Zune

Zune is the multimedia player of the company Microsoft, previously known under the name of project Argo , and direct competitor of the IPod of Apple. Its screen is almost twice larger but its buttons differ from the readers mp3 of Apple, which use the Molette. It is assembled by Toshiba.

Zune is compatible with the Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, and with the last versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Its marketing began on November 14th, 2006 in the United States. It is currently marketed in 3 versions (4Go: 149.99$, 8Go: 199.99$ and 80Go: 249.99$). It is available in 4 colors: red, pink, green and black

Characteristics

Zune lays out:

of a screen of 7.5 cm (320 X 240)
of an internal hard drive of 30 Go, which does not function like external hard drive for a computer (or then by modifying certain keys registers of the computer).
of a tuner radio operator FM with RDS.
of a connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11b/g (limited) with exchange locked by DRM and detention of the file limited to 3 days or 3 readings for the audio.

Zune reads the formats:

MP3, WMA and AAC for the audio
JPEG for the image (640 X 480)
WMV, MPEG-4 and H.264 for the video (320 X 240)

Problem of the DRM

Mid-November 2006: The songs bought previously on legal sites proposing of the songs to protected format WMA (by the DRM of Windows), such as Napster or MSN Music, are not read. Microsoft developed an independent platform of remote loading with its own DRM. Zune Marketplace is based on the model of iTunes. This economic model initially developed to stimulate the sales but also to reassure the recording companies, worry to see the pieces of music legally bought to spread itself on the networks of peer-to-peer. Nevertheless, Apple launched on April 2nd, 2007 an offer of music (on catalog EMI only to date) without any DRM.

Cut

Zune is slightly thicker than the iPod of Apple. The length is in addition more important because of the big screen available (and readable with horizontal).

Zune Software

Zune Software is the software which makes it possible to manage Zune, with the manner of ITunes with the IPod. Just like this last, Zune Software makes it possible to import its CD towards its multi-media library and to manage the latter, as well as capacity to transfer it towards the walkman or a Xbox 360 thanks to the Streaming. It also gives access to Zune Marketplace, the store of sale of online music of Microsoft for Zune.

It is based on a modified version of the Windows Media Player 11. Nevertheless, only Zune Software makes it possible to synchronize its video files and musical towards Zune. It contains inter alia things a native decoder for the standards AAC without DRM and for the vidéos H.264 and MPEG-4. Thus, it can support the following formats:

MP3 (.mp3), AAC low complexity (.aac, .mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov), WMA (.wma) for the audio part
MPEG4 (.mp4, .m4v, .mov), H.264 (.mp4, .m4v, .mov), WMV (.wmv), ASF (.asf) for the video part
Of the images in JPEG is also readable

Three versions are currently known:

1.0.5341.0: Version presents on the official site
1.2.5511.0: Support of Windows Vista
1.3.5728.0: Improvements of detection and synchronization with Zune

Zune Marketplace

It is about the accessible online music store of Microsoft via Zune Software. It is exclusive in Zune because of the DRM which limits the possible use of the files bought on the shop. The pieces of music are encodés with the format WMA (2-Pass CBR with 192 kbps). The songs are invoiced either with the title, or with the album, or thanks to a month's subscription. Their payment is carried out using the Points Microsoft, that the users bought 5US$ for 400 points. As an indication, a song is worth 79 points.

The subscription in the month rises as for him with 14,99US$. The restrictions are more important because of the fact that the titles downloaded with this offer cannot be engraved on Audio CD, and than once the stopped subscription, the pieces are not readable any more. An offer of 14 days test can be included with the purchase of Zune.

The offer is provided enough thanks to the contribution of the catalog of the four more important Recording companies: EMI, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and Universal Music Group, as well as those of smaller labels. Unfortunately, no video is on sale currently on Marketplace.

External bonds

Official site of Zune
Coming Zune
Click Zune
time
Webcasts: Presentation of Zune
Universzune.com: English site and French especially dedicated to Zune

Random links: