New Zune HD Details...

Hmm, questions... What apps are built into the ZuneHD out of the box? (if any beyond media playback) It doesn't have BT does it? I'm actually enjoying the ability to pipe audio thru BT on my iPod touch, using a Kensington LiquidAux doohickey that plugs into my lighter jack/aux-in I can have the iPod playing over the car stereo while it's sitting on my pocket or in my bag... And I can play/pause with the Kensignton remote (yeah Apple still hasn't fixed their BT profile so you can skip/repeat songs, ugh).

Besides the layout/formatting issues you're having with the browser, what other upside/downside is there to it? There's no built-in e-mail app is there? Can you load Gmail and/or Yahoo e-mail on the browser?

Edit: Reading your linked post on MacRumors and chris' initial impression, I can understand why you're not satisfied with it... Frankly it looks pretty disheartening, can't believe Joe is trying to defend that. I can understand some quirks, but that actually looks far far worse than Opera Mini on a cheap media phone (let alone Safari on the touch). It's more akin to the WAP browser on a 2-year old phone... :eek:
 
Nothing came on the zune, but a video, and some strange wallpapers. But these apps are on the marketplace now:

apps.jpg


Haven't seen an option for bt, no. Are there even any quality BT headphone options? (Ah, I see...wow, that's terribly freakin' convenient. I use a long wire that's connected to an FM Tuner and sometimes it goes SCREEEECH!!!)

No email app that I'm aware of. Gmail, huh...gonna make me go there...alright, I'll try out reader, gmail, gcal, etc here later.

Yeah, the browser's in pain right now, definitely. But where chris and I will probably both get owned on is the sound quality. I'm no audiophile, but I've never heard anything like it before. As much as the Touch does browsing better, the Zune HD one up's it on every level in every frequency. The device is flat out fun to listen to and I can't wait to get another pair of headphones for it...if I keep it. Stupid browser...ruining my plans!
 
One question before I buy one of these, how easy will it be to convert large HD .mkv files to .avi so I can view them on an HDTV using the AV dock? Will there be an increase in size, and how long will it take to convert them so they'll work on the Zune HD?
 
Thanks for trying out those sites whenever you get around to it... I mostly listen to my touch thru low end Senn CX300 IEMs or on my factory car stereo so I'm not sure I'd notice the increased SQ unless it's like night and day... The BT on the touch is pretty convenient tho. That Kensington adapter I mentioned isn't even meant for the iPod (it's meant for any BT phone) but it works well, with the exception of the remote as I mentioned.

There's a few affordable BT headphone options out there ($50-ish, Motorola has a few), but from the reviews I've seen none are very impressive as far as the audio itself goes, and they're mostly over-the-ear models except for these Sony BT IEMs which look damn cool but they're also rather expensive at $120... 'Specially if they end up not sounding as good as a pair of $40 IEMs. :p

Before I got the Kensington adapter I was using one of those in-line mic extension cords for the iPod touch just so I could have a tactile button to operate on the car (1-press = play/pause, 2-presses = skip, 3-presses = repeat), fussing around w/the touchscreen while driving isn't too convenient.
 
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You bet. It's charging now and I'm getting mad tired though. I might end up konking out, but I'll get around to it.
 
Man, I'm a little disappointed. I went to the Walmart here, hoping to get a 32GB version, but to make a long story short they only had the 16GB models, and I was told to check back by the end of the week. I should have just pre-ordered from Amazon and did the release date delivery. I might actually just order one now anyway, since it's not even a guarantee I can grab one at Walmart by Friday anyway.

I was VERY tempted to just by the 16GB, but with my music collection already at 14.6GB I just can't do it. Not when I still have photos and videos I want to put on the thing.
 
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Jerome36 said:
Man, I'm a little disappointed. I went to the Walmart here, hoping to get a 16GB version, but to make a long story short they only had the 16GB models, and I was told to check back by the end of the week.
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That sucks man, I would have just told you to pick up the 16GB you were hoping to get and go home happy. :confused:
Wal-Mart...:rolleyes:
 
Before you knock out, is there any way to check and see if the sample files you've tested were converted to WMVs?
 
i have no idea man. the converted file i would assume be on the device. it says 17.1mb, but thats it.

theres also a 2.5 and 17.5 mb set of temp files in my user folder.

