[Nix]

So yesterday, Microsoft rolled out the new Zune audio player.  Apparently everyone has had problems just getting the darn audio software to install on thier PC's, leaving lots of people with a device that they cannot use.  The only thing that the Zune has going for it is the wifi beam factor.  That, and the hardware is of higher quality than the 4g/5g ipods, meaning it doesn't hiss, and puts out cleaner audio.

Ok, the reason why I'd like input is that I had *almost* purchased one for a christmas gift this year, and now I think I might be going back to my original plan of a Creative Zen player.  See, my girlfriend wants an ipod so bad she could taste it, and I refuse to get one because there's better devices out there, yet she still wants the ipod cause it's an ipod.  (go figure, eh..)  The Zune allows you to import your itunes tracks into the zune marketplace.  Only real problem is that I can't get the damn software to install! 

So what do you all think?

[Black Wolf]

I've heard good things about both the Zen and the i-pod... I guess it depends on how badly she wants the I-Pod label. No matter how hard you try to make her understand the advantages of the Zens, if she's a label person she'll probably be convinced you didn't just get a cheapo I-pod.

[Fineus]

I've heard good things about both the Zen and the i-pod...

Dude, I can see where you're confused but the Zune and the Zen are different. The Zune is Microsofts new shot at the I-Pod, the Zen is Creative Labs.

[IceFire]

For the record I have a year old Zen Micro 5GB still going strong, even accidentally dropped it a few times, rock solid Mp3 player.  Highest signal to noise ratio I could find on the market that time too so no hiss and plenty of 160kHz high quality audio.

[Black Wolf]

Ok, the reason why I'd like input is that I had *almost* purchased one for a christmas gift this year, and now I think I might be going back to my original plan of a Creative Zen player. 

[Nix]

I know, I know! it's a better device, and if I wasn't in love with the flexibility of my PDA as my audio player/everything else short of a laptop can do, I'd get the Creative Zen, just for the freedom of choice I have, and the EXCELLENT SnR it has.  But it's not for me, it's for my girlfriend.  I just strictly refuse to go with apple products, not because I'm anti-apple, but because they just do not allow you the freedom that the Zune/Zen/Rio/iRiver devices let you have. 

Anyway, this is odd, an update on the zune software not installing.. I found out that the installer will quit for some oddball reason, but it dumps a crapload of Windows Media Player 11 setup files on the disk, temporarily.  So I go about trying to install WMP11 just to test.  Apparently, there was one little file, WMDRMSDK.dll (god that makes me shiver so bad...) wasn't registered.  Once I registered that file, WMP's install completed properly.  I've yet to see if it works. 

Edit: It worked.  Wow.  Just one dinky little file keeping the install from going through.  YAY M$!

Anyway, that's been my little side-track from doing what I SHOULD be doing.. getting the darn VP done.

[aldo_14]

I just strictly refuse to go with apple products, not because I'm anti-apple, but because they just do not allow you the freedom that the Zune/Zen/Rio/iRiver devices let you have. 

Zune?  Freedom? The same Zune that allows you to receive wireless broadcasted tunes but only to play them 3 times / hold them 3 days?  The one that doesn't work with MS' own prior DRM (As used by the likes of Rhapsody & MSN) and uses exactly the same 'our store only' policy (well, except that their store doesn't work on Macs or Windows Vista, apparently - oh, and you need to use Microsoft 'points')?

Hell, whatever else Zune is, it sure as hell isn't more free than Apple; it's exactly the same, in fact - using a proprietary DRM and 'store' to force you into only using the store owners' products to play your music upon.

[Colonol Dekker]

I dont really use the MS Zone much, the only experience i had with it was with CFS2 and Starlancer, and to be honest it wasn't great. So ------------

sorry, you mean they released a microsoft MP3 Player ???? I wouldn't use that if you gave me one for free, MS Audio players never agreed with me let alone a piece of their hardware, (apart from 360), if Winamp made one however with upgradable compatability, I'd buy one.

[aldo_14]

I dont really use the MS Zone much, the only experience i had with it was with CFS2 and Starlancer, and to be honest it wasn't great. So ------------

sorry, you mean they released a microsoft MP3 Player ???? I wouldn't use that if you gave me one for free, MS Audio players never agreed with me let alone a piece of their hardware, (apart from 360), if Winamp made one however with upgradable compatability, I'd buy one.

