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Zune HD Grand Tour

CanesVenetici said:
I'm not in a big market, but even here in central PA those shows are broadcast in FM.
Coast to Coast I kinda agree with. But who in their right mind really listens to Rush? Notice I said right mind. That is all
Click to expand...

You got HD Radio! http://www.wtpafm.com/hdradio.shtml

As for Rush, he is what he is. He makes millions a year with his stick. I don't care for him but if I could make that kind of money I do what he's doing. So as long as he's making the money he is I've learned to take him with a gain of salt.
 
I'm not sure that he has any real political views besides what he can make money off of.
 
heatlesssun said:
The SD slot thing would be kind of cool but these devices are typically sealed for support and cost reasons.

Has anyone heard about where the IE browser in the zHD supports Flash? The new IE browser in 6.5 supports Flashlight so I would expect the same.
Click to expand...

Having a MiniSD slot in a device isn't any more less-sealed than a dock connector. Like the other person, one reason I have a Sansa Fuze is because it allows for memory expansion. The biggest is that it doesn't require proprietary software.

Like they say, 3 wants, pick two that you'll actually get. My three requirements used to be: standard mini USB plug, replaceable batteries (damn you Apple for making such a disgusting trend commonplace), no proprietary software required (or any, for that matter).

The lack of standard plugs for some devices is -slightly- mitigated by that replacement cables are fairly cheap for some brands. I still don't like the proprietary connectors on nearly every device though. The Fuze didn't require any software to be installed... the memory expansion is really more of a bonus as I tend to buy my players in capacities I can use.

The best player I used, featurewise, was the Insignia Pilot. Too bad it was built like a piece of crap. It satisfied all 3 of my requirements, and then some. The software was pretty well designed and comprehensive. But the firmware was also plagued with issues (such as improperly recharging the battery, causing it to power off due to misreads)...

The HD Zune actually does look pretty nice for a Microsoft product. If I can't add files to it without installing -any- software, however, there's no chance I'll be getting one. It's my last remaining do or die rule at this point.
 
the hd radio is an excellent addition, ill use it. the non expandability sucks, but ill live with it. As for that interface, does it remind anyone else of a custom Foobar 2000 UI? And i mean that in a good way, i like how it looks, clean, simple and to the point.
 
You liberal smucks who dis Rush don't even listen to him. If you did, you'd eventually agree with him (Unless Obama is your Messiah) since he is right most of the time. Proven stats. :D

Doesn't anybody care about the sound quality!? Or are we still caught up in the style over substance thing which is clearly connected to the Rush bashing mindless dribble. ;)
 
Despotes said:
You liberal smucks who dis Rush don't even listen to him. If you did, you'd eventually agree with him (Unless Obama is your Messiah) since he is right most of the time. Proven stats. :D

Doesn't anybody care about the sound quality!? Or are we still caught up in the style over substance thing which is clearly connected to the Rush bashing mindless dribble. ;)
Click to expand...


Rush a racist?? What a retard.
 
hahahahah thread = derailed

I listen to the Rush/Beck/other conservative talk show hosts all the time when I'm driving.

some of the stupid shit they say cracks me up.

NPR is boring as hell. So is BBC.

They're all dumb as shit. Radio is cool and all for an mp3 player, but I dunno why people listen to radio for music when they can just listen to a much higher quality version of a song that can be compressed into MP3.
 
Personally i think rush is conservitive 101, dennis pregar is much better.
 
p4gs said:
... I dunno why people listen to radio for music when they can just listen to a much higher quality version of a song that can be compressed into MP3.
Click to expand...

You might want to do some research into precisely what HD radio actually is, and the technology behind it <hint, hint> because I think you're misleading yourself into abject ignorance. :)
 
Joe Average said:
You might want to do some research into precisely what HD radio actually is, and the technology behind it <hint, hint> because I think you're misleading yourself into abject ignorance. :)
Click to expand...

I know out big 50,000 watt AM station puts out HD. Do you just tune it in as normal or is there a separate band?
 
Righty said:
I know out big 50,000 watt AM station puts out HD. Do you just tune it in as normal or is there a separate band?
Click to expand...

