Microsoft Zune

LakerFanAlways · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:59 am Post subject: Microsoft Zune

It comes out tomorrow..supposedly its supposed to be better then the IPOD..any opinions on it? I was thinking about getting the IPOD video(I have the photo IPOD now) but then when I saw the Zune online it looked interesting..plus it has an FM tuner which I like(Sometimes i get bored listening to my own music and I wanna hear FM..too bad it doesnt have AM) Any opinions would be great

20,000 · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:18 am Post subject:

NY Times

Zunescene

Like everything else, it has positives and negatives.

Positive: WiFi to share music, and lets others know when another Zune is nearby.

Negative: shared music can only be played up to three times in three days, and a partial play counts as a whole play, and one user cannot send the same song a second time.

Negative: WiFi cannot connect to computers.

Negative: WiFi cannot connect (yet) to Internet for direct downloading.

Positive: Plays videos and music and shows photos

Negative: Can't use some software like Napster, or others. From what I read, it doesn't even use Windows Media Player.

There are tons of others pros and cons, but this is just a sample. It is relatively inexpensive for 30GB (about $250), but I think I will pass for now.

What scares me, and I am sure they addressed this since they are so good about it, is that the WiFi thing could be used to send viruses. Maybe that is why it cannot connect directly to a computer?

OH, and for those wondering, it is NOT compatible with Macs. But did you expect it to?
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chef · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:29 am Post subject:

IMO, they should have made it be able to sync and view outlook.....they would have gotten my MONEY if they had done that.....

alos, looks like it doesn't play AVI....bleh...i have a bunch of videos in other formats taht use CODECs..they should have made it friendly to play those...

TACH · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:38 am Post subject:

LakerFanAlways · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:49 am Post subject:

thanks for the info..sounds like crap then..cant play this, cant play that..whats the point..mind as well stick with the IPOD..I wish there was some kind of FM/AM Tuner that can be purchased with the IPOD..then it would totally rock

chef · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:50 am Post subject:

They play WMV files....according to the website....

www.zune.net

Audio
#

Windows Media® Audio Standard (.wma): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
#

MP3 (.mp3): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
#

AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov): Up to 320 Kbps, Low Complexity (LC), up to 48-kHz sample rate

Pictures
#

JPEG (.jpg): All resolutions (desktop software will automatically convert to 640x480 at sync time)

Video
#

Windows Media Video (.wmv): Main Profile, CBR or VBR, up to 1.5 Mbps peak video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio; Simple Profile, CBR, up to 736 Kbps video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio.

ocho · Retired Number Joined: 24 May 2005 Posts: 53855

i don't understand why anybody would buy this really.

for one it doesn't play itunes music (which i'm sure a lot of people have a library of). its best feature, the ability to send files via wi-fi, is meaningless since you can only listen to it three times before it disappears. it's not as good looking as the ipod. pretty sure its similarly priced. why get a zune?
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Socks · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:12 pm Post subject:

I'd pass on this and give microsoft a chance to get it right later, I haven't seen it, but given Microsoft's history, I doubt they get it right the first time. My guess is it wasn't their goal either. It's hard for them to put out the best product v1 - their teams need to go through hard learnings first. The question is going to be how fast they get those learnings down.

That said, it's not like it's a black and white world out there. There are other MP3/video players better than an iPod, but it all really depends what you're comfortable with.

20,000 · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:13 pm Post subject:

20,000 · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:18 pm Post subject:

20,000 · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:22 pm Post subject:

20,000 · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:26 pm Post subject:

Oh, and a few other things, and this I don't know what it means:

20,000 · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:27 pm Post subject:

Let's add one more site for this. This one has user feedback on the Zune, as it is interesting to read others' take on this. There really are some iPod militants out there, but also anti-iPod militants.

