Zune 4 / 8 won't include video out functionality
By Darren Murph 
posted Oct 8th 2007 8:44PM
posted Oct 8th 2007 8:44PM
[Via Zune Online]
posted Oct 8th 2007 8:44PM
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a shame, but you couldn't fit many dvd quality movies on a 4/8gb player anyways
What?! You could fit 10 movies on an 8 Gig or every episode of Family Guy on the 4 Gig!!
@ James
That is nate's point, why would you want to fil your entire flash drive with 1 season of a tv show? We all love Family Guy so why not buy the 80 gig and put all seasons on it.
@mark
Actually, James' point isn't that you WOULD, but a demonstration of what you COULD. Rather than putting a whole season, a few TV episodes would do, if you're on the road and need some portable entertainment for the kids. When I was helping my sister take my neice to a hospital in Cincinatti, we watched video episodes of Lost off my iPod in the hotel. Regardless of the amount of shows, useful is useful.
James: What video codec are you using that gives DVD-quality movies under 800MB? I ask that sarcastically because I know one doesn't exist. A TRUE DVD-quality movie will require 1.5-2GB (depending on the length, obviously)
How about video in?
http://www.createthefuturecontest.com/pages/view/entriesdetail.html?entryID=365
Now all those apple haters cant stop hating apple for crippling devices when Microsoft turns around and does the same thing.
I'm no Microsoft fan, but I'm not sure it's fair to call the Zune nano "crippled." Perhaps it uses completely different decoder hardware and including 720p video out would result in a price/battery life penalty, hmm?
720x576 is nowhere near 720p resolution, which is 1280x720.
Reality check - DVD is not 720p, it's 520p, which is higher than analog TV resolution, but not HD.
I love the Zune but could you please get rid of those blue at&t ads with that homely chick.
Honestly she depresses me. Tell at&t we want hot chicks...
The Zune 80 vs iPod classic.... Zune Rulz!!!
Dude, you need FireFox with AdBlock and NoScript (and Flash block if you want)... i havent seen an ad in years.
I agree, along the lines of GoreTEX.
You can also get the "IE7 Pro" add-on, which includes an option to block ads with AdBlock. Of course IE7 practically has everything you'll ever need for IE7.
And if you use Opera, you could probably find something for that, if it's not included already.
Just keeping other people's options open.
@michael,
Thanks for the tips on "IE7 Pro"! It works great, no more AT@T ads!
Thanks
Or, you could just buy a Mac. No ad problems, no malware problems, no adware problems, no viruses, ever. I bought a new iMac for $1200 about two months ago, to replace an aged PC. I have never looked back. Microsoft has burned its bridge a hundred times over with me by publishing crap software and causing more pain than anyone should bear. (I'm exaggerating, but I still think MS sucks.)
Gian
I've got $350.....and no idea what to do with it
I understand Engadget isn't the right place for this
But the choices are
Buy some more games
or replace my 2gig 1gen Nano with the Zune 80
I'm leaning towards the games (CoD4 perhaps)
Well you can't pirate hardware so the choice should be fairly obvious =D
Though if you're replacing your nano, maybe just getting a Zune 8 would be fine and use the rest for games?
Suze would tell you to put it into a savings account or buy some bonds or stocks or something.
It all depends on what you do more often. If you use your Ipod a lot, I would get the Zune 80, but if it doesn't get much use, go with the games.
The most obvious and best choice is to give it to me.
I'm thinking I'll wait until the inevitable price drop to buy a Zune 80 because
games like CoD4 are unlikely to be played unless people come over to my house and I just bought a 360 Elite so I doubt It would be smart to spend another $250 when I could wait for a sale during Christmas for another item.
Looks like the Orange Box, Halo 3 and Mass Effect (not to mention school) will keep me busy for the time being.
Maybe if I run out of space on my iPod I'll give it to someone else and buy the Zune 80.
It certainly would have been better if Microsoft had been more detailed in their announcements with regard to specs and capabilities. This and the lack of new video codecs on the 'Zune 30' woudln't be seen as dissapointments had they been more up-front.
I think they are making it up as they go.
The zune 30 is getting a complete software revamp, including new codecs, and we already knew that the zune 30 couldn't do 480p out.
It doesn't matter as long as it plays Doom.
I'd totally get Zune 80! Already excited about it.
I wonder when it'll be available in Asia.
This isn't the place for surveys (especially useless ones like you made)
Man, seriously...who gives a shit about this piece of garbage.
They're not talking about the iPod...
Apparently you do or I wonder why you would even bother posting!!
As for me I am excited at the 80 and could see myself buying that.I have seen the screen on the zune and its beautiful to see the least and this ups the size and capacity so I think its worth the price they are asking. Dont really care about WiFi syncing tbh.
how many people ACTUALLY use the tv out.. i have a PSP slim and an iPod.. never used TV out!
I am actually gonna go buy a Zune 8 as soon as it comes out!
I don't on my Gigabeat, but that's because it only allows shit quality movies. If I could do 480p hell yes I would put a crap load of dvds on it.
So tempted to replace my 30g gigabeat with the 80gb or 8gb zune...
I use the tv out on my zen vision: m all the time.
How do people get excited about Zunes? They are soooo ugly.
If you think the iPod nano is better looking than the Zune flash then you're whacked.
The Zune flash is crappy looking knock-off of the last gen nano. So your whack.
the ideology of "i have the best taste and you suck if you don't agree with me" coming from both of you shows that you're both whacked. badly whacked.
Why? Because it has a screen and buttons to navigate? Get real.
The Zune looks great. It's slim, has a big screen, and is just aesthetically pleasing.
I never said that I even thought the nano looked good. That was just your presumption based on market share. if that makes me "whack" for not liking how the zune looks, the so be it.
I know you are but what am I?
Yeah. I said it.
Funny, I believe all the iPods except for the shuffle can do video out to a TV or whatever.......
Zune......it's DOA
partly wrong.
the new 3rd gen can only do TV out if you connect it using a $50 cable from Apple.
Talk about crippling a player...
You can use a $10 RCA cables from Target. Just switch the Yellow-Video and the Right-Audio. Newsflash, all US companies cripple their music players. If you want one UN-crippled, order one from Korea. Or Japan. Just don't get upset when it falls apart in a year. Or you realize just how annoying the software is to use.
That's the price you pay for "ease of uses".
What they really need is digital audio out for non-DRM files. A little 5.1 action, turn this into a real video jukebox, and you're holding the future in your hands. Too bad the MPAA would never let digital anything out of a device, even if it was your own content.
But will it run "Flight Simulator?"
With the way ACES optimizes code, good luck.
I just bought an iPod Classic 80gb, I saw the Zune 80 and became pretty impressive with the big screen and now I want a Zune 80, but the fact that is from Microsoft is stopping me from doing it. You know what Im talking about?
I would only let A) the windows only support or B) the fact that it will only be released in the US (as far as we know) stop you. I swear, half the people who complain about the Zune or the Zune's computer software also say that they would never buy one, so it's hard to imagine where they're getting such detailed accounts of the experience from.
I never really understand this rationalization. What makes Microsoft bad?
They're just like any other company, trying to make a profit. Also note that the Zune division is pretty isolated from the software division of Microsoft that everyone seems to hate. It mainly consists of Xbox designers/coders
If the 8 gig had included video-out, it would have been EXACTLY what I have been looking for. That's really unfortunate.