Ask Dave (A Microsoft Employee)

[Olley]

Pre-orders are active. Prices seem locked in. Brian Seitz didn't act like there was much he couldn't share when he was on MP3 insider. Have you been given a green light for sharing more info yet Dave?

[CrowdAds]

[The DarkSide]

Well, the Tegra battery life seems to be a sham, and no DivX/XviD support still? Wow, and I thought the EQ issue was all that I was getting worked up over.

Take care, since the Zune HD is a no-go for me, and I don't want the thread to be derailed by my ranting. L8R!!!

[Olley]

You've already posted your distain about battery life several times, Darkman. Too late to avoid ranting. Hard to tell if the real spec is 24 or 33 hours, but The iPod Touch lists these times with huge disclaimers:

Music playback time: Up to 36 hours when fully charged
Video playback time: Up to 6 hours when fully charged

For iPod touch: Testing conducted by Apple in August 2008 using preproduction hardware and software. The playlist contained 358 unique audio tracks consisting of content imported from CDs using iTunes (128-Kbps AAC) and content purchased from the iTunes Store (128-Kbps AAC); video content was purchased from the iTunes Store. iPod units were associated to a Wi-Fi network and Auto-Brightness was turned off; all other settings were default. Battery tests are conducted with specific iPod units; actual results may vary. Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced; learn more (http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/battery). Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings.


I'm guessing the Zune HD's estimates are conservative, and that for a WiFi device it'll last longer than the Touch and the Sony X in real use.

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by Olley

You've already posted your distain about battery life several times, Darkman. Too late to avoid ranting. Hard to tell if the real spec is 24 or 33 hours, but The iPod Touch lists these times with huge disclaimers:

Music playback time: Up to 36 hours when fully charged
Video playback time: Up to 6 hours when fully charged

For iPod touch: Testing conducted by Apple in August 2008 using preproduction hardware and software. The playlist contained 358 unique audio tracks consisting of content imported from CDs using iTunes (128-Kbps AAC) and content purchased from the iTunes Store (128-Kbps AAC); video content was purchased from the iTunes Store. iPod units were associated to a Wi-Fi network and Auto-Brightness was turned off; all other settings were default. Battery tests are conducted with specific iPod units; actual results may vary. Rechargeable batteries have a limited number of charge cycles and may eventually need to be replaced; learn more (http://www.apple.com/support/ipod/service/battery). Battery life and number of charge cycles vary by use and settings.


I'm guessing the Zune HD's estimates are conservative, and that for a WiFi device it'll last longer than the Touch and the Sony X in real use.

Do you own a Zune 120? The claimed battery life is 30 hrs, wifi off, minimal screen usage. BS, from my and many others usage, and I smell a similar deal here as well. You use a player, what, 2hrs a day? I use it more, and need to have real specs - not fantasy.

As for my ranting, I posted a last comment in another thread, and posted the "SUPPOSED" specs from the official site. If you have an issue, please feel free to say it. Otherwise, keep this about the device - not what I you may or may not think of me. I'm really not up to dealing w/someone who feels like making a personal attack. Unless, you decide to make it worthwhile.

Oh, and yeah, the battery life of the Touch sux - but all the extras make it fun KILLING the battery. Have you managed to deplete yours, or 2hrs a day gives you quite awhile to enjoy it, eh?

[vote_pedro]

Where are there reports of the Zune HD battery life? The only I remember is one from a while back which said something crazy like 180 hours of music.

Edit: Nevermind I am an idiot. I thought one of the draws of the Tegra chip was its incredibly low power usage? So why should it have so much trouble with playing music?

Hopefully they haven't finished benchmarking it like they said in the videos from that conference and so they just used the specs from the earlier Zune models, considering the battery life seems to be identical between the two.

[Olley]

I'm sorry, I was just ribbing you for your indecisiveness which you are legend for here. There is no such thing as a "real spec" on battery life since everyone uses their device differently. Only estimates, and if they don't tell how they came up with the estimate then that data is pointless anyway.

