VIDEO
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Microsoft is really making a push for video viewing with the Zune HD. I say with, instead of on, because one of the main features is watching HD video on an HDTV. In fact, that is the only way to view high definition content stored on a Zune HD. Yeah, if you don’t buy the $90 HD AV dock for your Zune HD to send the signal out to your HDTV or receiver, then you can’t use it for HD video playback. We hoped we’d see some sort of mini HDMI solution here, because in this case, when you buy a Zune HD, it isn’t really a standalone HD device at all. Oh wait, HD Radio is still on there, so they’re covered. Right?
Of course, you can watch videos on the device as well, and that experience is very nice, due almost exclusively to the OLED screen. When you sync high definition content to the device, it is downscaled to the native resolution of the Zune HD screen, but since the screen is so high-quality, you get vivid color and nice blacks, and it is definitely a step-up from the iPod touch experience, save for screen size. That said, if I had to watch a movie on one of the two devices, I’d go with the Zune HD.
Codec support is limited to WMV, H.264, MP4, and non-HD DVR-MS files (those are from Windows Media Center recordings.) That right, if you have a Windows Media Center, and an HDTV, it’s likely that you record in high definition - but the Zune HD only supports standard-def Media Center files. Go figure.
You can also buy and rent HD movies right in the Zune Marketplace. Sync that to your Zune HD, dock it, and you can watch it in 720p on your HDTV. Video quality is great. Not amazing, but great. I’d say the same thing about the Apple TV and Netflix HD experiences as well. It’s on that level. That’s a compliment for a device as small as the Zune HD, and a testament to the Tegra processor.
Microsoft is really making a push for video viewing with the Zune HD. I say with, instead of on, because one of the main features is watching HD video on an HDTV. In fact, that is the only way to view high definition content stored on a Zune HD. Yeah, if you don’t buy the $90 HD AV dock for your Zune HD to send the signal out to your HDTV or receiver, then you can’t use it for HD video playback. We hoped we’d see some sort of mini HDMI solution here, because in this case, when you buy a Zune HD, it isn’t really a standalone HD device at all. Oh wait, HD Radio is still on there, so they’re covered. Right?
Of course, you can watch videos on the device as well, and that experience is very nice, due almost exclusively to the OLED screen. When you sync high definition content to the device, it is downscaled to the native resolution of the Zune HD screen, but since the screen is so high-quality, you get vivid color and nice blacks, and it is definitely a step-up from the iPod touch experience, save for screen size. That said, if I had to watch a movie on one of the two devices, I’d go with the Zune HD.
Codec support is limited to WMV, H.264, MP4, and non-HD DVR-MS files (those are from Windows Media Center recordings.) That right, if you have a Windows Media Center, and an HDTV, it’s likely that you record in high definition - but the Zune HD only supports standard-def Media Center files. Go figure.
You can also buy and rent HD movies right in the Zune Marketplace. Sync that to your Zune HD, dock it, and you can watch it in 720p on your HDTV. Video quality is great. Not amazing, but great. I’d say the same thing about the Apple TV and Netflix HD experiences as well. It’s on that level. That’s a compliment for a device as small as the Zune HD, and a testament to the Tegra processor.
Microsoft is really making a push for video viewing with the Zune HD. I say with, instead of on, because one of the main features is watching HD video on an HDTV. In fact, that is the only way to view high definition content stored on a Zune HD. Yeah, if you don’t buy the $90 HD AV dock for your Zune HD to send the signal out to your HDTV or receiver, then you can’t use it for HD video playback. We hoped we’d see some sort of mini HDMI solution here, because in this case, when you buy a Zune HD, it isn’t really a standalone HD device at all. Oh wait, HD Radio is still on there, so they’re covered. Right?
