Official Zune HD thread

[antareus]

Do you have to use Zune software to sync the device?

[TruckWEB]

never heard of that before probably just OLED haters(they are alot of them)

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09...he_zune_hd.html

I know, I take that with a grain of salt, considering the source....

[jonhapimp]

Do you have to use Zune software to sync the device?

yes but the software is Awesome!

[Mikee99]

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09...he_zune_hd.html

I know, I take that with a grain of salt, considering the source....

That "article" is so full of BS.

EDIT: Amazon now saying they are in stock. Still haven't shipped mine yet. WTFBBQ!1!1!!1oneone!eleven

[bob_c_b]

That "article" is so full of BS.

It's actually pretty full of facts, take away the PR and marketing spin and MS released an equal to the iPod Touch, but it's not category killer.

[jonhapimp]

It's actually pretty full of facts, take away the PR and marketing spin and MS released an equal to the iPod Touch, but it's not category killer.

If it's so full of facts please tell me why Oled's suck, when countless and countless of people have said oled looks better than lcd

i expect legit facts and not bs facts you've made up

please stop trolling this thread

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

I'm stuck between this (Zune HD) and the Cowon S9. :wacko:

The Zune HD offers more features but the Cowon S9 offers more battery life (55hrs vs. 33hrs).

[jonhapimp]

I'm stuck between this (Zune HD) and the Cowon S9. :wacko:

The Cowon S9 has an superior screen, and sound quality

good battery life at 55 hours of music, and an nice set of codecs

The Zune HD is better looking, has HD radio and output, Not sure about the battery life yet, games and apps, and an smoother UI

also you have to use the zune software(which is amazing in itself)

[Ayepecks]

It's actually pretty full of facts, take away the PR and marketing spin and MS released an equal to the iPod Touch, but it's not category killer.

Um, not really. It's almost entirely full of opinions to combat the facts about Zune specifications. Normally I like AppleInsider and MacRumors, but that article is fud.

[Mikee99]

It's actually pretty full of facts, take away the PR and marketing spin and MS released an equal to the iPod Touch, but it's not category killer.

They are not facts at all. That article very much so appears to be written by someone who just has a bone to pick, and most of the "facts" he brings up have many problems.

I'll address each one:

Myth 1: OLED is a great display technology for mobile devices

He goes on to say that LCD's are brighter (despite most people saying otherwise), and he goes on about how the device will look terrible in bright environments. Well, apparently he didn't see this picture: http://reviews.cnet.com/2300-6490_7-10001328.html?tag=mncol That is a bright environment, and the zune's display is very bright, clear, and everything looks great. With regards to outdoors, LCD's aren't great, to be quite honest. Every LCD device that I have looks awful in sunlight, and results in me having difficulty reading the information on the screen.

With regards to his claim about OLED's taking more power on average, I would like to see some evidence to support that claim, and he provides none.

Myth 2: NVIDIA's Tegra processor leapfrogs existing mobile processors

His basic argument here is that the Tegra processor is overrated and that the CPU in the 3Gs is way better. That is BS. Tegra has many more cores, and applications which are able to effectively use them will always run better. That's just common sense.

He then says: "Even if the Tegra did supply multiple CPU cores, the Windows CE kernel used by the Zune HD doesn't support multi-core SMP so it couldn't make any use of them." Oh really? Do he care to provide evidence to prove that? Complete BS. Clearly the Zune HD has the ability effectively use the multiple cores, which is why it runs very smooth.

Myth 3: Zune HD is mobile HD

He states that the Zune is not an HD device (via it's resolution), and that the iPod Touch has more screen real estate. True, however misleading. The Zune HD's resolution has a 16:9 aspect ratio, the iPod Touch does not. That is not something to ding the HD on.

Myth 4: Zune HD delivers high definition radio

He basically thinks HD Radio sucks - his opinion. Yes, HD radio doesn't have a ton of coverage yet, but new stations are coming out. It also functions as a regular FM Radio. This is also a feature that the iPod Touch does not have.

Myth 5: Zune HD games and software will wow you

Ok, there isn't an established App Store. Apple didn't have an established App Store right away either.

That article has a lot of FUD.

Edited September 15, 2009 by Mikee99

[tsupersonic]

Yes, it's true in sun light OLED can be a little bad in direct sunlight, I experienced this with my s9 when I had the brightness turned down, but when you turn the s9 to max brightness, you can see the screen mostly in sunlight. The AMOLED screen on the s9 is leaps and bounds better than any LCD screen on a mobile device, even in the sun. I didn't get a chance to test my zunehd in direct sunlight, it's sorta cloudy now. Maybe tmrw! I still think the s9's AMOLED screen is better than the ZuneHD's. I will have to try putting videos on the ZuneHD, and see how it looks vs. the s9. I think the reason for this is because the ZuneHD's interface is mostly black/white, whereas I have the s9 utilizing wallpapers/UCI with rich colors.

HD radio is freaking awesome! Sounds pretty damn good, granted there are very limited number of stations in my area. I think the s9's FM tuner is better at picking up regular FM reception. The s9 also allows you to record from the FM tuner, as well as other sources, which I don't use, but some might.

