Zune question

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Gawd
Joined
Nov 26, 2006
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I'm thinking about breaking away from my iPod, as I've been using iPod/iPhone for all my MP3 playing needs for YEARS now and the Zune HD's just look so damn sexy I've been thinking about getting one. I was wondering though, does Microsoft still offer the $15 a month Zune pass thing where you can download all the music you want? And if so, what happens if I go for a while paying this monthly fee, downloading music, then later down the road I want to switch to another player be it a future iPod or something new, whatever? Do I lose all that music? My gut tells me I would, which is a deal breaker for me which is why I wanted to find out for sure before I got too excited about the Zune.

Thanks guys.
 
Yes, the Zune Pass is still available (without that I'm positive the Zune program would just dry up and disappear), but the songs you download with the Zune Pass aren't "yours" to keep - meaning songs using Zune Pass. They are tied to specific device with DRM and won't work on anything else.

Songs that you buy outright from the Zune Marketplace ARE yours to keep, but still tied to your Zune account using DRM but at least you can move them to another device (meaning another Zune or some other Microsoft portable if one appears) and of course the Zune software for playback on PCs/etc.

As quoted from the Zune Wikipedia page (and Microsoft's own Zune info is basically the same information):

As of June 2009, as an alternative to Microsoft Points, the Zune Pass is a subscription service that allows users to pay a flat monthly fee of US$14.99. Zune Pass subscribers can download unlimited music from the Zune Marketplace. Zune Pass downloads cannot be burnt to audio CD unless purchased, and become unplayable if the subscription lapses, or if in the future Microsoft should decide to discontinue the service. The Zune pass allows for 3 Zunes to share the downloaded DRM content as well as the content to be downloaded on up to 3 computers.[68] Zune Pass subscribers are also able to keep 10 songs per month. This is offered in the form of a 10-song credit each month that doesn't rollover. The songs can be purchased as DRM-free MP3 files, when available.
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(you do get to keep 10 songs per month with the Zune Pass, so... they become like regular bought songs from the marketplace, DRM content that's tied to your account but not limited like actual Zune Pass tracks are)

Still, if you're just interested in having a fantastic portable music device as well as some video capability with a little web browsing thrown in too, Zunes are great pieces of hardware. The Zune Pass makes them that much better, I suppose.

Also, about 2 weeks ago the Zunes were finally "hacked" (meaning all Zunes, from the originals to the current Zune HD models) and now people can create apps for them and install them without needing the Zune Marketplace at all. Sorta like a "Jailbreak" for Zunes in some respects but, it just primarily makes it easier for people to write their own apps if so inclined and be able to install them fairly easy compared to the complicated process that existed before this "hack" came into being.

More info on the hack is over at zuneboards.com.

I'd say look for a used 16GB or 32GB Zune HD and run with it, unless you need mass capacity which the 120GB model would fill but lack the Zune HD capabilities, obviously.
 
Thanks dude, appreciate the help! I'm sure there are ways to rip out the DRM on the songs like with the iTunes tracks, so I'm thinking yes on the Zune the more I think about it. It is the best looking player I've ever seen out there, and usually that is an area Microsoft falls flat on. Really impressive stuff.
 
Zune +1, I'm not sure why more people don't have them.

They are a much better deal than iTunes anything.
 
The Zune HD is an AWESOME music player, coupled with Zune Pass I've not listened to as much stuff in my life. It's obviously not on the level of the iPod in terms of popularity but little by little Zune does seem to be growing. And Windows 7 Phones will bring in a fresh base of users I believe.
 
staticlag said:
Zune +1, I'm not sure why more people don't have them.

They are a much better deal than iTunes anything.
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I have one. The Zune device is pretty good. I just don't care for the Zune software. I don't like the organizer - it doesn't properly organize my music. :mad:
 
Zune Pass is definitely a great feature for anybody who loves a lot of music. It's already been said, but 15 bucks a month gives you unlimited music/downloads, and every month you get 10 free credits to download 10 songs that you get to keep even if you get rid of your Zune Pass subscription.

I think most of the music on Zune Marketplace are DRM free MP3s, but sometimes you come across protected WMA music. Either way, if you get the DRM free MP3 versions of music, with your Zune Pass credits, there's no strings or hurdles you might have to go through in the future, even if you cancel. They are yours!

I'd love to see the Zune Pass plan get extended to videos too. You could have either a music Zune Pass, video Zune Pass, or both at a slight discount. I can't see it happening with movies, but it'd be cool for music videos and TV shows.
 
