onto the zune marketplace from here?

I use the marketplace for downloading podcasts (video and audio).
I also use mix-view for viewing data on artists,albums, etc.

There's a link somewhere in this - massive- thread showing how to set it up outside the USA. I tried adding my credit card to my Zune account once, no joy.

hshortt

Hi Guys,

I've attached a small zip containing the ZInternational tool that allows non-US Zune users to use the software to it's fullest.

Cheers

here.from.day.1

What does the tool do?

hshortt

It does a few things very well, others not so well.

1. It lets you use your own PNG picture files as the Zune background on the desktop PC.
2. It tries to let you use the device as a portable hard disk, this requires some syncing, cancelling etc.
3. It changes the icon for the connected device to a Zune player icon.
4. It adds a registry entry to enable International users join the social.
5. It attempts to let you use iTunes(!) and Windows Media player to add music to the device.

That's all I can remember.

Cheerio

Gran Hermano

hshortt wrote: »

It does a few things very well, others not so well.

1. It lets you use your own PNG picture files as the Zune background on the desktop PC.
2. It tries to let you use the device as a portable hard disk, this requires some syncing, cancelling etc.
3. It changes the icon for the connected device to a Zune player icon.
4. It adds a registry entry to enable International users join the social.
5. It attempts to let you use iTunes(!) and Windows Media player to add music to the device.

That's all I can remember.

Cheerio

For point #3 alone it's worth it, makes podcasts (audio and video) avaliable and also lets you access mixview.

Nice find H., much simplier solution than I used to get mine setup.

hshortt

Once you join the social, your plays get counted leading to badges (whoop-de-do) for the artists you listen to most. My signature is reflective of my current stats.

Cheerio

Sea08

Seemingly early design photos of the next generation of Zune Hardware has been leaked, link below

http://www.zuneboards.com/?p=vB41799

Looks pretty impressive, not sure about the list of features detailed below it, 3D Xbox games seems extreme, wouldn't be suprised to find it can play xbox360 arcade games however.

hshortt

Another link Here possibly more realistic features.

This is very temping and I'd be ready to switch from my Zune 80, but the capacity at 32GB seems likely but small for my needs.

Cheers

kaimera

ny0m ny0m ny0m

Sea08

Not sure about the sizes either, I don't see how if your going to have a proper HD device you can only deliver 16GB of space. It doesn't work, thats 2 movies. I would say 32 gb would be the smaller size with maybe 64 gb been the larger model. Either way i'll be avidely following this.

Gran Hermano

I noticed the rumours earlier this week about new players but today is the first time I've
heard:
"The device is set to launch in Fall, around September, and will also finally be available outside US, in Canada, UK and France, and possibly other European countries."

I wonder how this will change the marketplace side of the PC software.
I also have no interest in a player below 80 gig, it's what turned me away
from iriver and Creative.

Browser sounds interesting as does the xbox game capability, wonder is it
scaled down versions of original xbox or Xbox arcade titles.

kaimera

"The device is set to launch in Fall, around September, and will also finally be available outside US, in Canada, UK and France, and possibly other European countries."

Good...being able to get it repaired in europe would be nice in case summet happened.

here.from.day.1

Sweet looking but as mentioned, small capacity. Also I only got a 120 to replace my 80. They'l probably dress down the design a bit from what it is now though, you know the way it is with concepts.

_blank_

I'm in the market for a new mp3 player, and am thinking of a Zune.

From reading this thread, it seems there are problems getting it to work fully, is this true?

I have some questions.

Is the iPod Touch the only mp3 player on the market with wifi enabled internet connection?

Zune specific.

Will the Zune act like a Creative with my XP Machine, as in just plug and play, click and drag the music?

Is the headphone connection a standard one?

Thanks

here.from.day.1

Des wrote: »

I'm in the market for a new mp3 player, and am thinking of a Zune.

From reading this thread, it seems there are problems getting it to work fully, is this true?

I have some questions.

Is the iPod Touch the only mp3 player on the market with wifi enabled internet connection?

Zune specific.

Will the Zune act like a Creative with my XP Machine, as in just plug and play, click and drag the music?

Is the headphone connection a standard one?

Thanks

Getting the Zune to work with the marketplace ala itunes takes some workaround and its not something I have bothered to do. This may change soon though as the new model is rumoured to be entering the european market and as such we will get standard access to the marketplace.

Along with the iPod touch there are some like the Archos which have internet browsers. Admittedly the iPod touch is quite good if thats big requirement.

The Zune unfortunatly does not operate in drag and drop fashion and needs its own (Zune) software. The software is quite good though and nowhere near as irritating as itunes.

Any other questions, fire away.

hshortt

Des wrote: »

I'm in the market for a new mp3 player, and am thinking of a Zune.