The now playing screen is awesome too. I do miss some features from the s9, but overall I'm liking this device.

If you had to choose between a zuneHD and an s9, me thinks it's an easy choice. Take your pick, do you want a device that has WiFi, apps (power of Tegra), HD radio/HD out, or do you want a device that is audiophile worthy with excellent battery life, plays almost everything, gapless, can run flash apps, and is slightly cheaper?

[QuietStorm21A]

Man i luv the new Zune software 4.0! So smooth and slick! Has anyone done the smart dj mix yet? I dont like the fact i have to enable the update metadata settings. (very anal about music metadata not MS fault) Does it mess up metadata in any way? I so want a 64gb version please come out with one soon MS!

[QuantumTrickery]

So some updated impressions I have: I love the new software, and I hate it. It is very responsive, and the now playing screen is just downright gorgeous. The fact it takes your album art and makes this slick dynamic wallpaper is just fantastic. i can see myself using this everyday as a main player. Integrates well with some of the Windows 7 features. What I hate is the continued lack of a good selection on the marketplace. The options are just downright garbage.

Now, for the player itself: I don't want to get too down on things like the website not working, or the updates taking ages. Getting the software was like pulling teeth, updating the firmware took even longer. Windows did not recognize the Zune until I had installed the software and rebooted the computer, pretty minor issue. I gave the browser a shot, definitely nothing spectacular. I found it to be on par or a little worse than the browser on my Iphone. I mentioned the side button previously, and i think its absolutely useless. I had no way while watching a video to change the volume without interrupting playback. This also eliminates the possibility of adjusting the volume while the unit is in my pocket, something I am used to with the rocker style control. Seems like a missed opportunity. The HD radio is a nice inclusion, but many places including around here have maybe one or two stations, and I hate the radio. Works quite well though.

I do agree that the sound quality is better than on the Ipod/Iphone. Its not hugely better, but an improvement for sure. Video playback was crisp and clear, even for a smaller screen. I loved the playback screen, very interactive and fun. i feel overall this player has a lot to offer people. I do however feel this is probably not the player for me, due to the previously mentioned issues. Size was also another concern, I really would have like to have seen a larger size, especially with the touted video playback through the tv. I am going to give this a few more days to see how it grows on me, otherwise back to the store it goes.

Kudos to Microsoft, this is a big step in the right direction, but it still feels not all there.

[jonhapimp]

@QT what exactly are you talking about the marketplace(specifics)

[Nate Archibald]

Got my 32GB Zune HD! I LOVE it!

I was very surprised to see how small, and light it was in person!!

[briangw]

I really want one now, moreso for the digital tuner and storage space. I'm thinking about selling my IPod Touch 2g, 16gb, my Monster FM car adapter, and my iHome-iPod dock alarm clock just to get one.

[BajiRav]

Just saw this,

Zune and Zune HD will go international this fall covering the UK and select other countries.

Source: Zunited's twitter

[Ayepecks]

UGH!

I keep trying to install the software... gets stuck at 99% EVERY TIME. GAH!

Edit: Got it installed... but now it's not recognizing my connected Zune. Annoying.

Edited September 16, 2009 by Ayepecks

[Knightwolf20024]

im dissapointed this didnt launch in canada, i need to replace my current zune and theres not alot of good alternatives.

[zivan56]

Boo, not available in Canada. I had to get my Zune 30 via the grey market...now I will have to do the same with this...what BS!

[bluezz]

Sigh

I thought I'll make a quick trip to the states. Turns out the best buy near the border is all sold out. Restocking in 2 weeks!

I seriously don't care if Canada does not have HD radio.

[S00N3R FR3AK]

Well unsurpsingly the best buy I pre-ordered at took way more pre-orders then the 6 32gbs they got in. Managed to find me one about 45mins away as I didn't feel like waiting a week(last zune dead reasonf for getting HD) and I like having my music. They gave me the warrnty money and I got one. Loving it so far.

[zagor]

never heard of that before probably just OLED haters(they are alot of them)

Can confirm that the screen looks very beautiful even under bright lightning conditions. I had the chance to compare it with my iphone 3gs and, well, I wish iphone had the same screen as zune hd.

What about the screen in bright light? Outside sun?

Every demo of the ZuneHD was done in low light places, some bad mouth are saying that the OLED screen (quality) is just awful under light/sun.

In any case, MS is not giving me a choice, I would have loved a ZuneHD, but I'm in Canada, so the winner is Apple Touch 3rd gen....

Can you find us an outdoors review of iphone 3gs screen? cause I can tell you that it doesnt look as nice at outdoors either.

[spenser.d]

Got mine from Amazon today. Fantastic device and fantastic software update and I haven't even had a whole lot of time to play around yet. I'm lovin it.

-Spenser

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

Was there a specific reason as to why the Zune HD didn't launch in Canada? I don't think I could wait another month or so. I need an mp3 player now!

/me looks at the Cowon S9