Hmm, I thought they'd go for more codec (audio and video) support. The screen could be higher res too.
I was hoping for much more codec support myself as well - at least H.264 is in there, that's a step in the right direction. But no Divx or Xvid? Boo! Unless the generic "MPEG4" support can handle them...? I knew it would be QVGA - a three inch VGA screen makes no sense at all from a pricing, power drain, and marketing standpoint.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yslee
Does anyone think that MS rushed the announcement? Compared to the Apple one, this one is so murky and somewhat unexciting.
Yeah, Microsoft doesn't seem to really know how to launch a product with a lot of fanfare - I think the Zune enthusiast sites, and sites like Engadget, brought way more interest to the Zune than Microsof themselves did.
Does Zune support gapless playback? If so, which formats? The latest iPod + iTunes 7 (launched Tuesday) supports gapless on all formats it supports: MP3 (yes!), AAC/M4A & of course Lossless ALAC. This is a must have.
Does Zune support other WMA codecs, like WMA Pro, WMA Lossless or WMA Voice without transcoding?
Will existing downloaded DRM "PlaysForSure" content from, say, URGE or Yahoo! Music load on the Zune? The interviews imply it will for compatibility, but they keep on downplaying PlaysForSure... since Zune is a "total solution."
Will downloaded ZUNE content work the same as other PlaysForUse DRM purchased or subscription content? Can it still play via XBox 360 or Roku SoundBridge, for example?
How does it handle Album Artist vs. (Contributing) Artist? On almost all previous players, there is no way to group/browse via Album Artist... so albums get split if albums tracks don't have common artists. Does it behave like WMP 11 now? (Please, please, please!)
As far as I know, the biggest hard drive available on the market today in the right form factor is 80 GB. So what you want doesn't exist...but I'd like to see an 80 GB version myself. But I know what you're getting at.
Ah yes, Toshiba and their 1.8 inch hard drives. I recall replacing a 40 Gb Toshiba hard drive in my old Iriver HP-140 with a 60 Gb one back in the days when it was easy to "operate" on and upgrade an Mp3 player.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
On one hand, if the Zune really is aimed at music lovers first and foremost, you'd think what WMA Lossless would be in the offering - but I kind of doubt it. WMA Lossless appeals to a very, very small number of people. Perhaps a higher % of people that are interested in the Zune, but most people can't tell the difference between a 256 kbps MP3 and a 320 kbps MP3 - hell, I can't, unless it's very badly encoded, or perhaps is a very specific song that shows some frequency weakness in the MP3 encoding.
But I would bet that the difference between any Lossless format and a 320 Kbps file is easily perceptible to you, no? I must admit you're right about how few people use or even know about Lossless formats but I just want this device to aspire to higher levels of fidelity.
Hell, I would like to see a company as powerful as MS at least inform folks that there are even better sounding options than the typical 128 Kbps downloads. I'm not talking cram higher bit rates and WMA Lossless down the consumer's throat, just explain and invite users to try it out. However I fret that is unlikely since even in WM Players 10 and 11 the highest bit rate option for syncing to a mobile device, after WAVE and WMA Lossless, by default is 192kbps and that's ONLY if one moves the slider up there. (I, with the assistance of some online instructions, have registry-hacked and bumped that value option up to 320kbps.)
It seems that music is being "dumbed down" in SO many ways lately. Granted, artistry is not something MS is necessarily concerned about or even should be in its business model, but it's frustrating to see companies like MS, and Apple along with the record labels shooting sonics in the foot by offering such compromised sounding compression schemes as the de facto standard. The whole downloads thing has taken sonics to an all time low.
In a nutshell I'd be happy to see MS step in wholeheartedly and offer something more attune to the audiophile/hardcore music junkie niche too. (Hello, can we say "liner notes") It doesn't have to be a humongous push just a REAL offering. If not them then at least spec something out to a couple of partners - one for hardware the other for the downloads. That's essentially what Toshiba is doing by at least handling the first run of Zune players before MS is supposed to take over that job of manufacturing them from what I've read.
It's a very small market for a more high end sounding device and accompanying codec but the buying power of a more discriminating audience can lead to a greater return per unit AND download IF it's marketed jointly and correctly. That's why I'd like to see a lossless download service like Music Giants form a strong relation with the Zune camp to get out a higher-end device to pair with their download service. It might not seem big in people numbers but I bet the companies would realize some nice niche-market cash and see the emergence of a strong brand loyalty if marketed right especially if it pushes networking music in the house.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
That's a big unknown for the moment. There are some music bloggers that we'll be linking to over the next 24 hours that have had some real hands-on time with the Zune, but I doubt they compared it to the Gigabeat S.
I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for their impressions too.
I'm jumping the gun but you know what I would like to see too - Zune head units for the car! I could see it essentially being a docking station for the player in the car head unit - no cables, no FM transmitters, no need for even a CD changer - it just clicks into place and all the Zune controls are right there and available while driving. The user wouldn't have to learn a new interface since it would be just their Zune player sitting in the dash. The only thing fixed would be the radio section with its own separate controls. I could see this setup working nicely in a later unit with perhaps a larger screen. If MS is smart they should schmooze up the automobile manufacturers and get the ball rolling!
(Sorry for the long rant but since Lossless downloads are only available for MS devices and since MS has decided to push even harder into the music download business, I've become passionate about this Zune stuff.)
Last edited by Alvester; 09-15-2006 at 09:35 AM..
Reason: Addition
Yup, we posted about that yesterday. Lots of info though, I'm not surprised you missed it.
"The Zune player is 5.6 ounces in weight, 4.4 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide and 0.58 inches thick. By comparison, the iPod is 0.47 inches thick. By way of comparison, my Zen Vision:M is 5.8 ounces, 4 inches tall, and 1 inch thick. So I can definitely say that I don't think the Zune is too thick, especially while serving up that bigger screen"
As far as I know, the biggest hard drive available on the market today in the right form factor is 80 GB.
Seagate announced a 120 GB 1.8" hard drive to be available in December. But who knows when those will actually start appearing in consumer devices. But it would be sweet!
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Thanks Jason.
I could see it essentially being a docking station for the player in the car head unit - no cables, no FM transmitters, no need for even a CD changer - it just clicks into place and all the Zune controls are right there and available while driving. The user wouldn't have to learn a new interface since it would be just their Zune player sitting in the dash. The only thing fixed would be the radio section with its own separate controls. I could see this setup working nicely in a later unit with perhaps a larger screen. If MS is smart they should schmooze up the automobile manufacturers and get the ball rolling!
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