Zune HD...anybody have any input or thoughts?

[Dan Murphy]

I was looking at a Microsoft Zune HD. Anybody here have one or have any thoughts on them? Not really interested in the app function of an iPod Touch.

Thanks.

 

[AshleyW]

I was looking at a Microsoft Zune HD. Anybody here have one or have any thoughts on them? Not really interested in the app function of an iPod Touch.

Thanks.

DF has one and he loves it. I got it for him this year for Valentine's Day because he kept swiping my original Zune. I've played around with his a lot, and it's pretty neat. It's really small, which is good, but it can be a little bit of work typing on the on-screen keyboard. Other than that, he's had no complaints whatsoever. We share a Zune pass so that we can download whatever we want from the Zune Marketplace, and it works out really nice - $15 a month for unlimited downloads, and you get the rights to 10 of your downloaded songs per month.

 

[Buckalew11]

I can ask Stephen what he may know. He's a genius, ya know. He's graduating this year. Can you believe that?!!

 

[amg35]

The Zune, do you mean the MP3 player? I was deciding between that and a Sansa View. I have Rhapsody To Go for a music service. I did end up with the Sansa, which lasted about 3 years, now looking into the Zune. Good reviews.

If that's not what you meant, sorry!

 

[Muushka]

I have an old Zune 30 and it has been a great device. The new ones have HD radio, which would be great.

I found this deal on Slick Deals
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=323721&t=1940666

some great prices and reviews.

 

[FireDancer]

If I were in the market for an MP3 player the Zune is the one I would buy. When in doubt cNet does very good reviews on most tech gadgets and it is my first stop along with engadget and gdgt.

The cNet review is here, the engadget review is here, and gdgt aggregates reviews. The Zune HD page is here.

 

[bicker]

My wife has a Zune HD... she loves it. It is, by itself, a fantastic MP3 player and HD radio, with excellent features and specifications. However, perhaps the best part of the Zune HD is that you can subscribe to the Zune Pass, which gives you the ability to download as much as you'd like from the Zune Marketplace, tracks you can listen to on any of your three registered computers and/or three registered Zune players, as much as you'd like, for as long as you keep your Pass valid. We've got a library of 30,000 tracks (my wife is a big music lover -- she's listened to practically ever one of the tracks she's downloaded).

 

[Dan Murphy]

DF has one and he loves it. I got it for him this year for Valentine's Day because he kept swiping my original Zune. I've played around with his a lot, and it's pretty neat. It's really small, which is good, but it can be a little bit of work typing on the on-screen keyboard. Other than that, he's had no complaints whatsoever. We share a Zune pass so that we can download whatever we want from the Zune Marketplace, and it works out really nice - $15 a month for unlimited downloads, and you get the rights to 10 of your downloaded songs per month.

It does seem pretty good from reading about it. And the $15 a month pass looks great. I guess you can download to the unit all the music you want, and as long as a paying member, they play. Plus get to keep 10 per month even for when you might quit the $15 month.

I can ask Stephen what he may know. He's a genius, ya know. He's graduating this year. Can you believe that?!!

Graduating? I hope HS and not college. Tell me not college. And how is Amy (that is correct, right?) I bet Stephen will have an opinion. Maybe Hunter too.

The Zune, do you mean the MP3 player? I was deciding between that and a Sansa View. I have Rhapsody To Go for a music service. I did end up with the Sansa, which lasted about 3 years, now looking into the Zune. Good reviews.

If that's not what you meant, sorry!

Yes, an Mp3 player. I currently have a Creative Zen Vison M, about 5 or so years old, non replaceable (at least easily) has seen its day, time for a new one.

I have an old Zune 30 and it has been a great device. The new ones have HD radio, which would be great.

I found this deal on Slick Deals
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=323721&t=1940666

some great prices and reviews.

The HD radio is interesting. And thanks for the link. I had not seen that, but the thread is about a one day deal at Dell. Actually, I had looked at Dell earlier yesterday, prompting my thread here. I saw it was a one day deal, great price, good reviews on the Net. I was on the Dell site as I had a $50 'gift' card that came with a new Dell PC purchase a month or so ago. It had an expiration date coming up and thought I better get shopping. Saw that and was interested. So I was able to purchase at $199 for the 32 gig unit, no charge shipping, less the $50 GC and 2% rebate from Ebates.