The only real difference is that HD is digital. Regular radio is not. Otherwise, it's pretty much the same on paper. You need a radio specifically capable of capturing digital broadcasts much like a TV needs to have a digital tuner. But in the case of AM and FM, they ride the same frequencies by using In Band on Channel sideband modulation instead of switching to a different spectrum altogether. Pretty nifty how they did it. The "HD" designation is bunk. No difference between "Digital AM/FM" and "HD Radio".
 
bonsai said:
Looks nice but it's obviously ripping off many ideas from the iPod touch. And Microsoft fails again and again the design department. When will they learn that less is more? It's how Apple excels in the aesthetics category. They're trying way too hard to be over the top with the eye candy.
Click to expand...
Hahahahaha. Yeah, ok man. I love the crowd that thinks that everyone who makes an mp3 player is automatically ripping off the iPod. Lay it on us, what exactly are they copying? Please, I'd love to hear how a 720P out, HD radio receiving, OLED screen MP3 is copying Apple.
 
wolfhero said:
Still does not offer AM radio, not interested. If I want music, I would listen to my own music collection, I want AM radio for my local news talk stations.
Click to expand...

AM? Really? AM is what I listen to when there's no FM, my CD player is broken and I pack my cassettes and 8-Tracks.

Seriously, I've never understood the need for a radio in a DAP (and never imagined anyone would want AM). With that said, I think the fact that they have HD radio adds value for those that live in places that have a bunch of HD radio stations...where I"m at, there's a public station and that's it.

My biggest problem with it (assuming the sound is close to that of my aging Rio Karma) is the capacity. 32GB isn't big enough for me. When they get to 64GB, I'll give it a look.
 
I don't understand why everyone complains about lack of microSD slot (and comparing to Sansa Fuze).

SDHC maxes out at 32GB. Sure on the Fuze you have the slot, but in the end you are limited to the 8GB + 32GB. Not a large difference.

Sure, it would be nice on the Zune to have 32GB + 32GB, but there is no way a Sansa Fuze compares to a Zune because of a microSD slot.

The slots won't really allow you to add large amounts of storage until SDXC slots start appearing.
 
I'm picking up a Zune HD once they hit. I've got an Ipod and it's not been good to me. Plus, the ravenous Apple fans push me away from formerly said products. I believe this should satisfy my cravings...:D
 
Master Blaster said:
I'm picking up a Zune HD once they hit. I've got an Ipod and it's not been good to me. Plus, the ravenous Apple fans push me away from formerly said products. I believe this should satisfy my cravings...:D
Click to expand...

Welcome back to the real world, a world where your mp3 player isnt your identity. I bought the first zune and other than the ipodesque syncing i loved it.
 
I've got a Zune 120 and like it for the most part, playback quality is very good. There's a few details I don't like about the UI but no big deal. This UI looks more cluttered and less simple like someone said 'a Web 2.0 experiment' or a commercial. It would be nice if MS made the Zune UI more customizable in simple ways that had on/off options...for example how under a genre you just see the album title in the list and not artist unless it's highlighted.
 
nilepez said:
AM? Really? AM is what I listen to when there's no FM, my CD player is broken and I pack my cassettes and 8-Tracks.

Seriously, I've never understood the need for a radio in a DAP (and never imagined anyone would want AM). With that said, I think the fact that they have HD radio adds value for those that live in places that have a bunch of HD radio stations...where I"m at, there's a public station and that's it.

My biggest problem with it (assuming the sound is close to that of my aging Rio Karma) is the capacity. 32GB isn't big enough for me. When they get to 64GB, I'll give it a look.
Click to expand...

Only one HD station? That will probably change over time. AM is dying. Where I live just about all of the stations will be HD this year. Most already are and all that I would listen to already are so HD radio where I live is a big plus, FAR more useful than AM.

I can understand the capacity issue but 32GB is plenty for me. In time they will get bigger so yeah just wait if it really isn't enough space.
 
Righty said:
Welcome back to the real world, a world where your mp3 player isnt your identity. I bought the first zune and other than the ipodesque syncing i loved it.
Click to expand...

Originally I didn't care much for Zune syncing, its kind of pain still for video as it's too restrictive for my tastes. For for audio it works EXTREMELY well. You put the files in the sync directories and thats it. It's drop dead simple and works flawlessly.
 
"puts out HD video to your TV and costs about $100 less than a similarly equipped iPod." -Steve

Huh? Unless that Docking station arrives for free in the mail shortly after I buy this, I think you are mistaken, eh?
Ya needs a SDHC card slot. But if it did, how would they make the upsell to the more expensive model! Hmmmm?
 
If the price is good, I might pick up one of these. My 80GB Zune's protective screen cracked (it was in my pocket when I banged into some sharp piece of metal - it saved my leg!) but it costs like $80 to replace it, plus I have to send my Zune to them...that's about half the price of the Zune plus not having music for a while.