[medion]

Dave -

Any idea why MS chose to make black and silver exclusive to 16/32GB respectively? I logged on this morning ready to make an impulse pre-order, but then I saw that there was no option for a black 32GB. Now I'm just going to wait until September 15th to see what Apple has available for the iTouch 3G, and what you guys have in Zune Originals.

[The DarkSide]

Originally Posted by Olley

I'm sorry, I was just ribbing you for your indecisiveness which you are legend for here. There is no such thing as a "real spec" on battery life since everyone uses their device differently. Only estimates, and if they don't tell how they came up with the estimate then that data is pointless anyway.

Hey, ADD has it's pitfalls, nothing I can really do at times. Especially since MS was touting this as the "Second Coming", even though it's the 4th gen (the 4th Coming,........ I think,....???).

As for the battery life thing, only my S9 and my (sold) D2 comes/came anywhere near the predicted specs. I now gauge all players by Cowon, even by Samsung. MS, Apple, even Sony are full of it when they post specs.

[Olley]

With "Three pairs of foam earpiece covers" for the included headphones, it's pretty certain there will be no premium in-canal earbuds with the HD.

[medion]

Dave, in addition to my last question, here's another one for you.

Any reason MS decided not to put Bluetooth into the Zune HD? That's a requirement for me, as my car stereo supports BT. My wife's iPhone syncs up via BT and begins playback. It's also included in the iPod touch 2nd gen, and likely will remain in the 3rd gen version that is rumored to come out later this year.

I'm buying either a Zune HD or iPod touch THIS year, and BT will figure into which product I choose.

[alexiznumber1]

yea bluetooth rocks on my p2. its too late for voice recording which is also really important to me. but anyways dave it says that there will be avaliable options of designs to put on the back. Could you put some pics up of what they look like?

[The DarkSide]

Here's the pic (I originally posted in another thread):

[medion]

Dave, sorry for the barrage of questions, and I hope that you can find time to answer them. I'll summarize my last two here, in addition to my new question, for the sake of organization.

1. Regarding colors, this question has been answered. If I want to get a 32GB Zune HD in black, I should avoid pre-ordering.

2. Will there be Bluetooth, and if not, why? The current worthwhile PMPs, like the iPod Touch, Cowon S9, and Samsung P3 all include this feature. It's become a checkbox feature for a higher end PMP, and the Zune HD should have it.

3. What's going on with the 720p output? Going off the official specs that have now been released, the Zune actually only outputs 480p. That's not HD, it's ED. Can you offer any clarification on this?

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by DaveMac-MS

So I'm sitting here at my table at a Nashville, TN restaurant - just finished my meal and thought I'd whip out my laptop to check in on you larrikins while I finish my merlot - and I'm getting LOTS of funny looks. Guess laptops in eating establishments aren't as common as in Seattle...

You should have come an hour and a half farther south to Huntsville, AL. The only look you'd get for having a laptop in this rocket science town is if you are (*snicker*) hunched over and squinting at a nettop.

And I would have bought you a beer for all the Zune proprietary grief.

[Ricardo Dawkins]

Wrong specs or crippled device? time will tell.

[Machiventa]

I'm guessing wrong specs at least with battery life. 24 hrs? come on that can't be real.

[DaveMac-MS]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Dawkins

of course the interest is higher than last year because they are astroturfing much better and they developed a new device after 2 years to keep up with the current market.

Astroturfing Ricardo? Do explain...

Originally Posted by Olley

Pre-orders are active. Prices seem locked in. Brian Seitz didn't act like there was much he couldn't share when he was on MP3 insider. Have you been given a green light for sharing more info yet Dave?

Actually there are still details we're going to hold for launch. Can't say anything more obviously, but Brian did well during his c|net interview to talk to the data we've made public, but hold back (or at best hint) at stuff we haven't released yet!

Originally Posted by Olley

I'm guessing the Zune HD's estimates are conservative, and that for a WiFi device it'll last longer than the Touch and the Sony X in real use.

Firmware is enormously important in deciding battery life, as is real life usage (which varies for everyone). We're still working on firmware and I believe (as @brianseitz said in his recent c|net interview) that we're still benchmarking there. That said, if we're going to publish numbers I would expect they'd be erring on the conservative side.