If I were in the market for an MP3 player the Zune is the one I would buy. When in doubt cNet does very good reviews on most tech gadgets and it is my first stop along with engadget and gdgt.

The cNet review is here, the engadget review is here, and gdgt aggregates reviews. The Zune HD page is here.

Thanks for the links, FD. I too use Cnet, very often, and Engadget. Was not aware of gdgt, looks like a good site too. The reviews on them all are very good.

So, next week I should have the Zune HD, will see how it goes. Thanks for everyone's thoughts.

 

[Dan Murphy]

You posted as I was, bicker. Thanks for adding and essentially clearing my mind as to how the Pass worked. Thanks.

 

[Muushka]

Dan, let us know how you like that HD radio. I am wondering how many more stations I could pick up with it. Intriguing.

 

[bicker]

It does seem pretty good from reading about it. And the $15 a month pass looks great. I guess you can download to the unit all the music you want, and as long as a paying member, they play. Plus get to keep 10 per month even for when you might quit the $15 month.

Yes, that's the case: While there are a few artists (very few) who refuse to grant license to make their music available via the subscription service, the vast majority do, and you can download as much as you'd like, organize them into playlists, take whichever ones you want with you on your device, etc. It is a mind-blowing service for a music-lover. And remember, unlike a CD store, Zune's library includes both new music and classic music (not to mention classical, country, R&B, etc., all different genres).

The subscription tracks have DRM, and the license needs to be renewed every few weeks. As long as you're a paying member, you can get the license renewed.

But each month, you can download DRM-free MP3s for 10 tracks. So far, we've acquired 162 tracks that way. (So I guess that means we're in our 17th month of subscription service.)

Dan, let us know how you like that HD radio. I am wondering how many more stations I could pick up with it. Intriguing.

My wife and I have checked it out, and of course, being that we're just outside Boston, we have access to as many HD radio stations as practically anywhere in the country. It's pretty good, but it's still not worth listening to music that is interrupted by DJs and commercials. What's the point in that? (we figure) Zune has something called "Smart DJ". It's a bit like Pandora, in that you seed it with some criteria (like a favorite artist), and it pulls down a few dozen tracks for you into a playlist. You can pull down as many Smart DJ playlists as you like, of course, and just switch from one to the other, basically getting the whole DJ-programmed (and themed to your specifications) experience, without all the interruptions.

 

[Muushka]

Yes, that's the case: While there are a few artists (very few) who refuse to grant license to make their music available via the subscription service, the vast majority do, and you can download as much as you'd like, organize them into playlists, take whichever ones you want with you on your device, etc. It is a mind-blowing service for a music-lover. And remember, unlike a CD store, Zune's library includes both new music and classic music (not to mention classical, country, R&B, etc., all different genres).

The subscription tracks have DRM, and the license needs to be renewed every few weeks. As long as you're a paying member, you can get the license renewed.

But each month, you can download DRM-free MP3s for 10 tracks. So far, we've acquired 162 tracks that way. (So I guess that means we're in our 17th month of subscription service.)



My wife and I have checked it out, and of course, being that we're just outside Boston, we have access to as many HD radio stations as practically anywhere in the country. It's pretty good, but it's still not worth listening to music that is interrupted by DJs and commercials. What's the point in that? (we figure) Zune has something called "Smart DJ". It's a bit like Pandora, in that you seed it with some criteria (like a favorite artist), and it pulls down a few dozen tracks for you into a playlist. You can pull down as many Smart DJ playlists as you like, of course, and just switch from one to the other, basically getting the whole DJ-programmed (and themed to your specifications) experience, without all the interruptions.

I don't listen to the radio for music. I have put all the music I like to listen to on my Zune and Clip.
But I also enjoy talk radio.

So you can get stations from all over the country? Interesting.
I don't want my old Zune to die, but when it does, I know what to replace it with!

