Zune HD stops syncing playcounts with nary a firmware fix in sight
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted October 27th 2009 12:06PM
posted October 27th 2009 12:06PM
This isn't exactly the same magnitude as last year's Z2K scare, but it's still an all-around bummer for all you Zune nuts. According to a spate of complaints posted to the Zune.net forums as of late, certain Zune HD units are not syncing their playcounts properly with the user's PC and Zune Social accounts. To be a little more specific, it seems that if you let a song play through on the device it will not be counted as played -- but if you skip to another tune before it has a chance to complete (but after 20 seconds or so), the play will be counted. A real pain, right? Of course, this is not only bad news for obsessive list keepers, but for Zune Social fans as well: if your listening habits aren't being properly tabulated, how are you supposed to make new friends and discover new music? Certainly not by going to noisy rock clubs and talking to people! Apparently a Microsoft Zune support team member has acknowledged the issue, but the company has made no statement relating to the bug -- or possible firmware fix -- as of yet. We'll keep you posted.
[Thanks, Jon]
[Thanks, Jon]
on that note - why dont my play counts transfer when I copy my iPod songs to my new OS install? Oh wait - i'm not "allowed" to copy those songs over. I only paid $1 for each of them.. Oh, and where was the outrage for the "awesome deal" of Apple "letting" me pay ANOTHER 30cents per freaking song to get unabashed access to something they convinced me I already own? That right there should have led to the masses calling for Apple's head.
yeah ok - just make sure you update to Snow Leopard and use your guest account for all your iPod syncing... oh wait - that would awaken the bug that deletes all of your songs...That's ok - I can just recover songs from my ipo... oh sh*t, they blocked that too... Good thing I got that iPod - at least it keeps my playcount.
OMG that guest account "joke" is getting so old. I mean please move on. He says he's going to buy an iPod so you attack snow leapord? how does that make sense in your head? Yes Snow Leapord has bugs, but what does that have anything to do with this post. This post is about a Zune problem, and you make it about Apple's problem. You have issues. I wish Apple would have another problem so people would have something else to bash Apple with. Apple has a Guest Account problem, and that is the only argument and complaint you can really talk about because that's Apple's only problem with their any of their products as of right now.
well...@ least he can spell Leopard...
lol Damn you. I got my G.E.D. (Good Enough Diploma) and thats all i care about.
ah - figures
Meanwhile I'm too busy working on my M.S. B.M.E. research to respond to your MS flame...
The comment system flaws are the engadget "signature", kinda like Madonna's gap tooth smile...and just as pretty. :)
@ derrik
Ok, now lets have a quick look at this with our reality goggles on...
Mr. Evans here starts his comment with: "Seems like every time Microsoft has a new product it is loaded with bugs."
and ends it with: "So how do you solve the problem??? Get an iPod."
I proceeded to respond in kind, then you came along and said: "Yes Snow Leapord has bugs, but what does that have anything to do with this post."
And here I am, pointing out the painfully obvious fact that I'm responding to Mr. Evan's initial MS flame and generalizations. As for the Guest issue being Apple's "only problem" is so hilarious that I'll just assume this is the first Engadget post you've read this decade. Go snuggle with your iPhone and Macbook, At least they'll keep your warm. (burn you?)
That's too bad for all 3 people who bought a Zune HD. They sold a few to the gullible when they first came out but already they can't give them away. Too many potential buyers have the capability to understand what a limited device this is.
You're going to get voted down by the 4th and 5th ZuneHD owners who frequent this site every day. Watch.
Don't own an iPhone, but yes go ahead and make your assumptions because I defend Apple. Sorry I forgot if you don't hate Apple than you're a fanboy. And if you don't love Microsoft that you're a noob. I forgot the logic used in the c-section.
Loaded with bugs? What bugs? The Zune 30 had that New Years leap year bug that fixed itself, the Zune HD has the show stopping not synching playcount bug, what's up with your Zune 120?
If you weren't so eager to attack Apple, you would know that the bug is very isolated, and doesn't delete anything. Around six simple lines of text typed into the command line and everything is back to normal. I could really care less about your choice of software or PMP, but apparently you are unable to accept that anything other than your preference is acceptable.
"People have been complaining about this for years, with nary a software fix in sight."
Oh, SNAP!