From reading this thread, it seems there are problems getting it to work fully, is this true?

It's not currently distributed outside of US and Canada, so strictly speaking it's not meant to work here. If you try to register a non-us based account on Zune.net you'll get a regional restriction error. There are ways around this, but it depends on if you want to spend the time on it or just get an iPod.

Des wrote: »

Is the iPod Touch the only mp3 player on the market with wifi enabled internet connection?

I think more and mroe players are WiFi enabled now, but the features are different. For example, the Zune has WiFi sharing called the 'Social' and WiFi syncing to your computer, so you don't actually have to dock it to get new tracks or playlists over to it. It doesn't have an 'Internet explorer' like the iPod.

Des wrote: »

Will the Zune act like a Creative with my XP Machine, as in just plug and play, click and drag the music?

Nope, you'll need the software to manage the device. Creative is an MTP player and mounts to the Windows computers like a removable drive. This makes it easy to use the built in Media Player for syncing tracks. The Zune is not an MTP device (it can be tweaked) so by default you'll use the Zune software to manage the player. The software is actually really good. You also get the ability to copy your tracks from the player back to the Pc the software is running on. Something the iPod doesn't offer without additional tweaking.

Des wrote: »

Is the headphone connection a standard one?

Yep.

Cheerio

_blank_

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

Getting the Zune to work with the marketplace ala itunes takes some workaround and its not something I have bothered to do. This may change soon though as the new model is rumoured to be entering the european market and as such we will get standard access to the marketplace.

I don't really understand what this means tbh.

All I want is a decent quality mp3 player, that I can watch some videos on also, and possibly with an internet browser (this is not a major part of my thinking, but could be a clincher)

I suppose space is a big requirement, and the price I can see the 120gb Zune at is really enticing

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

Along with the iPod touch there are some like the Archos which have internet browsers. Admittedly the iPod touch is quite good if thats big requirement.

I don't know if I like the price of the iPod, how does an Archos compare?

here.from.day.1 wrote: »

The Zune unfortunatly does not operate in drag and drop fashion

Does an Archos?

hshortt wrote: »

It's not currently distributed outside of US and Canada, so strictly speaking it's not meant to work here. If you try to register a non-us based account on Zune.net you'll get a regional restriction error. There are ways around this, but it depends on if you want to spend the time on it or just get an iPod.

But the capacity on the Zune is much bigger than any iPod I can afford, so does it need to be registered to play my music, play videos and for the radio to work?

hshortt wrote: »

I think more and mroe players are WiFi enabled now, but the features are different. For example, the Zune has WiFi sharing called the 'Social' and WiFi syncing to your computer, so you don't actually have to dock it to get new tracks or playlists over to it. It doesn't have an 'Internet explorer' like the iPod.

The first part isn't an issue for me, I don't mind being "plugged in", if it has WiFi I'd prefer to have a Browser.



*************************

What is a Cowon, and are they any good?

Thanks folks, I'm a total n00b when it comes to these kind of questions

hshortt

Des wrote: »

But the capacity on the Zune is much bigger than any iPod I can afford, so does it need to be registered to play my music, play videos and for the radio to work?

Nope, you just need the free software and the device.

Des wrote: »

What is a Cowon, and are they any good?

Another brand, like Creative, iRiver etc etc. Similar features, prices etc.

Regarding Archos/iPods etc.

Archos is a great player, very much full featured and covers the requirements you'd laid out so far. But.... they are considerably physically larger than Zune/iPod so not entirely pocketable. This might be a factor for you. Additionally most video/audio content will play on an Archos without conversion. You might need to purchase some extra plug-ins from them to enable all the features.

For video on Zune or iPod you need to convert most formats into something that these guys can play. The formats playable by the Zune and iPod have MP4 in common. So for example, if I were *given* an internet downloaded episode of a TV show, I'd run it through a converter which takes about 4 minutes, to convert the DivX format to MP4. Then the resulting file can be copied to the player via the software. If this sounds trouble-some, it's not really!

Ditto with Audio, people and players too have their preferred formats. For Apple with the iPod its AAC files, for Microsoft and the Zune it's WMA. For this very reason I always choose a format for my files that's compatible with everything - A-La - MP3. All media players can play MP3s (at least, I've never seen or used one that doesn't) so for me, it's the common denominator and the format of choice.

In comparison to the iPod, the Zune is more affordable, has a bigger screen than the iPod classic, plus the device interface is better on the Zune in my opinion.

The iPod Touch is a fantastic device too, bigger screen than the Zune, great interface and features too. But it's maxed out at 32GB and it's expensive.

I expect from the rumours of the next Zune that it will beat the feature set and price of the iPod Touch. But that's a future device, and if you want one now, then you should look at what's current.

