Zune Thoughts - Daily News, Views, Rants and Raves

A week or two ago, I spent an hour chatting with Ian Dixon from The Media Center Show, and today he's published the podcast. I really enjoy being a guest on a podcast because expressing myself - hopefully intelligibly - is something I enjoy, but I don't particularly want to tackle the work involved in producing a regular podcast. If you have a podcast, and you'd like to have me on as a guest to discuss, well, pretty much anything, drop me a line.

In this episode, Ian and I talk about the Zune HD, Windows phone 7, and the way these two products intersect - as well as my prediction that 2010 is going to be a great year for Microsoft because all of their different assets (Xbox, Zune, mobile, Live) will finally come together the right way.

Have a listen and tell me what you think!

I love watching movie trailers, maybe because sometimes the trailers are better than the movie itself. The art of movie trailer editing is truly magical; even the worst movie can be made to look amazing by clever edits and a great background song. I've long wished there was a Windows Media Center-based solution for watching movie trailers, and I still want that, but I've found the next best thing: the New Movie Trailers podcast, courtesy of the Zune Marketplace. I'm not sure how long this has been available, and for many of you this is old news, but I have to say I was thrilled when I found it. Most of the trailers are in HD, so the quality is fantastic. It's also available via the trailer Web page, so you can stream movie trailers without needing to go into the Zune software (the trailers won't be in HD though). Nicely done Zune team, nicely done!

Ian Dixon interviews Zune Thoughts' own Jason Dunn to discuss why the Zune HD is truly an HD device, media center interoperability, and integration with Xbox 360. Just like last time, Jason and Ian have a great back-and-forth banter and are very informed on tech trends of the day. Check it out!

"This week I am talking Jason Dunn from ZuneThoughts.com a great resource for Zune owners. Earlier this year the Zune firmware and software was updated and I talk to Jason about what’s new on the Zune devices and the updated Zune desktop software."

Yesterday, Ian Dixon released the latest podcast of "The Media Center Show". The interview was with someone you may be familiar with, our own senior editor, Jason Dunn. (If you're not familiar with Jason, well, then welcome to Zune Thoughts!)

Ian and Jason spend an hour talking about the Zune G3 updates. If you're looking for a new podcast to add to your rotation, Ian's looks like a good one but at the least you should follow this link to listen to the interview!

“The MSN Video folks have updated Soapbox on MSN Video to allow users the ability to subscribe and add someone's video "stream" to Zune. You'll notice a new Zune icon next to the RSS icon on people's profiles on Soapbox for MSN Video. When you click the Zune icon, it adds the video feed to the Zune software. For example - when you go to my profile on Soapbox for MSN Video (where I host my videos I post here) and click the Zune icon - my video feed will appear in the Zune software.”

I’ve never really used MSN Video myself but I may have to start. This is a really nice tip from the Windows Vista Blog folks. I personally really enjoy the video podcast function. I have several that I watch in the morning when I get to work as I get the day started.

The only downside is that it only applies to Soapbox video, not all of MSN Video. So it has to be user content and not all content. I think that would have made this much cooler but it’s still a pretty cool feature.

"I have been getting reports from listeners saying they have been able to download my show in the Zune MarketPlace, but it absolutely refused to synchronize the media it had just downloaded to their Zune media player. I fired off a message to Rob at Zune to find out what the story was. The responding answer completely blew me away. This is the first negative thing I am going to say about the Zune MarketPlace. In fact I told Rob he needed to smack the Engineers that did this, because it is obvious that the engineering team did not read the RSS specification. Here is the deal. If you have a RSS feed with only Audio or Video Enclosures you are fine. But mix Video and Audio Enclosures together in the same RSS feed and the Zune Marketplace looses its mind! The software makes a decision on which media type is going to be allowed to be synchronized to the Zune Player."

I have to fully agree, this is one of the stupidest problems that use Zune users have had to deal with. Though in Microsoft's defense, as of this moment in time, I haven't experienced this problem as a majority of the podcasts that I listen to have one standard format that they use — either audio or video. There are some podcasts that I listen to that are primarily video podcasts but they have an audio feed for individuals that do not have time to watch, but none that have both in one feed. Now while Zune Marketplace shouldn't have a problem (in theory) with differentiating with synchronizing audio as well as video from the same podcast feed... isn't it more tidy, and less lazy-like, to separate your feeds? Why include both audio and video in one feed? That is just asking for confusion when a user is expecting a video podcast and only audio plays. I myself would most likely spend hours fiddling with the item and trying to figure out why it is "broken" even though it was perfectly fine. It's like turning on your TV and expecting to watch a new episode of "Lost" but you find out that the new episode you were all excited to watch is read in audiobook format that week. Don't screw with your users like this and for the love of all things digital and entertaining, just practice some consistency!

This week's podcast choice is Morgan Webb's (G4, TechTV) "WebbAlert". This short and sweet video podcast sums up the days technology worthy news in less than 5 minutes. While I cannot see this replacing "Geek Brief TV" for me anytime soon, I have been really impressed with the quality of the podcast for the past few weeks and feel it deserves its spot as our "Podcast of the Week".