@ Phenoum Xbox 360 failure rate 27.4% failure rate to 54% failure rate... hmmm. Bing - total fail. According to the Windows fanboy's, Apple only has 10% of the computer market so they are a failure. Bing makes up 9.6% of all searches on the web, so I guess Bing is a failure. MP3 Market Share says the Zune is at 4%, so mark that up as another failure. Phone OS - Windows Mobile = 9% market share. Welp looks like we got another failure.
@dennisheadley: "Where did you read anything that suggested that Microsoft would never fix the issue."
The implication is in the title of this post: "...nary a firmware fix in sight"
I hate this comment system.
@Dave: Me, too.
So now we're "nuts"? Hmph.
Broken Zunes? Nothing is broken. They work fine. The play count doesn't keep perfect record, but so what. If that is the biggest problem/complaint Zune HD has had so far (from what I've read) then this just shows that the Zune HD is a truly awesome PMP.
I honestly don't think anyone gives a damn about Zune Social. I mean I have the little zune card on my myspace, and I guess that's pretty cool but seriously who cares? It didn't even work on my zune 80 back in the day, so why call it out engadget?
People forget that this is a FIRST GENERATION Zune HD and it will have hardware/software glitches just like Apple had. Improvements are learned from mistakes from earlier models and customer feedback - good and bad.
Well MS should learn from Apple's mistakes also. Why would you relaease an mp3 player that is 2 gen behind what it is trying to compete with. There is only one reason to do this so MS can put out a gen 2 then a gen 3 getting people to buy the same unit over and over again.
MS should have made the Zune HD at least able to do all the 2nd gen touch can do and maybe a few things it can not do. That is how you take market share away form the leader.
@Rudy: "Why would you relaease an mp3 player that is 2 gen behind what it is trying to compete with."
Sound quality is better, image quality is better thanks to the OLED screen, more processors, better graphics capabilities, better sound quality, touch interface is smoother, the accelerometer is more responsive and it's got an HD radio. How do you figure it's a generation behind?
The worst part is that its less of a bug and more of a design choice to prevent inflated listening numbers. I just cannot fathom why any zune owner would be perturbed by this. Oh wait, this is a flame war article so the iFreaks can have a jab at my perfect PMP.
"Xbox 360 failure rate 27.4% failure rate to 54% failure rate... hmmm."
Can't argue too much there, that really is a big problem.
"Bing - total fail. According to the Windows fanboy's, Apple only has 10% of the computer market so they are a failure. Bing makes up 9.6% of all searches on the web, so I guess Bing is a failure."
No, Bing is NEW. Like any new product it takes time to really see what happens. If you look at the numbers, Bing has seen steady gains in market share since it was introduced while Google has actually lost some ground. And with Bing set to power all Yahoo! searches soon that will give Bing around 25-30% of the search market. Far from failure. ...and Bing is still growing.
"MP3 Market Share says the Zune is at 4%, so mark that up as another failure."
The original series of Zunes, though really good, never gained solid traction. So, yeah I would chalk up the orignal Zunes as a failure in terms of stealing the market from Apple. We'll see what happens going forward with the Zune HD (especially since MS is finally starting to show initial signs of a fully integrated product offering) Do I expect the Zune HD to conquer the market singlehandedly? No, but if you can't admit that it is an extremely attractive alternative to anything iPod there is no point in further discussing this with you.
"Phone OS - Windows Mobile = 9% market share. Welp looks like we got another failure."
You really should mark that as WinMo 6 market share. Microsoft was negligent to leave WinMo to the side for so very, very long while Apple and RIM swept in and took the phone OS market. Though WinMo 6.5 is a definite improvement, it is still lacking. However, everything regarding WinMo 7 seems to point towards it as being a game changer, much like Win7. Only time will tell.
Stupid comment system... That was directed at derrick. Sorry about that.
as for the xbox failure rate, MS is honoring their warranties in most cases, and the new processors have almost a perfect record.
More apps please.
Been hearing lots of complaints regarding the Zune HD lately. Frozen screen of death, severe lack of apps, screen sucks when outside, damaged Zunes due to crappy packaging, etc. Now this...
No wonder the Walkman, Sansa, clip and even Coby MP3 players are outselling the cheapest Zune HD...
zune hd users don't have any friends, that's why they're zune hd users
Oh SNAP!!
why is it that when apple can't implement a feature right it bragged about ( using iMac as moniter), it's O.K., but when a zune doesn't record the number of times you played a song in a device, it's a big deal?
