What do we think of the Zune HD?

**LSCyaL8R** · 09-21-2009, 10:50 AM

I've had an iPod since the 80GB video model back in 2006. It has served me well but there were always shortcomings that left me wanting more. I always wanted a better screen. I always wanted faster access than a 1.8in HDD could provide. I've always wanted better syncing options etc.

I have taken a serious look at the new Zune HD and have come away rather impressed.

As a disclaimer I happen to be an Apple hater. I accept their market dominance in the PMP arena and can appreciate the design successes that got them there as well as the simple elegance of their players. However, I do not like Apple as a company and do my best to steer my friends and loved ones clear of their computers whenever possible. Before the Apple fans jump on me I will say I use a mac quite often and it never gets more comfortable. For me I find their OS's limiting and cumbersome where "light" users tend to find it pretty and easy.

Now that I got that out of the way......

I also hated the Zune when it launched. I felt that Apple had become the defacto standard and that MS was playing a fools game in trying to compete head to head rather than differentiating and creating a new niche. To me the original zune felt too much like a me too device without enough innovation to provide a compelling alternative to iPod.

Today I see a whole new value proposition in Zune. It has long been known that Zune players have better sound quality than Apple offerings and at this point in my life sound quality is something I am appreciating more and more. The zune hd is also smaller and lighter than competing apple offerings which enhances music portability. The new Zune HD is a downright sexy piece of kit compared to a touch. The OLED screen is getting great reviews for brightness and clarity and if you do your homework you will find that most apple publications lusted for an OLED screen in the new iPod touch until the Zune HD came out at which point they switched to bashing the technology. Reviewers have been applauding MS for creating an OS for the Zune that is perfectly fluid and more interactive than the touch. Currently there are few apps available but with time that situation will change and the Zune will have a thriving app catalog just as apple fans enjoy today.

With the hardware posting such a strong showing there is still more reason the Zune suddenly seems appealing to me.

Since launch day I have been using Zune 4.0 software on my laptop. Let me tell you it SHAMES itunes. I had a lot of album cover art on my itunes.... at least I thought I did. I had exhaustively tried to get as many album covers on my music as I could but itunes never fully delivered. I even used 3rd party apps that interfaced with itunes to find and apply the artwork and still only a fraction of my library was covered. Until Zune. Without any intervention Zune software went out and found TONS of artwork that itunes never came up with. I'd say most of my albums now have artwork. BIG WIN MS!!!

The display of music is also very organic and pleasant to watch. When playing a playlist the Zune software will fill the background with images of the band along with information about them and the song in a stylized and graphical way that is very pleasing to see.

So Zune hit a home run on the hardware and the software.... but all that is nothing without music right?

Enter Zunepass. So the idea of a music subscription service doesn't appeal to you eh? How many CD's do you buy a month? more than $15 worth? Zunepass was the final nail in the iPod coffin for me. That $15 bucks gets you a LOT of stuff. for $15 bucks you get to download 10 songs per month that you can keep. that might sound like a ripoff since that works out to more than .99 per song but stick with me. Along with those 10 you keep you can download AS MANY SONGS AS YOU WANT AND PUT THEM ON UP TO THREE ZUNES!!!!!! Do you have enough bandwidth to download 10,000 songs in a month.... well the go ahead and do it! Legally!!! Of course there is the one catch. You keep 10 per month meaning you buy 10 songs a dollar a piece and the other 5 bucks gives you the right to hold on to as many downloads as your heart desires. stop paying that subscription fee though.... well you will keep all the "purchased" music, those 10 songs per month. but the songs you simply downloaded will vanish.

Another thing about the Zune marketplace... unlike apple's 128kbps nonsense the Zune marketplace ranges from 192kbps up to 320kbps for their music. Higher quality indeed!

Oh and while you are out listening to your HD radio on your zune... hear that song you love. tag it. as soon as you are in a wireless hotspot your zune will automatically download it from the marketplace right into your zune library free if you are a subscriber of zunepass. You can also wirelessly sync your library at home meaning you never need to plug the zune into your computer.

I can simply go on and on about all the great things I'm learning.

Second disclaimer. I am in no way affiliated with MS or the music industry I am not a paid advertiser and have no interest in the success of Zune or the Zune Marketplace. The opinions contained in this post are solely mine and offered as informative and not meant to influence for the purpose of personal gain.

So what do you all think? I know I went on for a long time here but since everyone is sold out of Zunes I needed to speak on it somewhere and this IS anything goes.... You guys going out to get Zunes anytime soon?

**02Sweet** · 09-21-2009, 11:22 AM

you have a bad habit of posting long reads......

**LSCyaL8R** · 09-21-2009, 11:24 AM

can't help it when I have a lot to say. Believe me.... that was the abridged edition

**ibanez7** · 09-21-2009, 11:30 AM

i dont use mp3 players. the head unit it my trailblazer has a USB interface so I use an external HD instead.

MP3 players try to lock themselves to your computer and or black pirated music.... a HD does not.

**86 IROC-Z** · 09-21-2009, 11:36 AM

**02Sweet** · 09-21-2009, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by ibanez7

i dont use mp3 players. the head unit it my trailblazer has a USB interface so I use an external HD instead.

MP3 players try to lock themselves to your computer and or black pirated music.... a HD does not.

I have ALL pirated music and I load it onto my iphone without an issue. That is what I use in my vehicles for music

**LSCyaL8R** · 09-21-2009, 11:40 AM

LOL for the awesome pic Iroc. That's a Shiba Inu they are awesome dogs! SO friendly and very playful.

**LSCyaL8R** · 09-21-2009, 11:41 AM

News flash on the "pirated music" Zune marketplace mp3's are in WMA format and do NOT have any DRM! I think paying 5 bucks a month for the legal right to a 10,000 song music collection is not a bad deal.

**02Sweet** · 09-21-2009, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by LSCyaL8R

News flash on the "pirated music" Zune marketplace mp3's are in WMA format and do NOT have any DRM! I think paying 5 bucks a month for the legal right to a 10,000 song music collection is not a bad deal.

or you can pay me $2 a month and ill give you access to my server of 150 gigs of music LOL

**86 IROC-Z** · 09-21-2009, 11:46 AM

Or for $1.49 a month I'll email you YouTube links of music I like!

**LSCyaL8R** · 09-21-2009, 11:46 AM

jeez two bucks a month? how bout i show up with a hdd and some beer and we call it even lolol

**02Sweet** · 09-21-2009, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by LSCyaL8R

jeez two bucks a month? how bout i show up with a hdd and some beer and we call it even lolol

DEAL!!!

LOL!!!

The only genre of music i don't have much of is rap/hiphop/r&b shit.

But i have lots of classic rock, oldies, new rock, metal, country, etc...

**86 IROC-Z** · 09-21-2009, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by 02Sweet

The only genre of music i don't have much of is rap/hiphop/r&b shit.

Free sample of my aforementioned service!

**LSCyaL8R** · 09-21-2009, 02:05 PM

a lot of effort and surprisingly little interest. Surely someone here must have or be interested in the new zune. My only gripe with it is the fact that they don't have a 64GB or larger one yet. It will be hard to go from an 80GB iPod to a 32GB zune

**bigrondownhiller** · 09-21-2009, 02:51 PM

Well from what you have written it seems like a good unit. My brother had the original zune. The only thing I didn't like about it was that the battery life was short and at the time there was no direct control from a headunit. I bought the 2nd gen Ipod touch 32g when it came out. It is a cool thing but I rarely use anything besides the music itself. If the music is at a better format I would like that. I have most of my cd's loaded in Itunes and can tell the quality isn't as good, but most people don't hear the difference.