Diving Deep on the Zune: Tech Specs

[Jason Dunn]

Today I was fortunate to be one of only two Zune sites involved in a conference call with Chris Stephenson, General Manager of Global Marketing for the Zune. Along with one other Zune site (<a href="http://www.zunerama.com" target="_blank">Zunerama</a>)&nbsp; I was able to get 30 minutes of time with Chris to ask a variety of questions. I'll be unravelling that information over the rest of today - there's a lot to discuss.<br /><br />First up, I was able to ask some technical questions about the Zune, because those details were sorely lacking from all the press materials released today. Here are the highlights:<br /><br />
<ul>
<li>The three inch screen is 320 x 240 in resolution</li>
<li>Video CODECS supported: WMV, H.264, MPEG4</li>
<li>Video is limited to 320 x 240 currently, but they are discussing options for higher resolution video support</li>
<li>Supported bit rates for video haven't been finalized at this time<br /></li>
<li>Audio CODECS supported: non-FairPlay AAC, WMA, MP3</li>
<li>Chris was unable to confirm if the battery was 700 mAH as the FCC documents indicated, but I believe that will be the case</li>
<li>The battery life is still in flux due to last-minute firmware adjustments, but Chris said that compared to the iPod the battery is quicker to reach full charge, quicker to partial charge, and is &quot;very comparable&quot; to the video playback time on the newly announced iPods - I'm hoping that means around six hours of video playback, which would be impressive indeed</li>
<li>The Zune battery is built-in and not user replaceable</li>
<li>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</li>
<li>WiFi is 802.11b/g, and Chris described the WiFi as being &quot;on when you need it, off when you don't&quot; - I assume that means it has a very aggressive sleep state that will minimize the battery impact</li>
<li>Photo support is JPEG so far, I have no further details at this time</li>
</ul>
That's about it for the technical details - next up I'll talk about the Zune vision and where Microsoft wants to take this product. Any technical details you'd still like to know? Post your questions and I'll try to get some answers!

[John Cody]

"The Zune battery is built-in and not user replaceable"

That's going to be a BIG issue.

[Alvester]

I hope at launch time or shortly thereafter MS releases at least a 100+ Gb capacity version. I'm currently using a 60 Gb Gigabeat S60 that I'm very found of but my WMA Lossless music filled it up with only 288 albums.

I haven't even ripped half of my CD's yet and I've got over 200 Gbs of WMA Lossless music on my desktop machine with about 10 albums that I've downloaded as WMA Lossless from Music Giants so I'm starving for more capacity. Also when the folks start to load, in addition to music, more and more videos and photos they'll appreciate the extra space.

I hope the Zune Marketplace also supports wireless WMA Lossless downloads and not just the lossy stuff that sounds lifeless to hardcore music lovers like me. At a minimum MS should hook up a deal with Music Giants to allow wireless downloads of WMA Lossless music from them.

Does any one know how this thing sounds compared to the Gigabeat S series?

I've got my fingers crossed that it sounds at least as good as the Gigabeat S series and even better. I hope it also includes a real equalizer and not just the presets found on the Gigabeat that, to my ears, took away from the transparency of its sound. I'm fearful that MS won't pay too much attention to sound quality as it seems to be marketed to a pop/rock crowd where sound usually doesn't matter as much since most pop music is so heavily processed and lacks much in the way of acoustic sounding instruments anymore anyway. In the end the sound will be the most important thing to me.

[Jason Dunn]

That's going to be a BIG issue.

So, if that's really a "big" issue, why is the iPod selling so well? ;) I'm playing devil's advocate here of course - I agree that having a removable battery is great to have, and it ticks me off that the Zune doesn't have one, but the number of iPod buyers tells us that the majority of consumers don't care.

[jlp]

3" screen at QVGA for a multimedia device??

It's so close to 3.5" and VGA IS mandatory for such use.

Everybody on PPCT say that after tasting VGA on their PDA they will NEVER go back to QVGA.

Me too and I tried ripping movies in QVGA for my VGA PPC: NO WAY!!

[Jason Dunn]

Some challenging questions!

I hope at launch time or shortly thereafter MS releases at least a 100+ Gb capacity version.

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.

I hope the Zune Marketplace also supports wireless WMA Lossless downloads and not just the lossy stuff that sounds lifeless to hardcore music lovers like me.

An interesting question. 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.

Does any one know how this thing sounds compared to the Gigabeat S series?

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.

[Jason Dunn]

3" screen at QVGA for a multimedia device?? It's so close to 3.5" and VGA IS mandatory for such use.

Until August 10th, that product didn't even exist - Samsung just announced it recently (http://www.samsung.com/PressCenter/PressRelease/PressRelease.asp?seq=20060810_0000279279). I agree with you that VGA quality would be AWESOME, but VGA brings with it:

1) Hefty battery drain
2) Hefty price price increases
3) Hefty CPU/GPU firepower needed for the 400% more pixels over QVGA

Would I love to see it? YES! Is VGA realistic for the first-generation Zune? Probably not...but hopefully 2nd generation!

[John Cody]

So, if that's really a "big" issue, why is the iPod selling so well? ;) I'm playing devil's advocate here of course - I agree that having a removable battery is great to have, and it ticks me off that the Zune doesn't have one, but the number of iPod buyers tells us that the majority of consumers don't care.

Don't you remember the big stories about the ipod's non-user replaceable batteries:

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/ipod_suit.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neistat_Brothers

[yslee]

Hmm, I thought they'd go for more codec (audio and video) support. The screen could be higher res too.

Does anyone think that MS rushed the announcement? Compared to the Apple one, this one is so murky and somewhat unexciting.

[Jason Dunn]

Don't you remember the big stories about the ipod's non-user replaceable batteries...

I do, and I want one too, but it didn't seem to have a negative impact on the sales of the iPod. I'm sitting here staring at a Gigabeat S, and a Zen Vision:M, and neither have replaceable batteries...so it seems to be the norm. Sadly. :(

[Jason Dunn]

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.

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.

[grommet]

The questions I'd like answered:

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!)

[Alvester]

Jason, thanks for bringing me back down to earth!


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.


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.


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!:D 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.)

[JordanR]

Any world on dimensions and weight of the Zune?

[Jason Dunn]

Any world on dimensions and weight of the Zune?

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"

[Alvester]

Any confirmation of WMA Lossless support yet?

[Jason Dunn]

Any confirmation of WMA Lossless support yet?

Nope. Waiting to hear back from Cesar Menendez on that one.

[Dyvim]

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!:)

[Jason Dunn]

Seagate announced a 120 GB 1.8" hard drive to be available in December.

Wow....nice! :D That would indeed rock in a Zune...