Of course, you can watch videos on the device as well, and that experience is very nice, due almost exclusively to the OLED screen. When you sync high definition content to the device, it is downscaled to the native resolution of the Zune HD screen, but since the screen is so high-quality, you get vivid color and nice blacks, and it is definitely a step-up from the iPod touch experience, save for screen size. That said, if I had to watch a movie on one of the two devices, I’d go with the Zune HD.
Codec support is limited to WMV, H.264, MP4, and non-HD DVR-MS files (those are from Windows Media Center recordings.) That right, if you have a Windows Media Center, and an HDTV, it’s likely that you record in high definition - but the Zune HD only supports standard-def Media Center files. Go figure.
You can also buy and rent HD movies right in the Zune Marketplace. Sync that to your Zune HD, dock it, and you can watch it in 720p on your HDTV. Video quality is great. Not amazing, but great. I’d say the same thing about the Apple TV and Netflix HD experiences as well. It’s on that level. That’s a compliment for a device as small as the Zune HD, and a testament to the Tegra processor.
ZUNE MARKETPLACE
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The on-device Marketplace allows you to connect to Wi-Fi and download music and apps on the go. If you are a Zune Pass subscriber, you can also just stream music from the Marketplace, so you don’t have to take up any physical space on your device, which is a nice touch.
You also get a cart, where you can store items you want to purchase, and you can add to it in the Marketplace, and from the radio, as mentioned earlier.
One cool touch is that the Marketplace has custom wallpapers for the different sections, which I think are going to change weekly depending on the big releases of the week. I thought that was great.
ZUNE SOCIAL
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Like previous models, you are able to sync the Zune Cards of your friends to your Zune HD. The actual presentation of the Zune Cards look a lot nicer. You see their avatar, username, number of plays, screen name if chosen, and background. It’s slick. You also have an inbox where you can read messages and find tracks that friends have sent to you. Since the Zune Social and Xbox Live share a platform (which really, really needs to change,) you will see Xbox Live friend requests here as well. You can’t reply to a friend request directly on the device, but at least the Zune HD tells you that you need to connect to the software to see the full message.
WEB BROWSER
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The Zune HD is the first Zune to include an Internet browser, and it uses a customized version of Internet Explorer 6 that supports multitouch, double-tap to zoom, pinch, scroll, and all the rest. The browser will display the mobile version of a site, if one is available. Similar to Safari in the iPhone OS, the Zune HD browser doesn’t support Flash. It’s a good thing, too, because while the device renders pages nicely, it’s very slow. Especially on pages that use even a reasonable amount of Javascript.
The browser also has an on-screen software keyboard that is going to either take some getting used to, or require you to slow down to use with any sort of accuracy. If you do go slow, it pays off, and you can get through typing without messing up, thanks to an animation that shows which key your finger is actually hovering over. Also, due to screen size, the keyboard buries some common symbols two menus deep.
You can also search using built-in Bing support, which makes perfect sense to us. It’s a great browser, and a Microsoft product. Great synergy there.
All in all, the Zune HD browser is more of a “nice to have” than an essential like the iPhone and iPod touch. On the iPhone, we can use the browser for hours without frustration. On the Zune HD, it is almost immediately annoying.
APPS
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Many expected that we’d see an active App community with the launch of the Zune HD. I mean, look at what Apple has done with their App Store, and all that was required (in a nutshell) was a slick device with a touchscreen. It’s unfortunate that Microsoft seems to be taking a different stance, at least initially, with the Zune HD. Currently, all nine apps are free, and any new ones will be free for the time being, including the upcoming Twitter, Facebook, and Forza Motorsport titles. Microsoft is building all apps that will appear on the Zune HD for the time being, although, the XNA team has released an add-on for XNA Game Studio 3.1 that allows devs to build Zune HD apps. I am guessing we will see third party stuff, but highly managed by Microsoft, similar to Xbox Live Arcade content.
Oh, and one more thing. Pre-roll advertising no apps sucks, Microsoft. Just because the apps are free doesn’t mean that you have the right to shove pre-roll advertising down the throats of users. If you wanna show ads, put ads in the app, using iPhone apps as your example. It’s hard to believe that someone thought that this was the best way to monetize free apps.
