Early this morning the Zune PC software update went live, Zune HD hit the street and Zune.net got some cool new features. We can't wait for you to get the chance to download the new software, get your hands on a Zune HD and give Zune Pass a spin. Let me give you a quick pass at what's new.
Zune HD
First off, we have a beautiful new piece of hardware with the Zune HD. It features an 3.3 inch OLED touch screen and is available in 16 gb black and 32gb platinum. You can also visit ZuneOriginals.net to order a Zune HD in green, blue or red in addition to black and platinum, in either of the capacities. You can also choose to customize a new Zune with laser engraved artist designs or Xbox game titles.
The new player can output 720p video files to an HD TV via the Zune HD dock thanks in large part to the onboard NVIDIA Tegra HD processor. It includes HD Radio receiver as well, which makes your favorite local radio stations sound better and allows you to tune into parallel digital signals. Here in Seattle one of our local NPR radio stations uses one of the signals to broadcast the BBC. Cool!
On the software side of Zune HD we have an alternative menu scheme called Quickplay. This new interface is designed to connect you with your favorite and most relevant content within one touch. It neatly organizes your "pins" (think of favorites), recent history and newly added music, pictures, videos, podcasts, etc. As a Zune Pass person I personally have been using the new section the most. I go through music quick, so it is nice to have new stuff right at the front of the player when it turn it on.
We also added an internet browser to the Zune HD so you can update status on the fly. There is lots more good stuff in the Zune HD, go check one out. As for existing Zune devices, they will get a light firmware update for integration with the new PC software. This is a major update from a hardware standpoint, so many of the device features like HD radio, apps, Quickplay and movie rentals are exclusive to Zune HD. Existing Zune devices will be able integrate seemlessly with the new Zune PC software, including the ability to sync and play purchased movie content.
PC software
The Quickplay menu is the new starting point on the PC software side of the things as well and includes thesame categories as on the Zune HD; pins, history and new. We have big new feature you will find on that screen called Smart DJ. Pick an artist and the Zune software will create a playlist based on that choice, pulling music from your collection and the Zune Marketplace. If you have a Zune Pass you get ultimate playlist, music you already have plus music you might not have ever heard. Without a Zune Pass you get a custom playlist based off your local collection, but can still see the recommendations from the Zune Marketplace, they just won't play.(we wanted to give folks a look at the music discovery benefits a Zune Pass can provide). Everyone can give this feature a test drive today by signing up for the free 14-day Zune Pass trial. You can start a Smart DJ playlist from any track, album or artist in your collection and from artist pages in the Zune marketplace. Movies are now available in the Zune Marketplace today for both rental and purchase. There’s a pretty solid selection of both SD and HD content, but we are not stopping there. We will continue to add new titles to the catalog over the coming year.
Zune.net
On Zune.net we will feature one of the largest streaming audio and video podcast catalogs online. Now you can browse and play any podcast (i.e., inlcuding video podcasts) from our library straight from a browser that supports Silverlight. In addition to podcasts we are releasing streaming music via Zune Pass through the browser as well! You can flip through the music catalog online play music, build a queue or even fire off a Smart DJ playlist right from Zune.net. Streaming Zune music on your PC without the software! This is great for folks that might be stuck at work, unable to download the Zune software. Now, just stream music straight from the browser.
There is so much more in each but I will leave that up to you to explore. Plus we will continue to drill into specific features over the coming weeks to make sure you get the most from Zune.
Have fun!