EDIT: My bad, 17.1.
 
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Jodiuh said:
i have no idea man. the converted file i would assume be on the device. it says 31.1mb, but thats it.

theres also a 2.5 and 17.5 mb set of temp files in my user folder.
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Ah ok, so it seemed to cut the bitrate in half for the transcode :eek:. Thanks for letting me know :).
 
Wait, wait...got it.

Ironman.wmv 17,554MB

ironman.jpg


EDIT: Oh man, it's like the forums have been cut into 3 on this browser. It's flat out unbrowsable...so sad.
 
Ah that's the one Joe Average did for ya (a downscaled version). Looks like that one was transcoded too. What the heck is up with that audio bitrate lol, the "source" file was only 128 kbps. Edit, nvm windows just read the file weird. There's no way that much total bitrate would be at 17 MB.
 
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For anybody who was scratching their heads after my last post, I had said I was "hoping to get a 16GB version, but to make a long story short they only had the 16GB models," but what I meant to say was I was hoping to get a 32GB model. I corrected it, but Jodiuh quoted me before I could, so in his post it's showing the incorrect sentence.
 
I have this one on here too:
ironman-sample-3.2mbps.mp4 74,757 MB

I think that's what he sent me. I just deleted it off my Zune and added it again. It goes on pretty fast and wo/ any conversion. It also looked the best.

Oh and I just went to gmail. Again, the blasted mobile sites first. Grrr...it works, I guess. Hitting a forum reply link and having gmail go away kinda sucks though. It just reinforces the fact that this PMP's not a browser. That's for the other device. I'll sleep on it, but it's going to grate on me, cause I know I'll find other forums w/ issues too.
 
Jodiuh said:
I have this one on here too:
ironman-sample-3.2mbps.mp4 74,757 MB

I think that's what he sent me. I just deleted it off my Zune and added it again. It goes on pretty fast and wo/ any conversion. It also looked the best.
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Oh, that one's mine actually :D. So it was a success?! Its a 1280x528 rez file.
 
Jodiuh said:
Oh and I just went to gmail. Again, the blasted mobile sites first. Grrr...it works, I guess. Hitting a forum reply link and having gmail go away kinda sucks though. It just reinforces the fact that this PMP's not a browser. That's for the other device. I'll sleep on it, but it's going to grate on me, cause I know I'll find other forums w/ issues too.
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all they have to do is allow an opera browser port :)

which im sure they will.. they are MS after all... not Apple....

the question is... how long will it take for them to do it..... hmmmm....

I hope the reviews this week are good.... i really dont want to junk my order...
 
Yoshiyuki Blade said:
Ah that's the one Joe Average did for ya (a downscaled version). Looks like that one was transcoded too. What the heck is up with that audio bitrate lol, the "source" file was only 128 kbps. Edit, nvm windows just read the file weird. There's no way that much total bitrate would be at 17 MB.
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That quoted txt right there can be scrunched into 5 lines via Firefox. But the Zune's browser likes to keep it 2 incredibly long lines + 6 words. So basically to read this in any fashion, you're panning every 5 to 6 words...back and forth, back and forth...OVER AN ENTIRE FORUM! CAN i GET A CAPS LOCK WTF?!

*Yawn*

blade:
yeah, the big file worked very well

bruce:
let it go through...then you can bitch. :D I'm done bitching. I've done enough bitching for the whole thread. No more bitching...it'll piss Joe off...and he worked hard on this.
 
Jodiuh said:
That quoted txt right there can be scrunched into 5 lines via Firefox. But the Zune's browser likes to keep it 2 incredibly long lines + 6 words. So basically to read this in any fashion, you're panning every 5 to 6 words...back and forth, back and forth...OVER AN ENTIRE FORUM! CAN i GET A CAPS LOCK WTF?!