FINAL THOUGHTS
So, after all that, what’s our final opinion? Well, first, let’s go over some of the niggles we have with Zune. First, no Mac support is a glaring mistake, period. At this point, there is no excuse for it, no matter what anyone wants to say. I make that statement as a Mac user who uses Zune daily, so that may sound odd…but I’m an edge case. I typically connect to a PC using Remote Desktop Connection, so I can use Zune on my Mac. Another option is using Parallels or VMWare Fusion, and running Zune on that. None of these options are as good as Microsoft just building a native Mac client. It’s not like they don’t have (or can’t get) the resources. It’s been three years.
Another odd decision, in my mind, is the lack of a 64GB unit at launch. Microsoft has been pushing the Zune Pass for years now, and for Zune Pass members, it is likely that they have more than 32GB of music stored. Even more questionable is that the Zune HD is touted for storing HD video. HD video takes up a lot of space, and that would be another reason for offering a 64GB unit as an option for buying who have large libraries and also want to carry around a few HD videos. We hope that a 64GB model will turn up in a few months.
We also wish there was an internal speaker. They have a few games that can be downloaded as apps, and there will be more in the future. It just makes sense that there would be a way to enjoy the games without having to plug in a pair of headphones, but you can’t, and that’s unfortunate.
Zune HD vs iPod touch side stacked
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A look at the Zune HD and the iPod touch stacked on top of each other.
Zune HD vs. iPod touch side-by-side
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Zune HD vs. iPod touch screen comparison
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A look at the Zune HD screen and iPod touch screen.
Zune HD vs. iPod touch screen comparison
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A look at the Zune HD screen and iPod touch screen.
Zune HD vs. iPod touch screen comparison 2
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Zune HD vs. iPod touch video playing
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A look at the Zune HD and iPod touch playing videos.
So, going back to the beginning of the article, we’d have to say that the Zune HD follows the recent trends we’ve seen coming out of Microsoft. This is a new OS, a new hardware device, and an evolution of the Zune platform. In our opinion, the Zune HD is a superb device, and it is worthy of a purchase. Forget about how the original Zune from three years ago made you feel about the brand, because it is long gone. Stop worrying about being ridiculed for owning a Zune. The Zune HD is slick, and it’s enough to make even an iPod touch owner envious…but therein lies the question. Should you buy the Zune HD over the iPod touch? It depends.
We think the Zune platform, on the whole, has a leg up on iTunes as it pertains to music because of the Zune Pass, and the Zune Social. Microsoft has built those two features into a bunch of the sub-features of the Zune HD and Zune as a platform, and those are really what make it an absolute joy. Starting up a Smart DJ playlist that Zune then creates on the fly, based on your listening preferences, and having it include songs and artists you’ve never heard before is just fantastic for finding and discovering new music. It’s way better than the iTunes Genius recommendations, where you have to pay $.99 per track, and hope you end up liking it.
Don’t buy the Zune HD if you want apps. They are currently more of an afterthought or value-add than an ecosystem. Some might call them a slap in the face, what with the pre-roll ads that go so far as to interrupt music you may be enjoying.
All that said, if you want the device that will provide you with the best music experience, that is backed by a platform that enables you to constantly find new music, share tracks with friends, and puts you at the center of your music experience, then we whole-heartedly recommend the Zune HD. The discovery mechanisms are great, the social aspect is superb, and the device itself, is fantastic when it comes to the points I just made. As a true fan of music, I gladly hand over my $15 each month to Microsoft, and haven’t purchased any music from iTunes, save for music videos, in over a year and a half. And seriously, when my one major complaint is that I wish the device had more storage, that’s really a compliment - it means I enjoy the service so much, that I can’t even fit everything on the device…but I want to. Why? Because it is that good.