New Zune HD Firmware update available
Microsoft has released a firmware update for the Zune HD. To install it, you need to bring up the Zune Software on your PC and go to Settings -> Device -> Player Update to download and install version 4.3. I just did the process and it took about 3 minutes to complete. All my video and music files remained intact after the update.
Paul Thurrott’s SuperSite for Windows has all the details on what changes were included in this update. Mainly “faster-better” tweaks (which is good!).
Windows 7 Upgrade…. DONE!
I posted a summary of my Windows 7 upgrade experience on my tech blog. I spent most of yesterday and today doing the upgrade, installing the OS, application files, etc. I’m now up in full product mode, writing blog entries, coding new apps, and checking email once again.
Now, I did decide to make the switch from a 32-bit OS to 64-bit, so along with that came some problems. Mainly, with device drivers for my TV Tuner card, scanner, and printer. Ultimately, I replace the tuner card and scanner with models that supported the 64-bit OS, and I bought a new printer-to-USB cable for my ancient HP Laser Printer. So I solved my driver incompatibility issues by going with new hardware.
For a TV Tuner card, I purchased a Hauppauge WinTV-1850 MCE which is designed to work with Windows 7 Media Center. This card was priced at $120 US from Fry’s Electronics, and comes with a special remote control. It does have a IR emitter to control a cable or satellite set-top box (for changing channels), however, it doesn’t work with the Windows Media Center application. As such, I continued to use the special Media Center USB receiver-remote control that I was using for the last several months with my old Vista system. As with my old WinTV-150 tuner card, the 1850 model also comes with a hardware MPEG encoder which handles the video compression (and not relying on the desktop PC’s processor).
The one surprise I encountered, is that Windows 7 Media Center no longer saves recorded TV shows in DVR-MS format. Instead, they use a new WTV format, which most utilities cannot edit. So it isn’t very easy to scan a WTV file for commercials and cut them out, or convert the WTV file to WMV format for my Zune HD. To get around this, I used a converter program called “wtvconverter.exe” (supplied with Windows 7) to convert the WTV file back to DVR-MS format. Now, I can use my standard method (DVRMSToolBox) to automatically convert my recorded TV shows to WMV format for my Zune HD. All I did was add in one more step in my DVTMSToolBox profile to do the WTV-to-DVR-MS conversion.
Speaking of Zune, I was able to download and install the 64-bit version of the Zune Software without a hitch. My Zune HD easily synced with my 64-bit Win 7 desktop PC, transferring my videos and music files with no problems. Whew!
So am I glad I did the upgrade? I’m sort of indifferent about it. I probably could have stayed with Vista 32-bit and continued using it for another year or so, but constantly reading about how great Windows 7 is would ultimately wear me down enough to do the upgrade.
My Windows 7 upgrade plans for tomorrow
I’ve posted a comment on my Coho Tech Blog that describes my reason for staying with the 32-bit OS (instead of upgrading to 64-bit) when I upgrade tomorrow to Windows 7. I discovered that my Canon scanner and PVR-150 TV Tuner card do not have the drivers to work properly on Vista or Windows 7 64-bit. Specifically, the PVR-150 card does have a 64-bit driver but it won’t work properly if your computer system has 4 or more GB of RAM installed (which mine does). The big reason to go to 64-bit is to access more than 3 GB of RAM, so it defeats the purpose of going to 64-bit if you can’t add more RAM!
Since I use my PVR-150 for recording TV shows on daily basis, I’m sticking with the 32-bit OS during the upgrade. So for those planning to jump to a 64-bit OS, I suggest you run the Microsoft Windows 7 Advisor program which will help you identify if some of your devices are incompatible.
Buyer’s Remorse is Now Kicking in…
Ok, my natural instincts are kicking in– I’m having buyer’s remorse after ordering the Zune HD. As I laid in bed last night watching a Monk episode on my Zune 80, I was thinking that my current Zune seems adequate for my needs. With the 80 GB storage space, I don’t have any worries about filling it up…. will a 32 GB Zune be enough? That is my biggest concern.
