[David Tucker]

Got Zune? did a video comparison of the Zune 80 vs iPod Classic the other day and I have to say I was very surprised at the result. The iPod was clearly washed out while sitting next to the Zune. I had never seen the iPod used for video really and always assumed the screen quality was really quite similar to the Zune. To see that the Zune is quite a bit better when it comes to video in both screen size and display quality is very interesting. If it comes up in a conversation now where someone is asking for advice on media players and video is important to them then I would be much more strongly in favor of a Zune now. (Not that I wouldn't be in favor of one but not everyone's needs are the same!) 

[David Tucker]

Got Zune? did a video comparison of the Zune 80 vs iPod Classic the other day and I have to say I was very surprised at the result. The iPod was clearly washed out while sitting next to the Zune. I had never seen the iPod used for video really and always assumed the screen quality was really quite similar to the Zune. To see that the Zune is quite a bit better when it comes to video in both screen size and display quality is very interesting. If it comes up in a conversation now where someone is asking for advice on media players and video is important to them then I would be much more strongly in favor of a Zune now. (Not that I wouldn't be in favor of one but not everyone's needs are the same!) 

[Stinger]

I think anyone serious about video would go for the iPod touch rather than the iPod classic. The 32GB limit is a bit of a pain but the size of the screen makes up for it.

[David Tucker]

Not that many people are willing to drop $500 on a video player

[Rocco Augusto]

Originally Posted by David Tucker

Not that many people are willing to drop $500 on a video player

I dropped $500 on a video player... but it was a home theater pc which does way more than an iPod Touch can do! I guess that doesn't count, huh?

[Stinger]

Originally Posted by David Tucker

Not that many people are willing to drop $500 on a video player

Enough people to get it to number 4 on Amazon's top mp3 players list.

[Macguy59]

Well gee let's compare the video quality of a BlackJack II versus the iPhone. This comparison would still be valid had the 'Touch not been introduced. The 'Touch is the better comparison now in terms of screen size and quality.

[David Tucker]

Originally Posted by byteme

Well gee let's compare the video quality of a BlackJack II versus the iPhone. This comparison would still be valid had the 'Touch not been introduced. The 'Touch is the better comparison now in terms of screen size and quality.

I don't quite understand what you mean here.

Anyway, my point was that if you're in the market for a $250 MP3 player...comparing it to one that's twice the cost seems a bit meaningless

[Jason Dunn]

Originally Posted by byteme

The 'Touch is the better comparison now in terms of screen size and quality.

Really? The Zune 80 and iPod Classic are both hard drive-based, both have the same resolution (320 x 240), both are $249 MSRP, and both are nearly the same size. They're pretty much tailor-made for comparisons. The only major difference is the screen size of the Zune being bigger.

The Touch on the other hand is flash-based, has a larger screen, a higher resolution screen, and is at least $50 to $250 more depending on capacity. There's no Zune that competes with it.

If someone wants a media player and they have a $500 budget, I think the Touch is the best way to go. But if they have $250 and they want 80 GB of storage, the Zune is a strong contender over the iPod Classic.

[txa1265]

Originally Posted by Jason Dunn

Really? The Zune 80 and iPod Classic are both hard drive-based, both have the same resolution (320 x 240), both are $249 MSRP, and both are nearly the same size. They're pretty much tailor-made for comparisons.

That is pretty much what I was thinking ... I love my iPod (music only) and my kids love watching stuff on their Nanos during trips ... but after getting to spend a bit of time with a Zune, there is no doubt where the video seeking portable fan should look.

Of course, they could also get a PSP with a couple of 4GB sticks for that price point. We're in process of moving based on my new job, and I had a bunch of travel time for interviews and used the PSP for video for the first time in three years ... very nice.

[David Tucker]

I do think if your primary purpose is to watch video that there are many other devices out there that trump the Zune, absolutely! But the Zune 80 is in a very small class of devices that does several things very well. The Zune 80, iPod Classic, a couple of the Sansa players and the Creative players are the big names here. So if you are looking for a general media player then go for one of thsoe.

If movies are your thing...then its time to look at other devices