To subscribe to the above mentioned podcast, please visit the following link:

• WebbAlert - Your Daily Tech Roundup

I guess bufixes weren't all yesterday's firmware update included; reader Nick points out and Zune Boards confirms that a certain oft-requested feature has finally been added—you can now unsubscribe from podcasts right from your device. This is great for discovering podcasts and getting rid of the ones you don't like. Users with the 2.3 firmware update can check it out by playing a podcast and bringing up the menu by pressing the center button on the Zune30 or pressing down on the Zune Pad on the 4, 8, or 80. To unsubscribe, simply select "unsubscribe." Nice, right?

EDIT (12/20/07): A ZuneBoards commenter noticed that using "play all" while looking at an artist no longer sorts the list alphabetically by song title. Now, songs are played in alphabetical order by album title, then track number. Neat.

"Grammar Girl provides short, friendly tips to improve your writing. Covering the grammar rules and word choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers, Grammar Girl makes complex grammar questions simple with memory tricks to help you recall and apply those troublesome grammar rules. Whether English is your first language or second language, Grammar Girl’s punctuation, style, and business tips will make you a better and more successful writer. Mignon Fogarty is the creator and host of Grammar Girl. Grammar Girl is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast."



I figured I would give you guys a break from the technology podcasts for a week and give you something that will be handy down the road. This weeks podcast, "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing" is a short and sweet podcast which crams a 5 minute or less grammar lesson into your brain once a week. I have been listening to Grammar Girl off and on for a while now and have always found it to be pretty enjoyable. If you are looking for a new podcast to add to your Zune, I would suggest giving a listen to Grammar girl.

To subscribe to the above mentioned podcast, please visit the following link:

• Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Mahalo Daily is a short and sweet video podcast hosted by always amusing Veronica Belmont who delivers a fun-filled take on a variety of topics that rang from making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, to how to tie a tie or even make the perfect sushi! This wide rang of random goodness is what makes Mahalo Daily the perfect 5 minute break from reality everyday. If you have not already subscribed to their feed, I highly recommend that you do.



Usually I would provide all of our readers with a link to subscribe to this podcast, but for the past couple of days the Zune site has been broken so I cannot look grab a link for you guys. Every time I try to search Zune.net or use the "Tell a Friend" feature in the Zune software, I am presented with a splendid 403 error! However, if you use the search feature built into the Zune software, you should be able to find and subscribe to Mahalo Daily in a jiffy!

EDIT: Zune Marketplace is up and running again! To subscribe to this podcast please use the following link

"Want to listen to internet audio programs but can't when they are scheduled? This program lets you create your own custom online audio anytime, anywhere. Really. If you want to listen to podcasts, this program is for you. Juice is the premier podcast receiver, allowing users to capture and listen to podcasts anytime, anywhere."

Are you a Zune owner annoyed at the lack of podcast support? Well, now there's Juice for the people who need the 'casts and gotta have the 'casts. Subscribe, organize and control everything postcast-related without needing the Zune Software at all. And it's cross-platform so it works with just about every player out there. Even better, it's licensed under the GPL (always a good thing to see). Anyone use Juice and want to give us the pulp?

"...but when you visit the zune.net website you will see that the site as been updated... But even more important, there is now a section called “pass it on”, that does the promotion of Zune-to-Zune sharing and has a clear focus on ….Podcast! Does this mean that we may have a Podcast management update sooner than expected?"

Some enterprising individuals have discovered a few tidbits that might just indicate Zune will be getting podcast support sooner than thought. First, there's an updated page on zune.net which mentions podcasts and features a podcast partner, which can be seen here. Also, an image was discovered on NPR's website which indicates support for Zune podcasts. You can see that image here. You can read all about this little discover by following the link at the top of this post. All in all, this is some exciting news! We've been told that podcast support was on Microsoft's To-Do list, but I had a feeling it would be a while. Now I'm hoping we'll see an update before too long.

"Overall I am pretty happy that I bought one, it a pretty cool device. Now would I recommend you guys to buy one? That all depends on your situation, do you need a mp3 player? Do you already have one? And what features are you looking for?"

One would think you might be hard-pressed to find a fair Zune review from a "NetCaster" (yes, I'm shying away from the "p" word), considering Zune's lack of NetCast support. Fortunately, Steve with XBL Radio delivers just that. Steve, who has owned a number of iPods, gives a nice first impression of his Zune inexperience. He does a nice job of pointing out both the strengths and weakness of the Zune, and weighs in on the Zune vs. iPod debate. Check out Steve's blog to see this NetCaster's thoughts on the Zune.

Cesar at the Zune Insider blog and David at the Zunester blog took time out to answer some of the more popular Zune-related questions out there. Here's a summary:

Podcast Support
In a nutshell, podcasts are supported. By having the WMA or MP3 file in your Zune library, you can simply transfer it and play it on the Zune. Extended support (for example, subscriptions, automatic downloading, etc.), as currently visible in iTunes and the iTunes Store, is still a while away, though should be present in future Zune releases.

Additional Codecs
David had this to say: "First, a lot of folks wanted to know why Zune isn't supporting some additional codecs - notably Ogg and FLAC. This is a good question, and we did spent a lot of time in the early days going through lists of codecs. In the end, we opted to focus on the most mainstream codecs first (and really getting them right - each codec is its own implementation challenge). We’re certainly actively considering codecs in the future, but for now we think the list we’ve got answers the most users’ needs."



Tagging and Indexing
David went on to mention that the Zune indexes all supported media (music, pictures, videos), and its operation is fast. If you have missing tag data, a background web service automatically fills in any holes (I'm just hoping this is miles ahead of what Windows Media Player currently offers).