Can You Originzie Playlists in Zune?

[Alethinon61]

Hi,

I'm about ready to purchase a Zune, but after watching every Youtube video available, I'm still not sure if it has a feature that I need, and another that I want.

Needed Feature: Can you create folders in Zune for the different genres of music? In other words, can you organize the lists so that instead of scrolling through a massive list of artists names or album names, can you create folders such as, "Jazz", "Classical", "Opera", etc, and then have the album titles for the particular genre appear alphabetically only after you've entered the genre list or folder? This is important for people like me who have been collecting music for about 30 years, and need some logical means to organize large collections.

Desired Feature: Can you create a folder or song list for favorite music from various CDs, i.e. a song from this CD, another from that one, and title it "Sean's Favorites 1" and "Sean's Favorites 2", etc.?

These would seem to be basic features, but I haven't seen anyone mention them online, and I'm not going to fork over $250 if it can't do these basic things.

Thanks,
~Sean

[Jason Dunn]

Sean,

Hello and welcome to Zune Thoughts! :) Great first post!

The vast majority of MP3 players on the market have music sorting based around metadata - you're thinking of files and folders, but MP3 players, the Zune included, filter music based on metadata.

In your example, each of those genres you mentioned would be separated out if the metadata on your music was correct (and that's easy to do in batch mode with a tool such as Media Monkey (http://www.mediamonkey.com)). So, yes, you'd turn on your Zune, you'd go to the genre filter and flip to Opera, then inside the Opera genre you'd see all your Opera albums listed in alphabetical order. Genres are completely under your control - I've created genres such as '70s Pop, '80s Pop, etc.

Creating a list of songs from various albums is called creating a playlist, and that's something that you the Zune desktop software. You create a playlist, say "Driving Music", then drag and drop the songs from your collection onto the playlist. Then, when you're done, you drag and drop the playlist onto your Zune - and all that music comes along for the ride. On the Zune itself, you can select that playlist

You're questions have given me ideas for some new Zune 101 videos - watch the Zune Thoughts front page for them, probably mid-April.

[Alethinon61]

The vast majority of MP3 players on the market have music sorting based around metadata - you're thinking of files and folders, but MP3 players, the Zune included, filter music based on metadata.

Thank you, Jason, that eliminates my last vestiges of hesitation to buy.

~Sean

[Jason Dunn]

Thank you, Jason, that eliminates my last vestiges of hesitation to buy.

Glad I could help! Be sure to come back here once you get the Zune if you have any questions - or just to tell us what you think about it. :)

[Alethinon61]

Glad I could help! Be sure to come back here once you get the Zune if you have any questions - or just to tell us what you think about it. :)

Hi Jason,

I'm sorry to say that after much too much contemplation about whether to get a Zune or an iPod, I finally purchased a Zune today, and I am very sorry to have wasted the time with another Microsoft dud. What a piece of junk! I installed the software, plugged the Zune into my computer, and the Zune said:

"On your PC, open the Zune software and restore the Zune device firmware."

Well, I couldn't find a how to do this, but didn't need to as I was immediately taken to a screen to download the latest software. Unfortunately I got the same error that you experienced on one of the videos that I watched (at least I think it was one of your videos). The difference is that while your Zune updated despite the error message, mine just sat there and did nothing. Wouldn't update no matter what I did. So I clicked on the URL for web help, and didn't find anything that so much as hinted at a potential fix.

The only potentially helpful hint on the web page I was taken to was a suggestion that if I can't get it to work then I should go to one of the forums and see if someone can offer a suggestion. Excuse me? No, no, no, you do NOT sell someone a faulty product -- a fairly expensive faulty product -- and then tell them to see if anyone who owns a Zune can offer a suggestion. What garbage.

I installed Linux on my laptop recently in an effort to at least partially free myself from the nightmare that is Microsoft, and now I'm going to free myself from yet another MS flop (and no, I wasn't trying to use the Zune software in Linux). I should have listened to the one star reviews I read on Amazon, because those folks were spot on, my friend -- spot on.

Frustratedly yours,

~Sean

[Alethinon61]

Hi Jason,

Ok, so I took a deep breath and tried again. I decided that moving nearly 80 gig of music from an external drive to the C drive used too much of my free space, and one of the potential reasons for the program's inability to install was insufficient disk space. Fine, so I moved the music back to the 80 gig external drive. I then had to uninstall the zune software because it had populated the songs from the C drive and was therefore no longer pointing to the right place. I reinstalled the zune software hoping to have the oppertunity to have it search for songs to populate the program with as it did before, and guess what? Yup, like so many mischievous MS programs, it must have created changes in the registry that it isn't smart enough to fix when un-installed, so the entire list of songs reappeared, still pointing to the C drive!!!

Once again I clicked on the URL for web help, and can you guess what it suggested? Yup, move the music back where it was. No, really, I'm not kidding, that's MS's solution. Either that or I can delete each song, but no suggestion is offered regarding what I should do after deleting the songs, all 8,000 of them! It looks like the only option I have if I want to give it yet another try is to reformat my hard drive, and reinstall Windows to clean the registry, and then reinstall the Zune software. Sorry Bill, but I'm not willing to work that hard to get your garbage to work.

Miscrosoft *really* needs to learn to work out the bugs before they sell a product, because people like me, once put off, never return. The Zune goes back tomorrow, and I won't be giving Gates another chance to get it right.

In any case, it's been nice visiting ya'll,

~Sean

[Jason Dunn]

Well...considering your obvious frustration level, I'll just say "Sorry it didn't work out" and suggest you get an iPod. :) The Zune works great for a lot of people, but obviously not with your computer or the state it's in. Hopefully iTunes treats you better!