Engadget
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Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'

LakerFanAlways · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:42 pm Post subject:

What I really want is a mp3 player that can also play video, store pictures, and have an FM transmitter..(not required but would be nice) I saw online today the creative zen but I dont know if it is any good..I love the IPOD, just want to see what other options are out there

Socks · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:52 pm Post subject:

^^^ IMO, Creative Zen might be the best mp3/mobile video player combo out there today. Creative came out with mp3 players before the iPod and have always made great product, but just got crushed by the Apple marketing machine and a great app in iTunes.

I don't own a Zen, but have played with it a bit and it seems great. I think it boils down to your iTunes usage. iTunes/iPod is relatively seemless. I can't comment on Zen/iTunes integration. If that is good and is something you use a lot (you should be able to find info on this online fairly easily), you can't go wrong with the Zen as an alternate (or better) choice to the iPod.

20,000 · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:05 pm Post subject:

TACH · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:37 pm Post subject:

Socks · Posted: Mon Nov 13, 2006 4:59 pm Post subject:

^^^ Both. Two questions would be: 1) Does it play files downloaded from iTunes. 2) How well does iTunes synch with the Zen to easily manage songs between your comuter and the Zen.

shnjb · Franchise Player Joined: 08 Oct 2002 Posts: 13320

Clearly this is an mp3 player and not a PMP, so I may be comparing apples to oranges but I have a Cowon A2 and it kicks ass.
It plays pretty much all the video formats out there except the real media, doubles as an FM player, converted PDF viewer, mp3 player (great quality sound unlike those Archos), etc.

The Zune in its current form sucks ass.
It needs the following:

1. Wifi that allows users to browse the web
2. Video codec support
3. The ability to put files on it without the crap software... drag and drop is the best.

Star · Star Player Joined: 01 Aug 2004 Posts: 1564

I've actually held and used a Zune. I'm not a huge music fan and haven't used the Ipod extensively, so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

If you are looking for something totally revolutionary and different than the Ipod, something that is a true game changer, this is not it.

If you have a huge Ipod collection and a lot of money invested in it, than this might not be for you either.

However, the Zune is a very nice device. The screen on it is far better than anything I've seen on Ipod so that is a positive. Movies and pictures on it look good for a portable device.

for $14.95 you are going to get unlimited downloads for the month, don't use the Itunes service so not sure if there is an equivilent on Itunes.

The wireless thing, while limited now, has a lot of potential. It's kind of neat now, but I know that Microsoft has plans to enhance this functionality over time.

This being Microsoft, they are also going to do a great job integrating with the Xbox 360 (especially now that you will be able to download movies and TV shows to the 360, I bet this will be extended to the Zune) and Vista.

So my take on this if you want a new player and you want something that will be good for the future and integrate nicely with Windows and Xbox, get the Zune.

if you already have an Ipod, and are happy with it, probably no reason to rush out and get a Zune.

PWiddy · Posted: Tue Nov 14, 2006 6:47 am Post subject:

Laker_Town · Retired Number Joined: 26 Jun 2006 Posts: 25604

From what I hear Zune spec suck. Ill wait till some "hack" comes out when you CAN keep shared files. IT would have been nice if web browsing was possible.

I own a Ipod but Ive got to admit that edit song tags is TEDIOUS..especially for folks, like myself, that share, burn, and download files. Another thing is the damn resources it takes up. Ive recently erased my library on my pc because it was too sluggish....

TACH · Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2006 8:48 am Post subject:

20,000 · Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 10:59 am Post subject:

Is it just my browser, or do all references to "Zune" show up in a different font? Is this Microsoft's doing?

Anyways, it is after Christmas, and I am curious if anyone did get a Zune for a gift. If so, what do you think?
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Courage doesn't always roar.
Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying...'I will try again tomorrow.'

ocho · Retired Number Joined: 24 May 2005 Posts: 53855

i played around on a zune at compusa.

the controls and menus are horrible. when you've had the simplicity of ipod you take it for granted. the screen is very nice but thats about it.
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