OT: Finally...A Worthwhile MP3 Player (really long)

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 5:32 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:Picked up a new Zune HD to see if it could compete with my Cowon S9. Whoa...TOTALLY unexpected. It's actually really damn good. It does everything the S9 does, but adds Wifi, Music Sharing, Implementation with Xbox Live, Browser and an absolutely brilliant User Interface. It blows anything Apple has done out of the water. F Cover Flow...this is how it should be done.

Seriously, these players are legit. OLED Screen like the S9, waaaay better than the Apple offerings. The lack of Apps will definitely turn people off, but I wanted it for the sharing features and the music/video playback. It definitely fits that bill. If you're a HD video fan, you can always pick up the dock and play HD video downloaded on your Zune on your tv. Pretty damn impressive piece of hardware.

I've had every iteration of the Zune. Still have a Halo 30 gig, an 80 gig, and a 120 Gears of War edition. My Zune HD shipped from Amazon today. I could not find one locally. My Wal Mart only had the 16 and there's no way I could deal with that little space. So I have the 32 coming.

Just curious db, have you owned a Zune before? From your description it sounds like the HD is leaps and bounds better than the previous versions in terms of features. How about the sound quality? I know they brought the EQ back, but how does it stack up against the Cowan? After reading your post I'm really looking forward to getting mine.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Wed Sep 16, 2009 5:46 pm

I have never had a Zune before so this is my first MS player.

The main reason I even thought about picking one up is the fact that it's the same size (actually slightly smaller) than the Cowon S9 and it uses the OLED screen as well. I am not a fan of the interface on the Cowon and it's fairly limited from a feature standpoint (but does play DIVX which is a knock against the HD).

I wanted a better interface and a few more features (wireless sync is HUGE, wifi for downloading stuff, internet browser being the main ones I wanted) w the same performance as the Cowon. Well, I succeeded...MOSTLY. The features and the interface blow the Cowon out of the water. It really isn't close at all.

Cowon keeps it close because of the SQ tho. The HD along with it's preset equalizer is better than Apple from my one day of listening, but it still trails behind the Cowon overall. People that haven't listened to Cowon devices will still be very impressed with the SQ tho, so it's certainly not a knock against, it's just that I find Cowon to be the king of SQ in the media player market.

I'm not sure why the HD doesn't allow you to tweak the equalizer...just to use the presets that they have chosen. At least I can't find a place to customize them. You just select the one you want to use and go for it. Curious omission, but not a huge deal I suppose.

Needless to say, the Cowon is going on eBay. The SQ is great and all, but the HD just provides a much better overall experience.

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:13 pm

at least the HD has some sort of equalizer on it. My 8gb doesn't and to my knowledge none of the others have either.

I am really wanting an HD, but I just bought the 8gb a few months ago. The wife would not like it. One other thing, I LOVE the Zune Pass and the marketplace. I sometimes do not like not owning my music, but I HATE pissing with all the non-legit s*** and love the ease of marketplace. So all the music I can listen to plus I get to keep 10 songs per month. Not a bad deal at all IMO.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 9:48 pm

Yeah, I probably won't use it, but 15 bucks a month for 10 songs to keep and unlimited rentals, it's an outstanding value for someone that loves music and doesn't want to really pay for it.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:14 pm

I'm tempted by the Zune HD now that you'll be able to play games on it like the ipod touch. Also the Zune has built in FM which is a plus.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 10:30 pm

Rodster wrote:I'm tempted by the Zune HD now that you'll be able to play games on it like the ipod touch. Also the Zune has built in FM which is a plus.

For now, I wouldn't count on games or apps. that much.

http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstech ... ll-ads.ars

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 11:22 pm

wco81 wrote:
Rodster wrote:I'm tempted by the Zune HD now that you'll be able to play games on it like the ipod touch. Also the Zune has built in FM which is a plus.
For now, I wouldn't count on games or apps. that much.

http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstech ... ll-ads.ars

There are a lot of things you can't count on FOR NOW.

The fact that the Zune Tegra graphics chip is going to be used in Windows Mobile 7 as early as Q1 2010, would lead me to believe there will be more games and apps a lot sooner than later.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 11:37 pm

I'm referring to having to watch a 30-second commercial every time you launch a game.

If they continue that scheme, a lot of people won't bother with games on the thing.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 11:41 pm

wco81 wrote:I'm referring to having to watch a 30-second commercial every time you launch a game.

If they continue that scheme, a lot of people won't bother with games on the thing.

I'm trying to figure out where the 30 second commercial is. Mine takes about 5 seconds of showing the car, and thats it. PLUS, ITS FREE! If you pay for the app and they throw ads, fine...you have a complaint. But the stuff out there now is free sh*t. I'll watch a short ad before I play.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:51 am

Free gaming on the Zune HD? Hell they can run a Hulu type service for all I care if it's free. "The following gaming session is brought to you in part by......" If it's free it's free who cares about ads.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:54 am

Apparently, the ads only run while the game is loading. As soon as the game finishes loading, the ad goes away. Doesn't bother me in the least. If I have to look at 10 seconds of a Kia ad while my FREE app loads, I'm in. Besides, it's a lot better than looking at a "LOADING" screen.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:52 am

Here's a review of the Zune HD. I honestly didn't know it looked this cool.

http://gizmodo.com/5360126/zune-hd-revi ... mp-evolved

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 9:59 am

Wow they look nice.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 1:26 pm

Rodster wrote:Wow they look nice.

