09-14-2006, 10:45 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Diving Deep on the Zune: Tech Specs
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 (Zunerama) 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.
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:
- The three inch screen is 320 x 240 in resolution
- Video CODECS supported: WMV, H.264, MPEG4
- Video is limited to 320 x 240 currently, but they are discussing options for higher resolution video support
- Supported bit rates for video haven't been finalized at this time
- Audio CODECS supported: non-FairPlay AAC, WMA, MP3
- Chris was unable to confirm if the battery was 700 mAH as the FCC documents indicated, but I believe that will be the case
- 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 "very comparable" 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
- The Zune battery is built-in and not user replaceable
- 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
- WiFi is 802.11b/g, and Chris described the WiFi as being "on when you need it, off when you don't" - I assume that means it has a very aggressive sleep state that will minimize the battery impact
- Photo support is JPEG so far, I have no further details at this time
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!
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09-15-2006, 01:18 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 258
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"The Zune battery is built-in and not user replaceable"
That's going to be a BIG issue.
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09-15-2006, 02:29 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Cody
That's going to be a BIG issue.
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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.
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09-15-2006, 03:07 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,079
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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!!
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09-15-2006, 03:33 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jlp
3" screen at QVGA for a multimedia device?? It's so close to 3.5" and VGA IS mandatory for such use.
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Until August 10th, that product didn't even exist - Samsung just announced it recently. 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!
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09-15-2006, 03:39 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 258
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
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/news0...ipod_suit.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neistat_Brothers
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09-15-2006, 03:42 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 451
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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.
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09-15-2006, 03:53 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yslee
Hmm, I thought they'd go for more codec (audio and video) support. The screen could be higher res too.
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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.
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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.
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09-15-2006, 03:48 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John Cody
Don't you remember the big stories about the ipod's non-user replaceable batteries...
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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. 
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09-15-2006, 09:35 PM
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Pupil
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 11
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Codecs
Any confirmation of WMA Lossless support yet?
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Hybrid Mode
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