I don’t have a lot of songs on my Zune 80, but I do have lots of videos (TV shows) and audio/video podcasts which definitely take up a lot of space. A typical 320×240 1-hour video takes up about 380 MB of space, so 80 videos is about 30 GB of space. Now, 80 videos may sound like a lot, but that’s only 8 episodes for 10 different TV shows. Of course, I probably won’t have the full 32 GB of storage space available to me, so it will feel confining not to have the same space as I have now on my Zune 80.
In the end, I think it will be worth it to have all the new features of the Zune HD (i.e., high resolution OLED touch screen, HD Radio, Internet Web Browsing, etc.) and sacrifice some storage space. I could wait for a Zune HD with more storage, but it probably would cost much more than $300 US (which is over my limit for a media player). So, I need to just sit tight and not ruminate over the lesser storage space of the Zune HD, and hope Sept 15th comes up fast!
Just Pre-Ordered a Zune HD
Well, I bit the bullet and pre-ordered a Zune HD 32 GB player. It was just too good to resist! 
Now, I wasn’t too sure what the big advantage is to pre-ordering versus just buying it at a local retail store (since either way it is available Sept 15th), but since my wife gets a 10% discount from Amazon I asked her to order it for me. So, hopefully Amazon won’t have any big shortages and I’ll get my Zune HD around the release date.
Normally, I’m not the type to pre-order anything. I usually wait to read reviews, check out my potential purchase live at a local store, and finally agonize over the actual need to make the purchase. In this case, since I already have a Zune 80 that works perfectly fine for my needs, I ‘m a bit surprised at my uncharacteristic decision to pre-order the Zune HD. After looking at all the new features, it wasn’t too difficult for me to justify upgrading to the Zune HD. Of course, I’ll need to get use to going from 80 GB of storage to 32 GB, but I think that is manageable.
What I’m really looking forward to, is having a slimmer unit that is lightweight, has a larger and nicer touch screen, and has the ability to access the Internet with a web browser. I can certainly see myself pulling out my Zune HD to check my email or read some news at Starbucks or any other locale with free WiFi. And because of the smaller size, I will certainly be tempted to take my Zune HD with me to more often than my heavier Zune 80.
What I find interesting, is that the Zune HD appears to be superior to the iPod Touch. Granted, Microsoft has mimicked the user interface of the Apple iPhone/Touch, but I think they added a lot of flair to it. The hardware appears to be nicer than the iPod Touch (in my opinion), and I think Microsoft has a real winner here. If they can get developers to create apps for the Zune HD, that would be the icing on the cake!
Once I get my Zune HD I’ll post my personal review of the player and will give everyone the pro’s and con’s compared to my old trusty Zune 80.
The New Zune HD… a Very Sweet Device!
I’ve been out of the Zune scene for a while (just enjoying my Zune 80 watching videos), so I haven’t been keeping up with the latest Zune technology. I did receive an email yesterday from Zune.net regarding the Zune HD, which prompted me to take a look at this next-generation media player from Microsoft. I’m glad I did, as it appears to be a really cool device!
If you check out the specs for the Zune HD, it is smok’in hot. As they say, “the 3rd time’s the charm” when it comes to Microsoft products, and this definitely is a charmer. I love the thinness of the Zune HD along with its OLED touch screen (yes, the entire screen is touch sensitive instead of just the small touchpad on the current Zunes). They updated the operating system to run more smoothly and have animated screen transitions (much like the iPod Touch and iPhone) and the ability to access HD Radio (for free!) and play high def videos out to a external TV Monitor (via a dock) is great for videophiles.
The battery life is suppose to be pretty good (compared to the current Zunes), and the Zune HD comes with a full Internet web browser (connecting via WiFi). There’s even a popup on-screen keyboard for typing in web addresses, etc. Just like the iPod Touch and iPhone, the Zune HD comes with an accelerometer which allows you to rotate the unit from portrait to landscape mode very easily.
The only bad thing about the Zune HD, is the size of the storage space. Currently, the max you can get is 32 GB, so switching from a Zune 80 with 80 GB of storage to only 32 GB is a drastic change. However, I currently only have about 60 GB of space being used on my Zune 80, so I could trim it down to less than 32 GB and still be comfortable with my loaded videos. Still, it would be nice to have more storage space.