Another good player is the Samsung P2 (available at Argos), its got good features, plays more formats without conversion and is physically smaller than the others. But again its using flash memory so maxes out at 32GB.

Take some times to work on your requirements, look at your existing collection of files and check the formats, this might limit your choice of player, or mean you need to covert them. Ditto with the video files.

Hard disk players, like the Zune, iPod classic and Archos have a shorter battery life than the flash players due to the moving parts in the hard disk. That said features like internet browsing and wifi will suck the battery quickly anyway.

I like the Zune, I'd be tempted by the iPod touch if it had a higher capacity. But it's expensive in my opinion. I've had iPod classic, Zen Vision M, Archos 604, and the Zune to date. My experience would say the Archos plays just about everything but its too big to carry comfortably without a man bag of sorts. The iPod is good but doesn't offer anything special, Zen Vision M was super but is now discontinued, the Zune is great, has everything I need right now.

Enjoy your shopping.
cheerio
Howard

_blank_

Great post, thanks a lot.

I think I've found what I want.

The Archos 705 80GB Wifi Multimedia Player. Here.

At €242 I think it's a good price.

One last question.

Does it come "internet ready" or do I need to do something else.

The size is not really an issue, as I have a Creative Zen Vision W, and it's pretty big also. Do you know anything about these? Mine stopped working, and no-one will repair it.

If I could get that back working, I could save myself some money.

Thanks Again

hshortt

This page here suggests you'll need the 'optional internet browser'

This page here has some tips for getting your Zen Vision W going. The Zens have a good following, there are good sites for getting the best from it.

Best of luck,
Howard

Voodu Child

It might be a good price at €242, but to browse the web on the 705, you need to buy an additional €30 'plugin'. And the web browser is woeful anyway.

You also need to buy a €20 plugin to play AC3 audio (and/or MPEG2 video), and another €20 plugin to play any h264 video or AAC audio. So that's €70 before you can begin to consider the device anywhere close to a fully-fledged media/web device.

The Archos 705 is a fairly big device, for the money, I would nearly consider buying a netbook? I know they are not directly comparable, but they're the same kind of portability tbh, you would have better battery life, better browsing, full codec support, no paid 'plugins', etc.

_blank_

Yeah, I've seen that alright.

Also, I kind of want a FM Radio on it.

It's higher on the list of "Must Have" than internet connectivity.

So, I think I'm back to the Zune 120, for the price and storage capability, I think this is the one to go for.

The Sony X Series is interesting me also.

Gran Hermano

I moved from a Creative Zen M to the Zune 80 and have no regrets, great player.

Check youtube for some reviews
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_type=&search_query=zune+120&aq=f

_blank_

Can the internet be browsed on a Zune?

Gran Hermano

Des wrote: »

Can the internet be browsed on a Zune?

No browser currently on the Zune but their is speculation MS will
include it on the next batch. MS have a good track record releasing
any new features in new firmware to upgrade the older players.

_blank_

Gran Hermano wrote: »

No browser currently on the Zune but their is speculation MS will
include it on the next batch. MS have a good track record releasing
any new features in new firmware to upgrade the older players.

You mean in a couple of months I should be able to download a new firmware which will include a browser?

OK, that sounds good, I think I'll get myself a Zune.

Thanks for all your help folks.

Any recommendations on where is the best place to get one

Purple Gorilla

Wait for the Zune HD coming in Autumn

_blank_

Purple Gorilla wrote: »

Wait for the Zune HD coming in Autumn

I've been without a Media Player since my Zen broke down and died about five months ago.

I don't know if I can last much longer without going on a shooting spree in the radio studios

Purple Gorilla

Des wrote: »

I've been without a Media Player since my Zen broke down and died about five months ago.

I don't know if I can last much longer without going on a shooting spree in the radio studios

Get a Zen Stone to keep you going! Only like €30.

You'll regret it if you get one now and then the Zune HD is announced!

_blank_

Purple Gorilla wrote: »

Get a Zen Stone to keep you going! Only like €30.

You'll regret it if you get one now and then the Zune HD is announced!

Zune HD = Zune Hi-Definition I assume?

Is it likely to

a. Have as large storage as the Z120
b. Have a FM Radio (yes, I realise the irony)
c. Have built in surfing capability

Purple Gorilla

Des wrote: »

Zune HD = Zune Hi-Definition I assume?

Is it likely to

a. Have as large storage as the Z120
b. Have a FM Radio (yes, I realise the irony)
c. Have built in surfing capability

*Ahem*


From Neowin:

An overview of the Zune HD specs:

• 3.6 inchish OLED full touch screen.
• NVIDIA Tegra powered.
• 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, and 120GB versions.
• HDMI Connection to stream straight to your TV.
• HD Radio.
• Web Browser.
• WiFi compatible, with wireless marketplace.
• Released, early fall.
• International release of the Zune device itself.
• Home AV packs, Car packs, Charge packs.

hshortt

Those specs are not realistic.