 

[bicker]

Here's the list of HD radio stations in Boston. Seems to me that they're all local, or national -- not necessarily from all over the country.

WERS-HD        88.9 FM      Variety, Emerson College
WERS-HD2       88.9-2 FM    AAA, Emerson College
WGBH-HD        89.7 FM      Cls/Jaz/Nws, WGBH Educational Foundation
WGBH-HD2       89.7-2 FM    Classical, WGBH Educational Foundation
WGBH-HD3       89.7-3 FM    News, WGBH Educational Foundation
WBUR-HD        90.9 FM      NPR/Nws/Tlk, Boston University
WNEF-HD        91.7 FM      Folk, University of Massachusetts
WUMB-HD        91.9 FM      Folk, University of Massachusetts
WBOS-HD        92.9 FM      Modern Rock, Greater Media
WBOS-HD2       92.9-2 FM    Radio You Boston, Greater Media
WMKK-HD        93.7 FM      Rock AC, Entercom Communications Corp.
WMKK-HD2       93.7-2 FM    Rhythmic AC, Entercom Communications Corp.
WJMN-HD        94.5 FM      UrCHR/Rhymc, Clear Channel
WJMN-HD2       94.5-2 FM    Classic Hip Hop, Clear Channel
WTKK-HD        96.9 FM      Talk, Greater Media
WTKK-HD2       96.9-2 FM    The Irish Channel, Greater Media
WKAF-HD        97.7 FM      Rock, Entercom Communications Corp.
WKAF-HD2       97.7-2 FM    Live Rock, Entercom Communications Corp.
WBZ-HD         98.5 FM      Sports/Sports Talk, CBS Radio
WBZ-HD2        98.5-2 FM    Alternative Rock, CBS Radio
WBZ-HD3        98.5-3 FM    WBZ-AM, CBS Radio
WCRB-HD        99.5 FM      Classical, Nassau Broadcasting Partners
WZLX-HD       100.7 FM      Clsc Rock, CBS Radio
WZLX-HD2      100.7-2 FM    Radio Mojo - Blues, CBS Radio
WZLX-HD3      100.7-3 FM    FreeformBCN, CBS Radio
WKLB-HD       102.5 FM      Country, Greater Media
WKLB-HD2      102.5-2 FM    Classic Country, Greater Media
WODS-HD       103.3 FM      Oldies, CBS Radio
WODS-HD2      103.3-2 FM    Soft Hits - Love Songs, CBS Radio
WBMX-HD       104.1 FM      Hot AC, CBS Radio
WBMX-HD2      104.1-2 FM    The 80?s Channel, CBS Radio
WBMX-HD3      104.1-3 FM    Psychic Radio, CBS Radio
WROR-HD       105.7 FM      Clsc Hits, Greater Media
WROR-HD2      105.7-2 FM    Nothin But The 70's, Greater Media
WMJX-HD       106.7 FM      Adult Contemporary, Greater Media
WMJX-HD2      106.7-2 FM    Smooth Jazz, Greater Media
WAAF-HD       107.3 FM      Rock, Entercom Communications Corp.
WAAF-HD2      107.3-2 FM    Live Rock, Entercom Communications Corp.
WXKS-HD       107.9 FM      Contemporary Hit Radio, Clear Channel
WXKS-HD2      107.9-2 FM    Hot Spot, Clear Channel
WNNW-HD        800 AM       Tropical, Costa Eagle Broadcasting, Inc.
WBZ-HD        1030 AM       News/Talk, CBS Radio
WKOX-HD       1200 AM       Tropical, Clear Channel
WMKI-HD       1260 AM       Family Hits, Radio Disney
WXKS-HD       1430 AM       Tropical, Clear Channel

http://stations.hdradio.com/boston

 

[Muushka]

Thanks for the list, that is some list!

By any chance, does the Zune HD have internal recording abilities? Love my little Clip, I can record the radio.

 

[bicker]

No, the Zune cannot record radio.

 

[Buckalew11]

Dan, yes, HS. I can't believe it--makes me feel old. He's my boy!