Yes.  An MSPod, if you will.

Or if you, er, won't.

[Wobble73]

I dont really use the MS Zone much, the only experience i had with it was with CFS2 and Starlancer, and to be honest it wasn't great. So ------------

sorry, you mean they released a microsoft MP3 Player ???? I wouldn't use that if you gave me one for free, MS Audio players never agreed with me let alone a piece of their hardware, (apart from 360), if Winamp made one however with upgradable compatability, I'd buy one.

WINAMP!!!! Lets hear it for the Llama! 

[Nix]

Well yeah, the whole point of the thread was to point out yet another one of MS's blunders with the installation of the Zune software, and truly, I'm still thinking about getting the Creative Zen, seeing as how hard it was just to get the damn software to install.  She'd see eventually that the Zen will allow her to have much more freedom in downloading movie content, such as using the Unbox service from Amazon, not just strictly itunes. At least I hope. 

Edit again: at Dell, Zen's just dropped 20 bucks with the release of the Zune.  LOL. 
Edit again again: The Zen Vision supports Divx 5 playback!?  SOLD! Screw the Zune.

Winamp?  Oh dear God.  Free yourself.  Get Foobar2000. 

[asyikarea51]

One of the things I don't like about the current crop of MP3 players is that you can't directly copy your songs into the device and listen to them straight away. I plugged in a Walkman and went, "WTJ are all these funny-named files?! "

I might have to go for one from an obscure brand....

[Unknown Target]

Winamp?  Oh dear God.  Free yourself.  Get Foobar2000. 

Seconded! I used to be a devout Winamp user, now Foobar is my one true love

[Fragrag]

I refuse to use a media player called ****ed Beyond All Recognition...

Seriously though, I'm gonna give it a try, been using WinAMP for some time now but I notice that it's rather memory intensive and a tad buggy.

[Colonol Dekker]

Winamp is best......................

or this will get you

[Inquisitor]

Did anyone actually GET a Zune?

[Taristin]

Mathewpapa is actually very interested in getting one, and to be honest, it's appealed to me, too. I've jumped off that 'hate everything microsoft" bandwagon, and their latest output of products have begun to win me back over. Vista, the XBox, and 360, and Media Player 11 have all been very good to me recently. Im satisfied enough to want to purchase Vista when it comes out.

This Zune looks pretty good as well.

[Nix]

Hardware component quality wise, it's superior to the ipod, and ranks right up there with the Zen, and has a unified software and storefront package, whereas the zen doesn't.  The sotware isnt as restrictive as itunes, and you can still import stuff into it from your own collection. For me though, after researching it a bit, the creative zen wont play files that i make with GKnot, due to the settings I use, and probably won't fit what I'm going to do for her. I can take any of my divx'd movies and run them through Windows movie maker and optimize it for the 320X240 screen and put them on the device... I just might go back to the Zune.  I just really hope they don't keep the "Social" campaign forever. 

I could go on and on about why Foobar is superior to winamp... hell, any version of winamp since 2.8X has been utter crap and bloatware.  Foobar plays back anything I want, encodes anything I want, and it's so much lighter on memory usage, hell, the system barely knows it's there. 

[Nuke]

winamp is still pritty good if you uninstall all the crappy modules it comes with, running on its core components only. the core of the program is pretty stable. i admit, theyre gonna need to rethink it better if they want me to keep using it, but for now its working and i dont want something else. i can trust it not to modify ny files unless i tell it to.

as for portable mp3 players, theyre all crap. the archos i had 5 years back was better than anything ive seen out there today. once you get over the crappy interface at least. it did have the added binifit of being a copy to device.

i like the ipod cause it has the decency to organize filess by the id3 tags. other mp3 players i had over the years had problems with this. winamp has the newer ipods cracked, so you dont need to use itunes anymore. your mp3s are on there, and they can be removed and played. you need a program to rename them all based on the tags, but thats not a problem. ipod does suck though. i doubt il ever buy another one, all this drm nonsence has me paranoid. should i need another mp3 player in the future, il probibly give a zen a spin.

[kode]

for desktop, I use good ol' winamp that hasn't disappointed me so far (because I skipped wa3), and foobar for flac files (I don't really like the UI, tho)
portable mp3 player -> sandisk sansa e270. it's pretty nice.

not getting a zune. not because it's microsoft, really. I couldn't even if I wanted too, as they've decided to **** over all of europe once again.