Music Sharing: Why Only 30 Seconds?

[Jason Dunn]

<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1247006674.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>All the focus right now is on the Zune HD, and the hardware does indeed look sweet, but the Zune experience is about more than just the hardware. Case in point: my friend Matt sent me four songs by BLK JKS to check out, Zune to Zune. Rather than plugging in headphones, I docked my Zune so I could listen to it my desktop computer speakers. Much to my surprise, I saw that I was only able to listen to 30 second samples - presumably coming from the Zune Marketplace rather than my Zune itself.</p><p>It makes me wonder if the issue here is that the Zune software can't play music directly off the Zune itself - and that's why I get the 30 second samples. If so, that's another limitation of the Zune and the Zune desktop software: more than once I've been travelling and had my Zune with me, full of music, and my laptop with no music. Sometimes you don't want to, or can't, put in headphones so listening to music on my laptop is my preferred method. Short of transferring the music from the Zune to the laptop, there's no elegant way to do this. Will the new 4.0 software address this issue? Time will tell...</p>

[albucian]

I suppose you don't have a zune pass, do you?

/away from the point/

There's one thing I really like with the zune software, when you have the pass, that nobody talk about : If you store your music on an external hard drive, if your drive is not plugged (ex: at work) and you try to play your music, the zune software automatically stream the music from the zune market place. So you can listen to your music even if you don't have it on your computer.

I find this really cool but nobody never mention it....:cool:

[SoundMix]

My guess is these songs have DRM attached. What happens when your friend transfers a song without DRM to you?

I have no problem playing songs I ripped from CD's to my computer via the dock WITH the audio cables hooked up to my sound card. Of course you must control the Zune from its software as the PC's Zune software will not play the songs without a transfer.

Paul

[Jason Dunn]

I suppose you don't have a zune pass, do you?

No, I do not. I live in Canada, and the Zune Pass is only for Americans, still, after more than three years. :mad:

...the zune software automatically stream the music from the zune market place. So you can listen to your music even if you don't have it on your computer.

Indeed, that's one really neat feature of the Zune Pass! If only I could experience it... :rolleyes:

[Jason Dunn]

My guess is these songs have DRM attached. What happens when your friend transfers a song without DRM to you?

They're DRM-free MP3s...but when you transfer music, any music, from one Zune to another, it gets wrapped up in the "3 plays" DRM.

[mrozema]

I have no problem playing songs I ripped from CD's to my computer via the dock WITH the audio cables hooked up to my sound card. Of course you must control the Zune from its software as the PC's Zune software will not play the songs without a transfer.
That's the workaround-type solution, but not everyone will think of that.

I ran into the same problem as well Jason. I bought my Zune to work and wanted to play music through my laptop with Zune software installed and no go. Syncing my music collection to a work asset was not an option for me. I could see my music sitting there but could do nothing with it.

[David Tucker]

Not playing from the Zune is a pain. I was flying a couple months ago and wanted to play a video from the Zune on my netbook. Since it was DRMed I couldn't transfer the movie off so I had to watch it on the Zune when I had a bigger screen just sitting there. :(

Playing from the Zune (ala the 360) would be nice.