If this article was in sarcasm (sometimes i can't tell), then i apologize.
the iMac's screen-as-monitor feature works perfectly fine between DisplayPort devices.
It was not designed to work for DVI nor VGA input.
This the evolution of video technology:
1) VGA - very old (analog)
2) DVI - newer (digital)
3) DisplayPort - newest (digital) http://www.displayport.org/
Gapless playback also is not working properly. I have been testing out the new Zune software, and hope to get a Zune HD, but have noticed that a disc I ripped from a gapless download from iTunes (yes, it's gapless on iTunes & on Windows Media Player) but when I played the file, and then the disk with the new Zune software, there is a 2 second gap.
I have been an iPod owner for several years, but have been following the Zune for some time. If the Zune can promise true gapless playback, I'll drop the iPod like a bad habit. I have several classic live recordings that would be destroyed by the 2 second gap. Have you ever listened to the classic Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band with a two second gap between each song? It truly destroys the experience.
All I'm saying is Microsoft came out with the Zune HD, and Zune 4.0 software. Now my 120gb will not even connect with my computer. I can't login to the Zune program using Zune software or Zune.net. I spend 4 hours of my day on the phone with Microsoft being transfered at least 5 or 6 times, to get nothing but, "Start a new account. Then your Zune will work." I lose all my money, all my songs and they say sorry we can't transfer your purchases or money to another account. All the while my iPod is still trucking strong with no problems.
lol why does every Microsoft article have to become and anti-Apple flame war. People... just breathe. This is a problem on the Zune. There is no fix right now. Would you prefer Engadget starts sugar coating everything:
"We are absolutely certain a fix is imminent because kittens like firmware fixes :D "
the MS fanboys suffer from a severe self-esteem problem and the only way they can make themselves feel better is by pretending that iPods are awful things, just like Zunes really are.
iPods aren't awful. iTunes is.
Don't you think the picture is a bit extreme to represent this "problem"?
Robert, you're the one looking like a douche with that comment. Troll.
Oh noez! Now little girls won't know how many times they've listened to the Jonas Brothers!!
This is the kind of "story" that just makes me scratch my head.
Oh noes, a feature 99% of people never even imagined they might need isn't working properly!
SHUT. DOWN. EVERYTHING.
I just love all the MS / Zune fans here that can't help but defend against any failure that's been reported. The fact is it's happening & shouldn't, period. This is just the first of many issues I'm sure that will surface. I can't wait till these Zune's get some use under its belt & we start to read about how their Zune just died, like their Xbox did. MS is not a hardware company & I can't trust that anything they build will ever have the expected longevity.
A lot of you folks really need to relax. If you get this worked up over people's opinions of devices that didn't exist a few years ago and that will be outdated in a couple of years and forgotten in a few decades, how do you cope with real problems without your heads exploding?
FYI -- I use a Zune 120 for music and an iPod Touch as an internet and game device. My wife loves her Zune HD on which we share a Zune Pass and my daughter really likes her iPod Nano. None of which should be taken as a personal attack on anyone.
you mean the new Zune HD has glitches? i thought only the old Zune had glitches? actually, I thought only iPods had glitches?!? WHAT THE FUUUU?!! *world implodes*
Far from an Apple fanboy site, they kick Apple in the nuts in every article and yet, they don't say anything about MSFT when their crap breaks. This is a windows fan boy site by far.
This isn't about Apple versus Microsoft. This is about Microsoft responding to customer complaints about ZuneHD's play-count problem in a timely manner.
ZuneHD's play-count issue is one of the least of its problems.
How about the extremely short battery life.
How about critical syncing problems with the device.
How about problems supporting WiFi connectivity.
How about critical problems with the web browser.
How about the degree of OLED screen failure rates.
How about the poor visibility of the OLED screen in direct sunlight.
How about the poor video after conversion and lack of popular codec support.
How about no apps.
How about the fact that ZuneHD software doesn't work with 64bit XP.
How about a lack of any firmware updates.
How about silence from the ZuneHD support team.
How about the fact that HD radio doesn't work for everyone.
http://forums.zune.net/537216/ShowPost.aspx
New Zune HD 4.3 Firmware is out. Issue is fixed along with many other improvements to the Zune HD, including web browser speed. (Epsecially on Engadget) :)