Yes...they are very slick. If you watch those interface videos you can see what really sets it apart from the iPod line.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:43 pm

I actually like the look of the zune over the ipod touch. And the interface looks great along with the OLED screen.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:03 pm

Sighssssssss...I think Im sold ...

I have gotta stop reading these threads.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:06 pm

XXXIV wrote:I have gotta stop reading these threads.

It's a disease. I'm tellin' ya.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:36 pm

I went to the Best Buy to pick one up and they were out of stock. The Apple guy happened to be there. In his words I would be crazy to get the ZuneHD when I could get the new 32 gig Itouch for $10 more. Luckily they were out of that one too .

Now I am confused. Im thinking about ordering it from Amazon. I just dont know which (it) to order.

BTW. Amazon is listing the 32 gig Itouch for $279.99 which would be $10 less than the Zune. Plus they have it in stock.

Rodster · Post by **Rodster** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:51 pm

XXXIV wrote:I went to the Best Buy to pick one up and they were out of stock. The Apple guy happened to be there. In his words I would be crazy to get the ZuneHD when I could get the new 32 gig Itouch for $10 more. Luckily they were out of that one too .

Now I am confused. Im thinking about ordering it from Amazon. I just dont know which (it) to order.

BTW. Amazon is listing the 32 gig Itouch for $279.99 which would be $10 less than the Zune. Plus they have it in stock.

It's really a no brainer 34, get the Zune HD it's the overall better deal as it's newer tech. Btw what do you expect the Apple guy to say, yeah the Ipod sux buy the Zune.

Really 34 think about it. You get a high rez OLED (Organic LED) screen, a built-in FM radio, sweet software, with a better interface, plus you can get the Zune music service that was mentioned a few post up for like $15 a month. The sound quality is much better than the Ipod.

Personally I hate itunes as it's very intrusive. Also I like the overall look of the Zune HD over the Ipod. I own a 32GB Ipod and personally my next MP3 player will be the Zune HD. My toughest choice is color. I wish they had the brick red, that one looks sweet.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:57 pm

If you're buying and then going to trade it for another gadget in a few months, then it's worth trying one of the products.

But if you're buying with the intent to use it for a few years, then neither product seems that compelling, compared to what's likely to come out next year.

The iPod Touch models Apple introduced for this year were disappointing, because people wanted them to be just like the iPhone except the phone part, so they wanted the camera and the GPS at a minimum.

Next year, these components may be integrated, as well as faster chips from the chip designer they bought last year.

As for the Zune HD, it sounds like the software needs more work. Simple apps. like a calculator app. takes over 8 seconds to launch while a chess game takes 30 seconds. Browser is said to be slow too.

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/for ... 88931/p/27

Zune will certainly have the next-gen Tegra and it's 3rd-party Apps./games strategy may be more clearer a year from now, once Windows Mobile 7 launches.

In fact, it may use WM7 and get a new browser by then.

It depends on expectations of short or long-term use, whether buying now makes sense.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Sep 19, 2009 5:27 pm

Rodster wrote:Btw what do you expect the Apple guy to say, yeah the Ipod sux buy the Zune.

I kept telling him he worked for Apple.

...

Even knowing who he worked for he did his job well. I went in 100% certain I was buying a Zune and came out undecided.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 4:47 pm

wco81 wrote:As for the Zune HD, it sounds like the software needs more work. Simple apps. like a calculator app. takes over 8 seconds to launch while a chess game takes 30 seconds. Browser is said to be slow too.

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/for ... 88931/p/27

Well, I just timed the Chess App...14 seconds, and calculator was 4 seconds. So...hmmm...they are wrong. Don't trust everyone you read...especially when companies like to suck on Apple's balls all day long. The Zune is light years faster than the touch in almost every aspect. I do agree that the browser is slightly slower tho.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 12:49 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:
wco81 wrote:As for the Zune HD, it sounds like the software needs more work. Simple apps. like a calculator app. takes over 8 seconds to launch while a chess game takes 30 seconds. Browser is said to be slow too.

http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/for ... 88931/p/27
Well, I just timed the Chess App...14 seconds, and calculator was 4 seconds. So...hmmm...they are wrong. Don't trust everyone you read...especially when companies like to suck on Apple's balls all day long. The Zune is light years faster than the touch in almost every aspect. I do agree that the browser is slightly slower tho.

Well I have a 32 gig touch and hopefully my 32 gig zune hd will get here tomorrow so I can do some comparisons. I like the Ipod touch, but I like what Microsoft is doing with the Zune better. Linking your Zune card and being able to see your friends plays as well as the Zune pass at 15 bucks a month make it a no brainer.

If Apple ever offers an Ipod Pass or something similar, I might jump ship, but right now I like what Microsoft is doing.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Sep 21, 2009 9:39 pm

Based on this thread and what you all had to say I went ahead and ordered the 32g Zune HD from the Zune store as they had the shortest lead time (shocking huh?...I do hate fake shortages and this does look like it might be one.) at 5-7 business days. ....I think I paid more than I would have thru Amazon????

Anyway lets see how long it actually takes.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Wed Sep 23, 2009 11:43 pm

XXXIV wrote:Based on this thread and what you all had to say I went ahead and ordered the 32g Zune HD from the Zune store as they had the shortest lead time (shocking huh?...I do hate fake shortages and this does look like it might be one.) at 5-7 business days. ....I think I paid more than I would have thru Amazon????

Anyway lets see how long it actually takes.

Not sure what you paid, but mine was $289.99 from Amazon. And I think the shortages are legit. I saw a few going for $350+ on Ebay today.

db, what kind of case/screen protector did you get? I can't find one locally so I still have mine in the little plastic sleeve it came in.