The 120 and 80 can output 480i and 480p (through the A/V Dock), not 720p. The Zune HD will NOT be able to playback 720p on the built-in 480x272 screen, but it WILL be able to output 720p video through a dock to an HDTV using HDMI.
It is called aspect ratio. 480x270 (+ two extra lines) is a factor of 1920x1080, meaning that the screen on this device is 16:9, just like your 1080 device. If I watch a HD video on an iPhone/iTouch or a previous version of a Zune, you will see black bars on the top and bottom, where as with this device (if the video is 16:9, some HD video is 2.4:1 such as portions of the Dark Night) you do not get those black bars. Another reason where the Zune HD is better is because the screen is a factor of 1920x1080, you get 1:1 pixel mapping. Suppose you try to draw an image on a screen that is not a HD video ratio, you need to do funny things with the pixels. If you are drawing 2 lines of pixels on 3 lines, you need to perform interopolation on those pixels. You draw the first line of the video on line 1 of the display, you draw the second line of the video on line 3 of the display, and then you add the RGB value of lines 1 and 2 of the video, divide by 2, and use that value to draw line 2 on the display (it is a bit more complicated than that, but that is the general idea). Not only is this computationally inneficient, wastes battery life, but it also makes for a much picture. Displaying an average like that makes the picture blurry.
As for previous versions of the Zune using 720p video, the device may be able to play back 720p, but since there are no HD cables for the Zune (only composite cables) the highest resolution you can get is non-widescreen 576i (PAL resolution) because of bandwith. After composite, there is s-video which solves some problems, but still cannot carry 720p video. HDMI supports 720p as well as higher resolution video. This is why until the ICT kicks in as mandatory on Blu-ray, if you are not running a HDCP device you can still watch the video using composite as well as s-video since those cables do not support higher resolution video, causing image degradation so they are protecting the HD-ness of Blu-Ray. Finally, since composite is analog, the picture is not as good as digital.
So the resolution on the screen is correct, but it also gets the HD moniker because it displays real HD on an external device (along with the HD radio).
RioRyan, actually there are not. This page http://www.zune.net/en-US/products/z/zunehomeavpack/details.page/ lists the cables as component, but actually it is composite. It is the yellow/red/white set of cables, not red/white/red/green/blue set that are used for HD. There may be some out there, but they are not official microsoft ones.
Some online marketers (you know who) posting here claim that because the device itself doesn't have a HD screen it doesn't deserve to be called Zune HD. Bluray players don't have screens built in at all, but they're HD devices because they output HD.
While its tablet world topping pixel density, Tegra 2 silicon, and fresh to death OS certainly sound awesome, we had to get our grubby mitts on one to see if it's as good as its spec sheet would have us believe.
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i still dont get why they call this one the HD, because the other Zune 120 and 80 can output in 720p anyways..
Because it will process and display 720p on the device itself, not only output it to external devices.
There's also the HD radio that's built in.
no....?
Display 720p on the unit itself(YBD)? That would be quite a trick when the screen is only 480x272. Maybe you were confusing 720 with 270?
The 120 and 80 can output 480i and 480p (through the A/V Dock), not 720p. The Zune HD will NOT be able to playback 720p on the built-in 480x272 screen, but it WILL be able to output 720p video through a dock to an HDTV using HDMI.
"video files stored on the Zune can be as large as 720x480 and played at full resolution through the composite-video output built into the Zune's headphone jack."
http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/microsoft-zune-120gb-third/4505-6490_7-33259222.html?tag=mncol;lst
Microsoft Zune 120GB review
Nick
720x480= 480p
720p= 1280x720
The Zune HD is the first Zune to play HD.
It is called aspect ratio. 480x270 (+ two extra lines) is a factor of 1920x1080, meaning that the screen on this device is 16:9, just like your 1080 device. If I watch a HD video on an iPhone/iTouch or a previous version of a Zune, you will see black bars on the top and bottom, where as with this device (if the video is 16:9, some HD video is 2.4:1 such as portions of the Dark Night) you do not get those black bars. Another reason where the Zune HD is better is because the screen is a factor of 1920x1080, you get 1:1 pixel mapping. Suppose you try to draw an image on a screen that is not a HD video ratio, you need to do funny things with the pixels. If you are drawing 2 lines of pixels on 3 lines, you need to perform interopolation on those pixels. You draw the first line of the video on line 1 of the display, you draw the second line of the video on line 3 of the display, and then you add the RGB value of lines 1 and 2 of the video, divide by 2, and use that value to draw line 2 on the display (it is a bit more complicated than that, but that is the general idea). Not only is this computationally inneficient, wastes battery life, but it also makes for a much picture. Displaying an average like that makes the picture blurry.
As for previous versions of the Zune using 720p video, the device may be able to play back 720p, but since there are no HD cables for the Zune (only composite cables) the highest resolution you can get is non-widescreen 576i (PAL resolution) because of bandwith. After composite, there is s-video which solves some problems, but still cannot carry 720p video. HDMI supports 720p as well as higher resolution video. This is why until the ICT kicks in as mandatory on Blu-ray, if you are not running a HDCP device you can still watch the video using composite as well as s-video since those cables do not support higher resolution video, causing image degradation so they are protecting the HD-ness of Blu-Ray. Finally, since composite is analog, the picture is not as good as digital.
So the resolution on the screen is correct, but it also gets the HD moniker because it displays real HD on an external device (along with the HD radio).
@ Nohone
There are component cables for the current Zune models.
RioRyan, actually there are not. This page http://www.zune.net/en-US/products/z/zunehomeavpack/details.page/ lists the cables as component, but actually it is composite. It is the yellow/red/white set of cables, not red/white/red/green/blue set that are used for HD. There may be some out there, but they are not official microsoft ones.
Some online marketers (you know who) posting here claim that because the device itself doesn't have a HD screen it doesn't deserve to be called Zune HD. Bluray players don't have screens built in at all, but they're HD devices because they output HD.