*Yawn*
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really? I get like 14 lines scrunched up with IE8

Jodiuh said:
blade:
yeah, the big file worked very well
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Awesome, that's great to hear!
 
Jodiuh said:
Oh and I just went to gmail. Again, the blasted mobile sites first. Grrr...it works, I guess. Hitting a forum reply link and having gmail go away kinda sucks though. It just reinforces the fact that this PMP's not a browser. That's for the other device. I'll sleep on it, but it's going to grate on me, cause I know I'll find other forums w/ issues too.
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Yeah... Fortunately for me the web browser isn't a huge factor. It's nice to have, if it's done well, and I might use it from time to time, but it sounds like it has a ways to go. I hope they plan to deliver updates to the browser over time, to add more features, including tab browsing. That would definitely be nice. It would be really nice if they come out in the next few days, to say how the launch went, and to tell people what to expect in the coming months. Like the games that are coming this fall, when we could expect improvements to the web browser, etc. Then you'd at least know things will get better... and sooner then later.
 
yea i guess....

other than the browser, my main concern was battery life....

now im sure none of u guys that have a new zune have run down the batteries totally, but based on your gut/initial reaction, hows the batt life? any good anecdotes to go by?
 
The browser needs some work in terms of adjusting to the visible text.. but I'm not a fan of using a device this small to do much web browsing.. I have an iPhone too.. and I'm not always around wifi hotspots.. so it will be my primary mobile browser.

As a media player, this absolutely destroys my iPhone, though.. which is the main thing I wanted.

As for battery life, I left my sync cable at the office.. and I'm off tomorrow.. so I'll be finding out what the battery life is like.. so far, I'm getting the impression that it will be better than what microsoft has said.
 
Better than the iPod touch you think? That'd be hard to guess at if you only have an iPhone tho... I can easily get up to 40 hours of music playback on my iPod touch tho, maybe a bit less now w/the Bluetooth always on. Movie playback I get just about what Apple estimates. I wish there was more info/press on this, future updates/support from MS would definitely go a long way towards luring me to a ZuneHD, because that's one thing that really aggravates me about Apple...

They move slow as hell to update/fix anything, and they tend to ignore popular/glaring issues while wasting time w/new encryption methods or cat-&-mouse games w/Palm over whether the Pre can sync w/iTunes or not, wtfever Apple.
 
A few of them did, read a few posts back or some of the linked threads to the Mac boards... Seems several were impressed compared to the iPod touch (which admittedly, has never been the best sounding player if you're an audiophile or a wanna-be-phile).
 
I was a bit disappointed going from the Cowon S9 to the Sony X-Series in terms of sq. Not that the sony was lacking in quality, it just wasn't loud enough for my tastes. How loud would you guy say the zune is
 
Ok really retarded question. I bought the HD and I tried to listen to some "explicit" content on the market and it won't let me. For the life of me I can't figure out how to fix it...I linked my existing live.com account that has my correct birthday (I'm 26!), maybe that screwed it up.
 
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riot8ap said:
Ok really retarded question. I bought the HD and I tried to listen to some "explicit" content on the market and it won't let me. For the life of me I can't figure out how to fix it...I linked my existing live.com account that has my correct birthday (I'm 26!), maybe that screwed it up.
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Did you actually sign in to your account? You have to be signed in to listen to explicit content on the Marketplace. If you are actually signed in, and you're using a hotmail address/live account, it probably has to be a "non-minor" account. Microsoft had this problem with Xbox Live users who had created Live accounts years ago, using minor accounts (under 18 perhaps), and when new features for Live came out, that wouldn't work if you had one of those accounts, you had to get things fixed. I remember a few people on this very forum being over 18 now, but their accounts never reflected it.

Anyway, that could be your issue, but without knowing more details it's just a guess.
 
That could be it, its ridiculous...words like ass look like a** in my collection even. I'm going to try to cancel or create a new account if possible.
 
Be careful messing around w/your account like that... I made a mess out of my iTunes accounts recently by switching between two of 'em.

