Microsoft Zune

[The Man in Blak 0]

So today is Day 2 with my Microsoft Zune (received as a Christmas present), following the Day 1 ritual of frantically updating Windows XP to reach Service Pack 2 and ripping over the first round of CDs that I wanted to listen to. The sound on this thing is great and the quality of the visuals on the video files and the album art are very good - from a feature standpoint, there's not much that I dislike here.

 

But I'll be damned if I don't go a couple of hours without the thing crashing on me. I didn't even know mp3 players could crash (this is my first). The first time, I left the mp3 player on standby at the main menu to take a piss at work. The second time, it goes into standby as I'm fooling around with the FM radio receiver. Standby, apparently, is the cousin of death with these things.

 

Now, I haven't had any content get deleted (so far), but is anybody else experiencing crashes with this frequency on your Zune?

[Guest Vitamin X]

Funny enough, I get the same problem with XP on my computer, that being that Standby causes all sorts of mayhem.

 

I wouldn't trust a Zune personally. Didn't like what it offered compared to an iPod.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Frankly, I thought all three of the "big entries" in the mp3/video player market (Zune, iPod, Creative's Zen Vision) had a fair number of flaws.

 

The Zen Vision actually seemed like the most attractive package of in-player features, but Creative's software packages are almost always a complete joke and the scroll bar on the interface made for a very frustrating experience when I tried it out at Circuit City.

 

The iPod obviously has the market cornered on accessories and probably has the best software package available, with iTunes. But I'm actually one of the few people around that's not that fond of the scroll wheel and the small screen (and limited file format) for videos was a bit of a drag.

 

And that leaves the Zune, which is basically a repackage of the Toshiba Gigabeat S player that received very positive reviews when it first came out. The video screen is practically monstrous when you put it next to the iPod; there's no touch sensitivity on the interface, but I actually prefer that - I prefer clicking around a bit to "zeroing in" on songs I want to play. From what I could find on the internet, the consensus opinion was that the Gigabeat was a great piece of hardware that suffered from limitations on the software and a lack of firmware updates/support, both of which are two things that Microsoft should be able to improve upon (the latter, especially).

 

There are definitely flaws with the Zune, but they can be corrected down the road. The Zune software, at present, is a bloated disaster of an application that will basically incapacitate your computer for 60+ seconds whenever you dare to plug in the Zune for a sync-up. However, a hack for using the Zune as a portable hard drive has already been discovered and, presumably, other solutions (as well as improvements to the Zune software itself) will come out. Firmware updates should hopefully address some of the bugs in the player, such as the standby issues that I detailed in my first post. The lack of a dock with the packaging is a bummer, but it's definitely not a deal breaker for me.

 

Ultimately, the fact that I actually liked the user interface for the Zune is what sold it for me. And, despite a frustrating start to my experience, the player has actually held up well since I made my initial complaints (so far). If the firmware updates and software patches can address these issues and add some other features (podcast support has already been rumored, gapless playback seems feasible as well), then the Zune can really become a top-notch media player.

[Guest Vitamin X]

What it sounds like you need is an Archos player, a couple models of which even have built-in DVR functions.

 

Great video size, battery life, good software support, and excellent audio quality. http://www.archos.com/ for their lineup.

 

I don't know much about the Zune to help you out in that department though, and from what I hear, it hasn't sold that well.

[dubq 0]

I have a Zen mini. I had no idea what the fuck a Zune was until I saw this thread. I mean, at least Zen is a word - what the fuck is Zune supposed to mean?

[The Man in Blak 0]

The Archos players, particularly the 404 and the 604, look like their right up my alley as far as features go, but they're considerably less portable (the Zune is pretty bulky in itself and it's probably about as large of a player as I'd like) and the interface buttons on the right don't look very inviting. That being said, both of the models I mentioned earlier are very positively reviewed and they do have a lot more support for different file types. Let me do a little more research through Amazon and some other stores and see what accessories are available.

 

As far as Zune sales go, it was in second place with something like a 9% market share (off of unit sales) after its launch; for those who thought it would push the iPod initially, it was probably a disappointment but, given Apple's absolute dominance in the field, I tend to think it didn't do too badly.

[AndrewTS 0]

Thing is a bit pricey for my tastes, but as far as I know it's only available in one configuration (60 GB/ $249, right?). As someone who doesn't own an iPod (gave away the one I got for work), it's an interesting device, but I'll hardly make use of many of its features.

 

A smaller configuration/better price would be a good value for me, mayhaps.

[Guest Jimmy Jack]

All that needs to be said 'bout a bitch-made Zune is here.

 

http://www.niggaknow.com/2006/12/its-mp3-c...bitches_12.html

 

And... Fuck a I-pod.

[Kapoutman 0]

"Zune" is to French speakers what "Wii" is to English speakers. A name full of penis jokes.

[cd213 0]

I just got my Zune yesterday and once I figured out how to get the music on to it, I'm loving it. I have downloaded 10 films (and plan on getting more). Once you get the hang of it, I feel it's better then an iPod (my friend has an iPod and thinks the Zune is better as well). If has it's flaws, but what doesn't nowadays?

[Fökai 0]

If they can figure out a way to simplify their software to the likes of the relationship between iPod and iTunes, the Zune may have something here.

 

Too bad, because the Zune's "unlimited download pass" is a big point in it's favor. Of course, to keep the songs, you have to keep the pass at $14.99 per month.

[The Man in Blak 0]

I've been able to tweak around some settings in the Zune software to make it run a bit more clearly - there's an option to turn off "automatic synching", which not only cuts down on much of the latency involved with connecting the thing to your computer, but also allows you to select certain albums/songs to synch up, rather than having to audit the contents of the entire library every time you make an update.

 

The software's reported video format conversion is a complete joke, though - I've yet to see the Zune software actually convert any of the video files that I've placed in the library, and the alternate solution (Windows Media Encoder) is cumbersome. Anybody had better luck with that?