Hasta La Gadget!

With the launch of the Zune HD and the CEDIA show just around the corner, we’ve been hoping this could mean an all new integrated future for Windows Media Center and other Microsoft platforms — until now. As a few commenters pointed out yesterday, the corrected spec sheet received from Microsoft indicated HDTV and protected Windows Media Center DVR-MS (the files used by Vista Media center) recordings were not supported. We reached out for clarification and received the following:

“Zune HD, and the forthcoming Zune 4.0 PC software, will support and transcode Windows Media Center recorded TV file formats from Windows Vista or Windows 7 that contain MPEG-2 video, in either the DVR-MS or WTV formats. Support is limited to unencrypted SD and HD recordings. HD Files with AC3 audio are not supported by Zune.“

As you may or may not be aware, at least in the U.S. , and most other countries, any high definition broadcasts you snag from antenna, ClearQAM or otherwise use Dolby Digital AC-3 audio, meaning the Zune software won’t be able to convert them. Current workarounds for bringing Media Center recordings on the go should still be a go, but all we can see is the missed opportunity to tie the two platforms together with easy one click transcoding support. Hopefully Microsoft still has something up its sleeve to pull together Zune and Windows 7 Media Center, but portable DVR recordings ain’t it.

Filed under: Handhelds, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Portable Video

Zune 4.0 software won’t play nice with HDTV Media Center recordings originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You’ve already seen the player hands-on; the final reveal for the Zune HD was how well it handled when docked on a high-def TV. As you can see in this video, it blows away anything else in its class.

I was trying to figure out what it was about the Zune HD’s TV interface that I was enjoying so much, and then I realized: Unlike every other device of its size and capacity, this thing is a true portable media center. It’s not as fast as a fully fledged PC running Windows Media Center, but it is zippy as hell for a pocketable, portable player.

Zune HD goes dark when it’s docked, like you see in the gallery. This isn’t like an iPod—once docked, it’s invisible, the power behind what you watch or listen to. The remote is the key. I bopped around, browsing music, scanning for radio stations (that HD has a few meanings, including an HD radio receiver, so you can see the “what’s playing” data and everything) and even watching a short full-screen video on this 60-inch Samsung. The demo Zune only had the one video—I can’t wait to see what it’s like to fill a 32GB one with great movies and TV episodes.

The only noticeable thing missing from the interface was any online connectivity—you can’t download movies to a Zune without a PC anyway, but docked, I am not even sure you can stream music (as you can when carrying a Zune in a Wi-Fi environment). More on that when we review it, naturally.

As we showed you months ago, the player itself takes the PMP user interface to a new level. When you select something, all the screen elements move at different vectors, creating at times a 3D effect, as you can catch up close in the video below. (Pardon the glare, but that’s one hazard—for better or worse, it’s a shiny shiny screen.)

I don’t want to say more—this is not a review, and I won’t be the reviewer when we do pass judgment—but let me say that, as someone who’s never been terribly excited by past Zunes, this one took me pleasantly by surprise.

[Full Zune HD Coverage on Gizmodo]

Now that everything Zune HD is official and available for pre-order, Microsoft has seen fit to loose official specs, putting to rest — at least until we can do a full hands on — questions about what to expect from the OLED touchscreen packing device. From dimensions (52.7 mm x 102.1 mm x 8.9 mm, 2.6 oz) to battery life (24 hours for music with wireless off, up to 4 hours of video) and charge time (3 hours, 2 hours to 90%.) While the offical site (incorrectly) currently lists max video res at barely-better-than-DVD 720 x 480, we contacted Microsoft and received the official specs on video support, and if for some reason you needed to hear it again: the Tegra chip is a beast. Ready for HDTV playback when it’s plugged into the AV dock, the Zune software supports up to 1280 x 720, 30 frames per second at a max 14 Mbps bitrate for WMV HD and h.264 sources. Confirmed still a bummer? No wireless video streaming from the Zune Video Marketplace, though the specs do indicate that purchases and rentals will work across all three screens, PC, Zune and Xbox 360. Check the corrected specs after the break, now all that’s left is getting some alone time with one.

Update: Microsoft has hit us with the corrected & updated spec list with a slight change to battery and charge specs: 33 hours of life playing music with no wireless, up to 8.5 hours of video. 3 hours to charge from PC, 2 hours via AC adapter. Hopefully that’s long enough to cover your one man rave in the woods far away from A/C outlets. Check the PDF for yourself, but beware, as Microsoft has informed us one typo remains, as the Zune HD can hold up to 22 / 48 hours (16GB / 32GB) of video optimized for the device, no matter what the official sheet says.

Continue reading Zune HD specs fill in the blanks on video format support, battery life and more – Update: now with more, better!

Filed under: Handhelds, HDTV, Home Entertainment

Zune HD specs fill in the blanks on video format support, battery life and more – Update: now with more, better! originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We already knew that the Zune HD would be available in five different colors, and a just sent out pre-order email has now given us our first (very small) glimpse of the options available. In addition to the standard black and silver (or platinum, as Microsoft calls it), it seems you’ll also have your choice of blue, lime green, and a red / maroon color, each of which can also be adorned with your choice of 10 exclusive Zune Originals designs. From the looks of it, however, folks pre-ordering are limited to the two less colorful options.

[Thanks, matthew]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD color options revealed in pre-order email originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Zune HD lands September 15th, up for pre-order today

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD lands September 15th, up for pre-order today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Aug 2009 03:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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