DerrajX21 said:
I have one. The Zune device is pretty good. I just don't care for the Zune software. I don't like the organizer - it doesn't properly organize my music. :mad:
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Same boat here. I've never seen software muck up a various artists album worse than Zune's software. It drives me crazy cause i have to add all the songs to a playlist to play the album. And that's only if you know the artists on that album. All my mp3's are properly tagged too :mad:
 
What are some examples of albums that are giving you problems? I'm just curious because I have really encountered any problems with my collection. I probably only have about 16GBs worth of CDs on my computer, but to the best of my knowledge the Zune Software has handled it fine. I guess I've just been lucky.

Pretty much all my music was ripped by WMP (These are CDs I actually own), and the Zune Software basically just had to get the album art afterwards. I did notice when I copied my library to my MBP, iTunes had problems finding certain albums, because WMP (or Zune) added wording like [Bonus Track] after the album name... and iTunes wouldn't have this... and their search seems too stupid to just let me at least find it from a list, since the only difference is the extra text in brackets.
 
Having the ability to listen to so much music really owns. I'm constantly changing my tracks on a daily basis to hear something new. It's even nicer to pick a song and have smart playlists built up around that using the market instead of your own tracks. You get so much variety this way. It's essential for running.
 
As someone with both an iPhone and a Zune (30 GB brown model), I'd say GO FOR IT! :)

Personally, I prefer the Zune software over iTunes any day. The big item for me is that the Zune software monitors and updates with new songs/movies/etc. as they are added/deleted from my media shares (all on my WHS). This lets me update my Zune on either my desktop or my laptop as well as my wife's zune on her laptop, all from the same media shares. I haven't been able to find a way to get iTunes to do this for all my media.

My one complaint for the Zune is audiobooks. I have multiple audiobooks I've collected over the years in different formats (MP3, MP4, etc.). I've never found a "fool-proof" way of getting the Zune to recognize them all properly. Then when they do show up as an audiobook, the Zune doesn't keep track of where it left off correctly. I'll be listening to an audiobook for a couple days, decide to listen to some music, and when I go back I have to find my spot again manually. For my iPhone, I just drag them into iTunes, designate them as Audiobooks and done. Haven't lost my place in an audiobook on my iPhone yet (bought it back around last August).
 
Uppercut said:
I've never seen software muck up a various artists album worse than Zune's software.
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Make sure that the MP3s are using the ALBUM ARTIST field and not the less-widely-used ALBUMARTIST field. For the greatest compliance, use both ALBUM ARTIST and BAND. Marking your MP3s as read-only before Zune is able to index them may help as well (because Zune will fuck with your tags no matter what unless they're read-only).
 
Uppercut said:
Same boat here. I've never seen software muck up a various artists album worse than Zune's software. It drives me crazy cause i have to add all the songs to a playlist to play the album. And that's only if you know the artists on that album. All my mp3's are properly tagged too :mad:
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I think ONE of the problems is the way things are setup in the marketplace. Let's say there are two versions of an album, one "Clean" and the other "Explicit" the only difference being say - two songs. For some reason if you download the "Explicit" album on Zune pass you'll get two songs associated with that version and the other eight with the non explicit version. Makes sense from a data storage standpoint, but is RETARDED from a playlist standpoint.

But, I LOVE my Zune. I do however see the Zune's getting replaced by Win Phone 7 as time goes on however.
 
Thanks guys, I'm probably going to be getting a Zune HD sometime in the near(ish) future :) I just really need a change from my iPod...been using it for so many years now.
 
I would also just like to add that if you have DRM free music, that you've purchased from iTunes, it will play just fine on the Zune. At least it should. I haven't come across any problems, since the Zune is capable of playing unprotected AAC files.
 
I just got rid of my Zune HD because I'm in Europe I was unable to sign up for the monthly sub otherwise I would have kept the device! it's well worth the money if your brand loyal.
 
How's everyone battery life on Zune HD?


Feels like it runs out fast on mine, even have it on lowest brightness.
 
book said:
How's everyone battery life on Zune HD?


Feels like it runs out fast on mine, even have it on lowest brightness.
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Are you in a cold climate ? just wondering as when I had mine the battery seemed to last at most 6-7 hours.
 
i have a zune hd, picked it up for $170 new in box, 16gb. i love the thing, the battery on mine lasts about 7 hours watching movies with the wireless off. The zune pass is awesome with smart dj, basically pandora but better imo. You get to keep 10 songs a month, so another way to look at that is buying 10 songs a month and spending $5 a month on renting all the music you want.

i picked up this external battery thing, GTmax is the only thing it says on it. Its a 2100mah battery that charges things via usb, helped tremendously, haven't ran it dry yet (13+ hours of music/internet/movies and it still goes strong.
 
