Well folks it’s been announced, at E3, the new Zune HD is on it’s way and it looks just like the predictions, and quite nice it is too…although I wish there was more news on the games front…
Zune will extend its video service to Xbox LIVE internationally this fall. This marks an important development in the Zune strategy and brings the Zune brand to more than 17 million international Xbox LIVE subscribers. Zune will be a premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform. Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time. At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) next week, attendees will see firsthand how Zune integrates into Xbox LIVE to create a game-changing entertainment experience.
Now all of that is actually quite interesting, international Zune branding (check), international devices (nope), Zune still “all about the music” (nope). There will probably be some video out this week of the Zune Xbox experience I’d wager, so watch this space.
Here’s the device feature list, or at least the headlines. For me there’s some key information missing…like capacity, is the FM radio still there?
[…]Built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
And just as you can now with the FM radio there’s the option to buy a song whilst listening to it.
The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
Point to note is that resolution on the device, it’s not a HD resolution
The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.*
Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
ZuneHD as a Media Center remote then? NGRC could do it immediately, but with XNA surely someone could create us a media remote? I wonder if that browser is IE6 mobile?
Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.
There’s a new device at the top of my, “I want to check it out list”!
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FM still works