[Alethinon61]

Well...considering your obvious frustration level, I'll just say "Sorry it didn't work out" and suggest you get an iPod. :) The Zune works great for a lot of people, but obviously not with your computer or the state it's in. Hopefully iTunes treats you better!

Well, my computer is only a few years old. It's an HP Media Center m1160n, and I haven't had any trouble with any other program or device. In any case, I did get the program to populate with the list of songs from the external drive, and thought maybe things would go better now. Then I went to the update screen again, and clicked update, and it got to 11% before giving me that error message again. So I tried it again, and it got to like 98% and the Zune actually booted. Ok, so maybe it updated after all, I thought, but then it wouldn't let me name the Zune until I connected it. Of course, it was already connected, but I unplugged the USB cable and plugged it back in just to humor it. Ya know what it said then? It couldn't run the USB device because of a driver problem. Now, one would think that the Zune software would come with the necessary driver, wouldn't one? I would, but apparently I'm wrong to expect such basic functionality.

I've spent 3 1/2 hours so far trying to get this device to work. I suppose it's so complicated that one has to go to a Zuniversity and get a degree in Zuneology before he can listen to his bloody music. It really is sad that MS does such a consistently sloppy job at releasing bug-free software. I'm sure that the device itself is just fine, but the software is typical Gates prematurely released, let-the-public-suffer-til-we-get-it-right, bug-laden MS.

~Sean

[Alethinon61]

Hi Jason,

Your comment about my computer possibly having some issue prompted me to try my laptop, which is only about a year old. Unfortunately I had the same problem, in that the computer can't read the USB device. Since the Zune software must surely install whatever driver might be needed (and both computers indicated that a driver was successfully installed), I've determined that this particular Zune is damaged or corrupted or something. I thought about getting another, but I'm now concerned with the manufacturer's quality control practices (i.e. whether there are any, as this should have been caught before the device left the factory). When you pay $240 for something that fits in the palm of your hand, you expect it to work.

Well, ya'll take care now.

~Sean

[Jason Dunn]

Since the Zune software must surely install whatever driver might be needed (and both computers indicated that a driver was successfully installed), I've determined that this particular Zune is damaged or corrupted or something.

Indeed, the Zune software installs everything you need - I've installed it probably six times now, on two different machines, and it's always 100% smooth. My complaints about the Zune software are about the features it lacks, not the fact that it doesn't work properly.

I thought about getting another, but I'm now concerned with the manufacturer's quality control practices (i.e. whether there are any, as this should have been caught before the device left the factory). When you pay $240 for something that fits in the palm of your hand, you expect it to work.

I understand your point, but I've heard even worse things about iPods - I hear of so many people with iPods that just die after a year or so. I think, ultimately, the build quality of many MP3 players has gotten worse, not better, over the past few years. Maybe you'll have better luck with an iPod, but I personal think the build quality of the Zunes is as good as, or even higher, than the iPod line.

[Alethinon61]

Hi Jason,

I thought I'd offer a final post with my iPod experience.

I purchased an iPod Classic (80 gb) tonight, and the final cost made me grind my teeth a little:-) $249.00 for the player; $3x.xx for the carrying case; and $59.00 for an extended warranty from Best Buy. I normally don't purchase extended warranties, but I've read too many reports of iPods dying after about a year, so I did this time.

My impression, based on physical appearance in handling the two devices, and the Youtube videos I watched, is that the Zune is a better made, more attractive player. The touch pad on the iPod is sticky, and this doesn't appear to be the case for the Zune. The iPod's headphones aren't quite as nice, and the Zune's packaging is just a bit more classy, IMO. The issue with the headphones isn't particularly important to me as I never use the ones that come with music players. I like quality sound, and so I normally get good headphones from Koss or Sony.

So, I liked the look, feel, and idea of the Zune, but since it didn't work at all for me, I can't recommend that device. Maybe by the time the 3rd generation is on the market they'll have resolved some of the issues I had (and others, per Amazon reviews). In the mean time, I downloaded iTunes software with no problems, charged and transferred music to the iPod with only minor issues (e.g. iPods seem to like making multiple copies of songs, for no explicable reason, which you have to delete before initiating the transfer), and I'm now listening to George Dalaras and Dulce Pontes sing O Morphe Poli. The sound is better than I anticipated after reading negative reviews of iPod's sound.

Maybe I'll be back with the 3rd generation is on the market:-)

Take care,

~Sean

______________________________________________

Indeed, the Zune software installs everything you need - I've installed it probably six times now, on two different machines, and it's always 100% smooth. My complaints about the Zune software are about the features it lacks, not the fact that it doesn't work properly.



I understand your point, but I've heard even worse things about iPods - I hear of so many people with iPods that just die after a year or so. I think, ultimately, the build quality of many MP3 players has gotten worse, not better, over the past few years. Maybe you'll have better luck with an iPod, but I personal think the build quality of the Zunes is as good as, or even higher, than the iPod line.

[Jason Dunn]

So, I liked the look, feel, and idea of the Zune, but since it didn't work at all for me, I can't recommend that device. Maybe by the time the 3rd generation is on the market they'll have resolved some of the issues I had (and others, per Amazon reviews). In the mean time, I downloaded iTunes software with no problems, charged and transferred music to the iPod with only minor issues...

Hi there Sean. I'm glad you found something that would work for you - sadly, this really comes down to the software itself and how it interacts with your computer. If the Zune software worked for you, I'm sure you'd be loving the Zune. But, for whatever reason iTunes was more compatible with your system than the Zune software...and now you're an iPod user. I'm going to be meeting with the Zune team this week at the Microsoft MVP Summit, and you can be sure I'm going to tell them about your experience - they need to do better!