Zune HD: Firmware Update with Xvid Support and Streaming Playlists
- January 19th, 2010
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Microsoft seems to be pushing ahead with software updates to the Zune HD. In an upcoming spring firmware release, the player will get support for XviD encoded videos and streaming playlists. If you have a hard drive full of XviD files (that you may or may not have gotten via BitTorrent) this is certainly good news, as you won’t have to convert them whenever you want to view them on the Zune HD. Support for the similar, but proprietary, DivX codec is unlikely.
The streaming playlists will be an extension of the Smart DJ offering already in the Zune desktop software. This will allow the device to offer playlist suggestions much like the iTunes Genius feature. Smart DJ will pack a little extra surprise, though. When the player is in range of Wi-Fi, Smart DJ can stream songs right from the Zune Marketplace without the need for local storage. Does this make the Zune HD a more appealing device in your opinion?
I think they should have had the Smart DJ when it first came out, since Genius had been out already. One-uppance should have been first on their minds. Xvid is great for me since half my vids were xvid before I had to convert them. I love the wifi feature for playlists. Keeps things fresh and makes music discovery way easier.
This is great!
Zune HD has made my Music Discovery so much easier! and now with this new Smart DJ feature on my own Zune, it really be a ‘portable perfection’.
Hopefully they also put out some new Apps with this Firmware update, i’ve been dying for the promised Facebook App.