Long story short, I had an Apple account previous to purchasing my iPod touch a year and a half ago, made a new one when I got it, at some point I forgot my password and when I asked Apple to restore it I mistakenly entered the e-mail for the first account... So I suddenly started using a different one on iTunes (and thus the iPod, as it uses whatever's active on iTunes during the last sync, regardless of whether you even have iTunes open).

Luckily I didn't purchase any apps on that account... But I discovered that due to DRM issues I can't swap the e-mail addresses on the accounts like I wanted in order to keep my stuff straight (I use one address for all my billing, and it was on the unusued/old account)... In fact, when you change your address on an iTunes account, the old address falls into a void where it can never be used again, whether it be for a new account or an existing account, it's kinda dumb.
 
riot8ap said:
That could be it, its ridiculous...words like ass look like a** in my collection even. I'm going to try to cancel or create a new account if possible.
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Are you using a hotmail address? You might be able to fix your problem by logging into Hotmail, clicking your name in the drop right corner and selecting "View Your Account." The next page might have some settings you can change, to fix your issue. I haven't looked into it fully but there is a link on that page called "Registered Information" which lets you pick your birthdate, and other options.

I'll see if I can help you out by going to Xbox.com, checking the FAQs for the similar issue I had mentioned in my previous post, and what the fix is for it. I'll let you know if I find anything.
 
Thanks I appreciate it. The account I linked to was created in about 2004, which meant I was probably around 21 or maybe 20. According to some sources, there could be a glitch and my account is still tagged as a minor account. I'll give the zune # a call tomorrow and see if I can sort this out, since this is seriously stupid.
 
riot8ap said:
I'll give the zune # a call tomorrow and see if I can sort this out, since this is seriously stupid.
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Assuming the whole child/minor account is the problem, it looks like contacting them might be the only solution. From Microsoft Help & Support (for Xbox Live):

While attempting to sign up for or migrate an Xbox LIVE account, you receive the error message: "You cannot complete account migration until you enter your Windows LIVE ID credentials"

CAUSE:
This problem occurs when Xbox LIVE determines that you are a minor based on your age in your Windows Live ID account.

THINGS TO TRY:
There is no workaround for this problem. You must enter your Windows Live ID credentials and have your parent or guardian complete the process for you if you are a minor.

If you are a parent or guardian of a minor and you want help completing the process, you can contact Xbox Customer Support. For more information about how to contact Xbox Customer Support, please visit the Xbox Support (http://www.xbox.com/support/) Web site.

MORE INFORMATION:
When you create a Windows Live ID account, you have to enter your age. After Xbox LIVE identifies you as a minor, you cannot change the age that is associated with your Xbox LIVE account.

Restarting your Xbox 360 console does not help. If you restart your Xbox 360 console and then try to migrate your Xbox LIVE account again, the process continues to identify you as a minor. You still must enter your Windows Live ID credentials. This situation continues until you have your parent or guardian complete the process for you.

This behavior is a built-in feature to help prevent minors from accessing the Xbox LIVE service without a parent’s or guardian's approval. For more information about Windows Live ID accounts, please visit the following Web site: http://login.live.com

Additional support
Please visit the following Web site for information about how to contact Xbox Customer Support: http://www.xbox.com/support/contact

Full Article
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This was one of the first pages I found, while searching, but again, this might not be your issue. Either way it sounds like the only way to hopefully solve this, is to contact their customer support. Good Luck!
 
Thanks Jerome, though I do not have a 360.

What does everyone's Zune HD say on the left side? Mine says "hello from seattle"
 
Microsoft is located in Redmond, WA, but if they said that people would go "wat" hehe
 
riot8ap said:
Thanks Jerome, though I do not have a 360.
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Ah, okay. I don't think it really matters, I just think that perhaps your issue is similar to a couple issues Xbox users were having, because their gamertags were tied to hotmail and microsoft passport accounts that were flagged as being "minor" accounts. It's just speculation on my part though.

MatDef said:
http://www.insidethecircle.net/2009/09/first-zune-hd-multi-touch-drawing-app.html

That didn't take long at all...
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Haha, nice!
 
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