Amy is 16 and driving. From when you met her to now she has done a 180 degree turn. She is the most easy going, fun loving kid--silly and laughs a lot. I mean, a lot. She is happy-go-lucky. A lot different than the kid who got a warning from the Disney police officer in Frontierland for not smiling in a no frown zone!! She went back to WDW with me 2 more times and stayed at the S/D. Thought it was heaven (which it is!) and had a great time. It was the difference between night and day for those trips.

 

[Aristocath]

One of my sons has a Zune and I would not purchase it again. I can see that the Zune HD has some advantages but we have been disappointed with what we can purchase on the Zune Marketplace. There just aren't as many options as iTunes. We wanted to download some TV shows and movies for vacation and they were limited for his age (10).

Also I have found that the Zune setup isn't as user friendly as an iPod and iTunes.

But his Zune works fine and suits his needs now but when we replace it, it won't be with another Zune.


Cathy

 

[bicker]

Video performance and quality

From everything I've seen (personally) and read, the Zune HD is the best portable video device on the market, regarding video playback performance and quality -- better than any iPod. The Zune HD screen uses cutting-edge OLED technology, which delivers brightness and contrast unlike anything you can find in an iPod, including the iPod Touch 3rd gen (which I just bought for my brother).

And, of course, the Zune HD plays back HD video, up to 720p, while the iPod cannot handle more than 480p; and the Zune HD supports superior throughput, at 14 Mbps. The Zune HD also wins with regard to battery performance, size, weight, and several other aspects. Also keep in mind that a Zune HD can competently drive a big-screen HDTV, as if it is a DVR.

[Sources: Digital Trends, and Gizmodo.]

Video retail sale and rental availability

While I'm pretty-sure that the Zune HD is superior with regard to video performance and quality, I am not quite as sure with regard to availability of video titles. If you have some hard info on that, it would be great if you could post that. As far as I know, the difference with regard to availability of prime-time television series (which is what I tend to keep my eye on) is negligible, and I'm not even sure which of the two has the slight upper-hand. Also, I'm pretty sure both services provide comparable availability of music videos.

Cathy, however, was talking about children's television, and I can readily believe that iTunes may be better in that regard. However, we found the following available right now on Zune Marketplace: iCarly, The Troop, Salute Your Shorts, Doug, Big Time Rush, Super Why!, Fanboy and Chum Chum, Dinosaur Train, The Fresh Beat Band, The Othersiders, Olivia, Dora's Special Adventure, H20, Wizards of Waverly Place, Wordgirl, Tak & the Power of Juju, Ben 10 Alien Force, etc.

[Source: Zune Marketplace.]

Set-up

I've set up both Zunes and iPods; I'm a little mystified about what might have been confusing about the Zune. AFAIC, setting up the iPod was a lot more complicated and a lot less user-friendly, mostly due to the library importing step. To be fair, I haven't set up an iPod recently, but as far as I know, they haven't made the process that much simpler, and regardless, I didn't notice anything significantly complicated with regard to the setup of the Zune software or Zune device. What specifically did you find confusing?

Note, though, that Zune does get a little more complicated once you go for the Zune Pass subscription (something for which iTunes has no comparable offering). This is especially important if you have (as we do) three Zunes and three PCs all sharing one Zune Pass subscription. The issue is that record labels insist on a certain type of security in the DRM, that essentially only allows music to be on two remote devices. Zune, recognizing that their customers want three remote devices (and three PCs), addresses this simply by issuing a customer more extra (root) licenses whenever necessary. All the licensing is handled for you, under the covers, but you can definitely see that sometimes the synching works differently, because of this extra work Zune is required to do to support your third device.

Again, this is just a peculiarity of the Zune Pass subscription, and it never affects any of the DRM-free MP3s you own -- only the subscription tracks.

[Source: personal experience with both Zunes and iPods.]

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks for the additional thoughts and input. The Zune came today, quick delivery. Now to figure it out and set it up.

Nice update on Amy, Bren.

 

[Muushka]

I just thought of another use for a new Zune and that HD radio.
When traveling, you probably have a better shot at getting stations and locking them in, yes?

Congrats Dan. Let us know what you think.