Originally Posted by vote_pedro

Where are there reports of the Zune HD battery life? The only I remember is one from a while back which said something crazy like 180 hours of music.

To be clear, there was some wild speculation way back when... I think you're referring to that.

Originally Posted by medion

Now I'm just going to wait until September 15th to see what Apple has available for the iTouch 3G, and what you guys have in Zune Originals.

Yup, you'd be advised to wait and see what Zune Originals has on offer. 'Nuf said...

Originally Posted by medion

Any reason MS decided not to put Bluetooth into the Zune HD? That's a requirement for me, as my car stereo supports BT. My wife's iPhone syncs up via BT and begins playback. It's also included in the iPod touch 2nd gen, and likely will remain in the 3rd gen version that is rumored to come out later this year.

I've actually answered this one a couple of times. Bottom line - the device already has a wifi radio and an FM/HD radio. We didn't see the need for a third (some say fourth) radio for BT. Also, the car companies are moving away from BT for high fidelity audio and towards wifi/DLNA. The home is already a DLNA zone for a lot of CE hardware these days, and BT has no footprint there anymore (did it ever?).

I love BT for my phone, but not for high fidelity audio. Wifi/DLNA is the future here - and we already have a wifi radio, so we didn't see a need to invest in a BT radio that would up the cost, decrease battery life and be useful to a small subset of users.

There are/will be BT accessories made by our 3rd party accessory partners though, so all is not lost.

Originally Posted by medion

3. What's going on with the 720p output? Going off the official specs that have now been released, the Zune actually only outputs 480p. That's not HD, it's ED. Can you offer any clarification on this?

I believe that's an error. We definitely do 720p output via the HD dock - I've been using it at home for a while now, and did a demo of it this morning to a key partner, so yes - can confirm 720p.

Originally Posted by Nicole

You should have come an hour and a half farther south to Huntsville, AL. The only look you'd get for having a laptop in this rocket science town is if you are (*snicker*) hunched over and squinting at a nettop.

And I would have bought you a beer for all the Zune proprietary grief.

Whoa - if only I'd known! Maybe coulda snuck you a peek at my device! (ssshhh...)

Cheers, Dave.

[Dan12R]

Dave, a couple questions that you might be able to answer:

1. Is it possible to output in 720p if we plug the Zune HD into an Xbox 360 via a USB cable? My HDTV doesn't have HDMI so this is probably my best bet.

2. Will we be able to pick up AM stations that are broadcasting HD radio?


BTW, anyone looking to pre-order, newegg.com has a good deal. Free shipping.

[medion]

Yup, you'd be advised to wait and see what Zune Originals has on offer. 'Nuf said...

Since that's now been "leaked", I'm pretty happy with what was shown. It's good to know that I can get a 16 or 32GB in black.

I've actually answered this one a couple of times. Bottom line - the device already has a wifi radio and an FM/HD radio. We didn't see the need for a third (some say fourth) radio for BT. Also, the car companies are moving away from BT for high fidelity audio and towards wifi/DLNA. The home is already a DLNA zone for a lot of CE hardware these days, and BT has no footprint there anymore (did it ever?).

I love BT for my phone, but not for high fidelity audio. Wifi/DLNA is the future here - and we already have a wifi radio, so we didn't see a need to invest in a BT radio that would up the cost, decrease battery life and be useful to a small subset of users.

There are/will be BT accessories made by our 3rd party accessory partners though, so all is not lost.

I understand not wanting to up the cost, but decreasing the battery life would only affect those who turned it on, or as you said, "a small subset of users." Your competitors have this feature, and that will hurt you guys at retail.

I'm also very curious about your statement that cars are going towards wi-fi. Know any models offhand that support this today or within the next few months? Actually, does Ford SYNC currently support this? It's my understanding that it does not.

This does dampen my desire for a Zune HD, but we'll see, using a cord and aux input won't kill me.

[clubdirthill]

What model Tegra in the the Zune HD. I'm hearing its the 650. Is this true?