OLED screen, 120GB these are just speculation. To offer 120GB would mean a hard disk based player, where-as the current trend is flash based, it would make sense for MS to go after the iPod touch with a ZuneHD. I expect it will be flash based and they might use two 32Gb chips to offer one in 64GB but this would be the Max based on a flash memory player.

OLED screen would raise the cost significantly. It's possible as in the X Series Sony is running them, but look at the prices! ...

The rest of specs fall in line with what's expected. HD Radio -> DAB. I'm doubtful on a web browser.

Cheers

Purple Gorilla

hshortt wrote: »

Those specs are not realistic.

OLED screen, 120GB these are just speculation. To offer 120GB would mean a hard disk based player, where-as the current trend is flash based, it would make sense for MS to go after the iPod touch with a ZuneHD. I expect it will be flash based and they might use two 32Gb chips to offer one in 64GB but this would be the Max based on a flash memory player.

OLED screen would raise the cost significantly. It's possible as in the X Series Sony is running them, but look at the prices! ...

The rest of specs fall in line with what's expected. HD Radio -> DAB. I'm doubtful on a web browser.

Cheers

What's so mad about OLED?

LG has already confirmed that it will be manufacturing the OLED Displays for the next iPhone. So why wouldn't it work on a Zune?

pleasant Co.

Purple Gorilla wrote: »

What's so mad about OLED?

LG has already confirmed that it will be manufacturing the OLED Displays for the next iPhone. So why wouldn't it work on a Zune?

I agree, an OLED screen is not too far fetched, heck the Cowon S9 uses a bloody AMOLED display (leaps and bounds better than current OLED displays)

I am sceptical about the capacities but it would be quite awesome if MS filled that high capacity niche with a device that completely wipes the floor with the current ipod classic.

Sea08

The site that originally posted the specs above have since crossed out the 120gb size, so i wouldn't hold out much hope for that. It is confirmed as having a OLED screen and being powered by the tegra chip which is capable of HD encoding and decoding at 720p by leaks from within microsoft.

Haven't seen anywhere that confirms the browser however. Also it has been announced for release in uk along with america so i'm assuming it will have DAB radio.

So far it looks nice but I don't see anything that isn't already available or that would make me trade in my Zune120 yet.

hshortt

I withdraw my comments on OLED, I now reckon it's possible and likely. I didn't realise a capacitive touch screen could be based on OLED tech. That's very cool. And interesting...

That Zune120 trade in might be for battery life, multi-touch, physical size, and HDMI out...

Toodles.
Howard

Gran Hermano

The only new feature on the new range that would interest me is the HDMI out. I dislike touchscreens, I prefer a more tactile button that
I can use without removing the player from my pocket.

Sea08

Gran Hermano wrote: »

The only new feature on the new range that would interest me is the HDMI out. I dislike touchscreens, I prefer a more tactile button that
I can use without removing the player from my pocket.

I'm with you on the HDMI out, it is the only feature that has interested me so far. I don't dislike touchscreens but it wouldn't be a decider on which player to purchase. Mostly I'll be sticking to the 120Gb for storage.

Also can't see how after adding multi touch, Larger OLED screen and support for 720p HD they will be able to increase battery life.

If it does come in a larger than 32gb size then I would be interested, very interested, plus I'm sure there are a few more suprises to come before it's launch.

_blank_

So,I picked up a Zune 80 for a hundred and forty quid on Adverts.ie, seems a nice player.

Updated to the new firmware, and got some games added to it, and I'm currently putting about 35gb of music on to it, it's taking a while.

Question about the FM Radio, it only seems to tune in increments of x.2 on the tuner, and it goes from 105.9 to 106.1, and I can't get Newstalk to tune in properly at 106.0, can anyone help with that, I like Off The Ball

Sea08

Des wrote: »

So,I picked up a Zune 80 for a hundred and forty quid on Adverts.ie, seems a nice player.

Updated to the new firmware, and got some games added to it, and I'm currently putting about 35gb of music on to it, it's taking a while.

Question about the FM Radio, it only seems to tune in increments of x.2 on the tuner, and it goes from 105.9 to 106.1, and I can't get Newstalk to tune in properly at 106.0, can anyone help with that, I like Off The Ball

You will need to turn seek off, to do this simply click the center button whilst in FM mode and it will bring up the settings, go down to seek and turn it off, it will now move in increments of 1.

I'm assuming the seek however is getting a stronger signal at 105.9 and 106.1 so it may not help much. I find the receiver can be a bit weak at times. Hope this helps.