I just REALLY hope they allow for custom software, at least for the UI. Not that I mind the default one, but it would be nice to be able to have a large clock as a screensaver, for example, instead of seeing the time as very tiny font in a little corner. How did Microsoft end up NOT allowing us to install any software while Apple allows us to install thousands? It's really backwards to me.
 
bonsai said:
Looks nice but it's obviously ripping off many ideas from the iPod touch. And Microsoft fails again and again the design department. When will they learn that less is more? It's how Apple excels in the aesthetics category. They're trying way too hard to be over the top with the eye candy.
Click to expand...

ahem...

bonsai said:
Your fanboi is showing.
Click to expand...

lol :D

anyway, one of my buddies already preordered. he's excited. i couldn't stand that the zune software messed up my tags so i ended up selling my old zune80 and got a 2gb sansa clip :D
 
bonsai said:
Looks nice but it's obviously ripping off many ideas from the iPod touch. And Microsoft fails again and again the design department. When will they learn that less is more? It's how Apple excels in the aesthetics category. They're trying way too hard to be over the top with the eye candy.
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: why do you bother?

On topic, looking really good. It looks really fast and snappy.
 
jamesrb said:
I don't understand why everyone complains about lack of microSD slot (and comparing to Sansa Fuze).
Click to expand...

True, but 32GB added to 8GB internally is still quadrupling the available space. Pretty significant.
 
Man, the more and more I think about it, the only thing I really like is HD video playback, something that the iPod Touch can only do in SD right now. An HTPC in your pocket is very cool, I just hope that it supports a lot more than WMV.

From a functionality standpoint, Microsoft needs to get centralized app distribution on it ASAP, like, yesterday. Apps are a massive advantage that the mobile OS X platform has. I don't even have that many but my remote control, sun and moon path app, remote programming of my DVR, awesome apps for Amazon, eBay, and Steam, the Shacknews.com message board and community app (I use that thing way too much), my movie ticket application, my app to find restuarants/gas stations/ATMs/etc, there's tons of stuff I use daily. This is before we get into the standard calendar/email/contacts stuff I use for work all the time.

By the time the Zune HD and the refreshed iPods come out next month, you will have two players that are the same price (iPod refresh is in early September), yet the iPod Touch will be way more extensible and functional, I'm assuming it will have a higher storage ceiling with 64GB for $400, and (likely rumor) a camera that can geotag photos based on wifi info (iPhones also geotag based on GPS and cell tower triangulation) and shoot/edit video.

I dunno, I think the Zune HD interface is really nice, the display is really nice, the ability to do HD playback on TVs is cool (albeit a niche function), but otherwise it is so functionally limited compared to any of the OS X touch devices. Microsoft has to know this, I can't imagine they'll just let XNA development or whatever sideline as the iPod/iPhone continues to run away in software and hardware features.

I dunno, the only people I see who'd be truly interested in the Zune HD right now are those that are so brand conscious that they will pick a device that can do less, solely so that they don't buy a brand that they don't like for whatever irrational reasons.
 
techrat said:
True, but 32GB added to 8GB internally is still quadrupling the available space. Pretty significant.
Click to expand...

I agree, all devices should have microSD slots, unfortunately keeping things locked down and proprietary is the best way that these companies can keep you locked into more frequent upgrades. The only thing that is keeping iPhone upgrading painless is that I can sell an old one for less than I bought it at, strictly because the buyer can then unlock it without having an AT&T contract.
 
funkydmunky said:
"puts out HD video to your TV and costs about $100 less than a similarly equipped iPod." -Steve

Huh? Unless that Docking station arrives for free in the mail shortly after I buy this, I think you are mistaken, eh?
Ya needs a SDHC card slot. But if it did, how would they make the upsell to the more expensive model! Hmmmm?
Click to expand...

No, the place Steve's mistaken is that iPods refresh around the time that the Zune HD drops, shortly after Labor Day. If past upgrade cycles keep up, you'll see the same price points with a doubling of capacity and additional features, so it'll likely be 64GB at around $400, 32GB at around $300, etc. Either way, you'll have similar storage capacities at similar prices. Featurewise there isn't that much overlap: HD playback on external monitors and HD radio on one, a wide selection of applications and most likely a camera on the other.

Either way, doing a preorder is the best way for Microsoft to secure more sales before Apple releases their own updated models and lowered prices. Smart move.
 
Right now we don't know what Apple has coming... they could have the tablet, now rumored to be called the iPad (big surprise there... NOT) which will not be a "Tablet PC" but a larger iPod touch ("Steve said to Super-Size the iPod touch, so...") running iPhone OS 3 as expected with a lot of focus on being used for eBook/reading content - that's my take on it.