I too have the iPhone and a Zune HD. The Zune Pass is brilliant. I have not tried to synch any of my personally ripped CDs to the Zune. I found it easier to look on the MarketPlace (Zune Pass) and just download them again.

There have been a couple of examples of music that Zune Pass does not have, but its no biggie for me. Pixies and Metallica come to mind. I'll just listen to them on my computer.
 
book said:
How's everyone battery life on Zune HD?


Feels like it runs out fast on mine, even have it on lowest brightness.
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What are you doing? Just listening to music, or are you doing more? Obviously the battery life is going to vary depending on what you're doing with the device. If you put music going and just let the screen shut off then it's going to last quite a long time. Microsoft claims 33 hours of battery life, for audio with wifi off, and Cnet got just over 29 hours in their tests. I've never tested the battery life of mine, but I know I've gone over 24 hours without needing a charge.

I did time how long my Zune would play video, before I got the low battery warning. You can find the details in this thread but I got just over 6 and a half hours of video playback, with an overwhelming majority of that being an HD video, which I suspect hurt performance if the processor has to decode the 720p video (even though it is of course being put on a non-HD screen. However, I don't know if that's the case.
 
Wait, so it will playback 720p content without dock? Does it look any better than xvid? I'm thinking of tv shows here.
 
Jodiuh said:
Wait, so it will playback 720p content without dock? Does it look any better than xvid? I'm thinking of tv shows here.
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You have to understand the screen is quite small, it is a mobile device. The 720p playback is only available with the dock.
 
But Jerome36 made it seem like he tested playback of 720p content and viewed it on his HD. I notice XVID can look a little rough from the tv shows and so if I can just playback 720p instead, maybe it'll look better...regardless of resolution.
 
You know what, I might have been mistaken, when I thought the video I watched was in 720p. I'll have to look into it tomorrow.

EDIT: Scratch that, I had time. Well it turns out "Battle of the X-Planes" wasn't in HD. I was mistaken because when you download videos from the Zune Marketplace you end up with two versions of the video. The filename for one of them ends with "Device" and the other ends with "PC" which is a higher quality version. For some reason I had though the PC version was in HD, but it was not. I'm not even sure why I thought it was, and I should have noticed.

However, I hopped onto the Marketplace and downloaded an episode of "The Guild", from season 3, in HD. It put two files on my computer with filenames ending in "Device" and then "HD." The device version of the video is only 46.1 MBs, while the HD version is 248 MBs. After syncing it to my device I browsed the video files on my Zune and it shows this episode of The Guild as being 248.1 MBs. So, unless there's some trickery going on, and it hides the other version, it is in fact HD. I don't think it's the case that it hides the other version though. I added up the amount of space all my videos use, and it equals the total my Zune reports as being used for videos. Anyway, I was able to play right on the device without the AV Dock.
 
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If you manually put a properly encoded 720p video on a Zune HD it will play the file, no dock required. As long as the file is properly encoded, it can handle it and the battery life is actually fine because it'll kick in the hardware decoder. An improperly encoded video file that isn't "officially" supported by the hardware decoder will fall back to software decoding and then battery life suffers tremendously.

So, get those encodings right, people. :) Use EncodeHD or HandBrake if necessary...

A good test clip is the Wildlife.wmv on included with Windows 7 in the Videos Library. It's a full 1280x720 720p clip and will play natively on a Zune HD in your hand and not docked.
 
book said:
How's everyone battery life on Zune HD?


Feels like it runs out fast on mine, even have it on lowest brightness.
Click to expand...

I use mine at work all day, plus listen to it in the car at lunch. After about 9+ hours ( including the trip to and from work) I end up with a little under 2/3 battery life at he end of the day. Surprises me how great it is. I don't use it much with the screen on though, it's all random songs/albums/podcasts playing with the screen off with just random screen flicking throughout the day to find stuff to listen to.

As a music player, damn I love the thing.
 
Yeah, I have 2 Zune 8GB's and my Zune HD (the kids use the 8GB'ers).

The battery life on the HD is incredible. I have not seen my battery even get close to 1/2 empty, where the standard 8GB units would drain after about 5-6 hours of listening for me.
 
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