I can understand why Microsoft chose to max out the new Zune HD at 32 GB, however. Microsoft probably wanted to have a device that was priced under $300 US, and to do so they needed to limit the storage to 32 GB if they used FlashROM as the storage media. I’m sure we’ll probably see larger capacity Zunes appear next year, but only if the price of Flash storage technology comes down as well.
If you’re curious, do a Google search on “Zune HD Reviews” and you’ll find several different videos showing the Zune HD in operation. Although I’m perfectly satisfied with the performance of my current Zune 80 (which I mainly watch TV Recordings), it would be great to have the ability of surfing the Web at a Starbucks, McDonalds, or any other WiFi hotspot with my Zune device. HD Radio would be great also, along with having a much lighter Zune in my pocket!
For those who can’t wait for a Zune HD, you can pre-order one now from Amazon.com and Bestbuy.com for delivery on Sept 15th.
Comcast Digital Takeover
I got a card in the mail last Friday notifying me that Comcast will be switching their premium channels over to encrypted digital signal, so that means I’ll need to get a set top box for all TVs which I want to view such channels. Currently, I have set top boxes for two of my TVs, but come June 22nd I’ll need a set top box for my PC which has a TV tuner card. Fortunately, Comcast will provide me with two set top boxes free of charge, so I ordered them online this afternoon. I should get them in 3-5 days by mail, after which I’ll have to configure them to work with Vista Media Center and my PC Tuner card.
Since my TV Tuner card (or PC) can’t change the channels on these set top boxes directly, I’ll need to also get a special MCE remote control with IR emitters (or “blasters”) so that Vista Media Center can change the set top box channels. It’s a real hokey setup using IR emitters, etc. but I don’t have any other practical options. As such, I’ve also ordered a Vista Windows certified remote from Amazon.com ($33.00 US) which should also arrive in about 5 days.
So, once I get everything delivered and working, I’ll post back about my success and/or failure so you’ll know how it all turns out!
Will I Be Screwed on February 17th?
February 17th is when television stations will switch off their analog signal and go to all digital. Since I’m currently a Comcast cable subscriber, I’ve been told not to worry since Comcast will continue to transmit analog signals through my cable line. However, I already have digital cable service through Comcast (with requires a special set top box for each TV in my house), and from what I’ve read the new analog signals after February 17th will only be for the lower channels. As of today, I can receive up to channel 99 using my TV Tuner card, but I believe I’ll be limited to channels 1 through 39 after February 17th. Since my favorite channel is number 59 (SciFi Channel), I may be screwed when the analog-to-digital switch over takes place.
I suppose one option will be to get a set top box for my PC and use it with my TV Tuner card, but there’s no way for my PC and Tuner Card to “change” the channel of the set top box. I’ll probably need to get a new TV Tuner card to accommodate the digital signal, but I’ll wait until after the 17th and readup on how others in my same situation have resolved the problem. Stay tuned for more…
Zune 3.0 Software and Firmware Upgrade
After coming back from a business trip, I decided to install the new Zune 3.0 Software and Firmware upgrade. I’ve read a lot of horror stories on the various forums of people “bricking” their Zunes during the upgrade procedure and having to send them to the Zune Repair Center for fixing, so that made me a bit nervous. But, I felt lucky today so I thought I’d give it a shot.
What took the longest was downloading the Zune upgrade software to my PC. Once I did that, I ran the installer which upgraded the Zune interface on my Desktop PC. I like the new interface (it appears cleaner) and I’m hoping it corrects some minor syncing issues I had with the previous version.
After the Zune software installation, I placed my Zune 80 in it’s cradle and made a connection with my PC. The Zune software immediately displayed a notice that I needed to upgrade the firmware, so I clicked the “Upgrade” button and after about 4 minutes my Zune’s firmware was upgraded to 3.0. It actually worked surprisingly well, as it didn’t require me to resync my video, music, or picture files.
The new firmware upgrade isn’t a radical change (which is good since I didn’t think the original interface needed much changing). It was basically “improved”, with the addition of a few new features and capabilities (the best being a clock!). Hopefully everything will work smoothly, and we can all take advantage of the new features that are unique to the Zune (and not available on the iPods).