But at this point, another thing that would not surprise me is if the new iPod touch has 720p output through the dock connector just as the Zune HD does. Wouldn't surprise me at all... to be honest, Apple just doesn't surprise me anymore, they've become predictable (at least to me).

And on the Microsoft side, more rumors keep popping up about potential application development. Now some developers are claiming Microsoft is literally offering "a bucket of cash" to cross-develop stuff from the App Store and make them for the Zune HD platform as well. Considering what powers the Zune HD (a Tegra but it's ARM-based), coding for Windows Mobile should literally be a snap considering how long Windows Mobile has been developed (a very very long damned time).

It's all about creativity and taking that first step... I don't want the Zune HD to be an "everything" device, just really damned good at what it actually does.

I've owned 2 iPod touches in the past 1.5 years, if I find another one cheap, I'll grab it, but I'd never buy a new one, and I simply won't touch iTunes anymore. Been using the Zune software the past few days and it kicks ass compared to what it was long ago: fast, snappy, makes iTunes look like it's standing still on this older Pentium D machine (iTunes on the same machine/OS is so sluggish it's unbelievable). So I have high hopes for the v4 software.

We'll see what happens soon enough...
 
Joe Average said:
But at this point, another thing that would not surprise me is if the new iPod touch has 720p output through the dock connector just as the Zune HD does. Wouldn't surprise me at all... to be honest, Apple just doesn't surprise me anymore, they've become predictable (at least to me).
Click to expand...

They're predictable, absolutely, but external HD playback would really surprise me. It seems like such a non-priority for them. If we're going by what'd predictable, higher capacity at the same price points (64GB for $400, 32GB for $300), that I would bet actual money on.

And on the Microsoft side, more rumors keep popping up about potential application development. Now some developers are claiming Microsoft is literally offering "a bucket of cash" to cross-develop stuff from the App Store and make them for the Zune HD platform as well. Considering what powers the Zune HD (a Tegra but it's ARM-based), coding for Windows Mobile should literally be a snap considering how long Windows Mobile has been developed (a very very long damned time).
Click to expand...

Application development is inevitable, it literally has to happen. Microsoft offering large sums of cash to iPhone/iPod Touch developers to port their apps over to the Zune HD is no surprise at all. I believe it has XNA support, its just a matter of when Microsoft gets their own backend going to run whatever their version of the app store is.
 
p4gs said:
Hahahahahaha wow. I'm pretty sure no mainstream device from a mainstream company is going to offer AM radio since the demand for that feature is presumably extremely low.
Click to expand...

no it's more like the AM radio does not operate well in a computer environment. you'd get nothing but noise.

as for the zune HD

1. low res screen- fail
2. weak storage capacity- fail
3. no expandibility- fail
 
YeuEmMaiMai said:
as for the zune HD

1. low res screen- fail
2. weak storage capacity- fail
3. no expandibility- fail
Click to expand...

Sorry, and the iPod touch or the iPhone has:

1. low res screen- fail
2. weak storage capacity- fail
3. no expandability - fail
4. more expensive (currently)
5. no true HD output (currently)
6. less battery life (according to current published specs for them compared to the Zune HD's specs which are for pre-production hardware and expected to improve considerably)
7. no radio even though the hardware supports it (the Broadcom chip for Bluetooth/Wi-Fi also has an FM tuner on it but Apple will never enable it)
8. no OLED screen (currently)

Should I go on? Bleh...
 
Joe Average said:
Sorry, and the iPod touch or the iPhone has:

1. low res screen- fail
2. weak storage capacity- fail
3. no expandability - fail
4. more expensive (currently)
5. no true HD output (currently)
6. less battery life (according to current published specs for them compared to the Zune HD's specs which are for pre-production hardware and expected to improve considerably)
7. no radio even though the hardware supports it (the Broadcom chip for Bluetooth/Wi-Fi also has an FM tuner on it but Apple will never enable it)
8. no OLED screen (currently)

Should I go on? Bleh...
Click to expand...

if you are going to be better than your competition, maybe you should make your device better?

my PHONE is a better media player overall than either one of these things..........
 
Edit: have they fixed the problems of OLEDs having a significantly shorter life than regular LED?
 
Define "better" because the Zune HD is Tegra-powered making it the most powerful portable media player on the planet since Apple has nothing that can touch it, nor does anyone else currently. Progress happens...

And I seriously doubt your PHONE can output 720p content, sorry... might have a higher resolution screen technically, but when the LCD/OLED displays are 3-4" diagonally, does it really matter?
 
So sexy. Video out. Now I don't have to stream 30GBs of 1 movie to my xbox 360 [which just died] to watch it on my TV in the living room. HD radio.. never used it, but always wanted to see the difference.
 
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