Microsoft released the Zune HD player a few days ago, and we have a great question. Can the Zune HD compete with the iPod Touch? Different people have different idea. Basically, Zune HD is definitely can't beat iPod Touch now, but we wish Zune HD would have a nice future. Now let’s start the review of the Microsoft Zune HD.
This Zune HD review will analytis from these six sections including Hardware, Desktop software, Video quality, Audio quality, FM-radio, Internet Browser, etc.
Here is the Specs of the Zune HD
Zune HD Hardware:
On the face of the device is a tall and thin 3.3-inch OLED display and a lean home button at the southern end of the panel. The back is slightly curved on the edges and fastened with four prominent, industrial screws. On the bottom of the device there's a Zune adapter port and 3.5mm headphone jack, while the top houses a power / sleep button, and a "media" button lives on the left-hand side of the unit (more on that later). All in all, the package is smartly put together, and while it sometimes felt a bit light (or not quite there) in the hand, Inside, the ZHD is powered by the much-lauded Tegra APX 2600, a system-on-a-chip with a focus on HD video and complex graphics performance -- minus the typical battery suck associated with said activities. The 65nm CPU features eight separate cores, including HD encoder and decoders, a 600MHz ARM11 component, and a stand-alone 3D GPU.
Zune HD Desktop Software:
Syncing content was mostly painless, though we did run into a few snags when trying to dump big stacks of files onto the device. More than once we had to erase our syncing items and re-download, or quit the app and reboot in order for all the bits to fall into place. We're not sure if it's a simple communication issue between the player and software, or if there's a more complicated answer.
Overall, however, the software seems mostly unchanged both in interface and functionality (outside of the odd tweak or there). Aside from the considerable speed improvements we're noticing and the Quickplay option, it's essentially the same. If you never liked Zune 3.0, Zune 4.0 won't do much to change your mind, but for existing users it's a big leap forward in frustration-free usability.
Zune HD Video Quality:
Video quality on the Zune itself is handsome, which should come as little surprise. Zune HD supports WMV and MP4 video, for converting DVD and video to Zune HD Compatible video, this DVD Video to Zune HD Converter would help you a lot. You don't combine that kind of small screen, tight pixel density and OLED technology and not end up with some solid results. HD content we threw onto the device was clear and crisp, though when we used the A/V dock, we found the 720p content to be a bit more compressed than we'd like. Overall most video was fine, though we had some maddening issues with trying to get video from other sources playing. The Zune software isn't exactly a whiz at finding media from outside the Zune ecosystem, so if you're fresh to the platform, you may find yourself scratching your head while hunting around for the videos you downloaded in iTunes. Once you solve that problem you should be good to go... unless you want to get down and dirty with any even remotely weird format. If that's your endgame, you're going to have to figure out some more creative ways to get video onto your Zune HD. For all it's awesome media functions, it's not really a jack of all trades. For instance, there's no DivX support here, and you're definitely out of luck with the more modern formats such as MKV.
Zune HD Audio Quality:
Zune players have always been known for their stellar audio, and the Zune HD is no exception. Forget about using the included earbuds -- they're pretty much junk. When we tested with decent in-ear buds, however, we thought the quality was rather excellent. Compared to the touch or iPhone audio, the Zune HD seemed to have a wider stereo field and deeper, more resonant low end. Where other players seem crunchy and muffled, the Zune HD feels expansive and open -- like someone popped the top off of a soda can. It's not such an outrageous difference that most people will notice, but those who listen closely should be able to hear it, and we're certainly not complaining about better audio when it comes to the realm of the digital.
Zune HD FM-radio:
Surprisingly, FM radio has become a hot topic in PMPs, thanks to Microsoft's announcement that the Zune HD will support HD radio and now Apple's reversal on its long-held aversion to FM with its new iPod Nano. But HD radio is another example of Microsoft expanding the boundaries of the PMP: "So you support FM radio? We're going to support it better."
HD radio allows for both more stations and (hopefully) higher quality broadcasts. The Zune HD's radio will often pick up two simultaneous broadcasts from one station, like San Francisco's KFOG-1 and KFOG-2. The Zune HD's reception is excellent, at least as clear as the iPod Nano, able to pick up a handful of HD stations, all with RDS data (artist, song name). Like the Nano, the Zune HD can pause and cache live radio, a great function, though it also cannot record.
Zune HD Internet Browser:
This is a serious surprise, after seeing the similar Sony X-Series's browser crash, burn, and then explode shards of awful all over me, but the Zune HD's internet browser is awesome. The narrower 3.3-inch widescreen isn't as spacious as that of the iPod Touch and pages definitely load a little slower, but besides that it's a full-featured, fast and responsive browser. The accelerometer is very quick, panning is smooth and easy, and the standard multitouch gestures (pinch, drag) work nicely. Unfortunately, the Zune HD does not support YouTube or any other Flash video, which would have been a nice feature for quickly listening to new music.
The soft keyboard is functional (if a little small), built-in Bing search works well, and even an intense site like Gizmodo loads with no problem. Please, Microsoft: Stick this browser in Windows Mobile.
More information about Microsoft Zune HD Player: http://www.zune.net
This Review is from gizmodo and engadget
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