ZUNE and your X360 - ZUNE HD Now in 64GB - Latest Update Now Supports AVI/XviD

[quote name='halfbent']How long does it usually take the Zune Cards to update? Seems like it's not wanting to update the stuff I listened to on the player, even after syncing.[/quote]
from http://forums.zune.net/30/ShowPost.aspx

Q: When do my plays get uploaded to the Zune Social?
A: Play data is uploaded to your profile 1 minute after you open the Zune Software, every 15 minutes while the application remains open and upon shutdown of the application. You must sign in through the Zune Software at least once to ensure that the play data is being uploaded to the correct profile. During subsequent sessions, however, sign in is not required for play data upload.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, it doesn't update like last.fm does (while you're actively listening).
 
[quote name='62t']well the ebay seller i brought it from is in california and only took like 2 days for shipping.[/QUOTE]

Maybe I'll pick one up off Ebay this weekend. Even if it's just one of the crystal cases, I just want something to protect the thing while I'm traveling.

Is there anyway to stop a song during playback on the Zune, or can you only pause/turn it off?

Also can you update the album art to high-res images or is it up to Microsoft to update the artwork catalog? I tried to update most of my artwork today and it looked the same.
 
[quote name='asianxcore']Can anyone recommend a good/reasonably priced case for the Zune?[/QUOTE]

Check your local EB Games/Gamestop they carry the Belkin line of cases and they are marked down to $4.99/8.99 for the older 30GB model cases.
 
If anyone sees another $99 30 deal, please post it up here. I think that's what I'm going to end up doing, as much as I like the aesthetics of the 80 better.
 
Thanks.

My auctions are up to $160 right now, + $40 that I have on hand. I'm still undecided between the two.

Grr. Stupid credit cards, I'd love to pay some off.
 
[quote name='edison']Check your local EB Games/Gamestop they carry the Belkin line of cases and they are marked down to $4.99/8.99 for the older 30GB model cases.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Wish I read that before I left to search for a case tonight. I eventually picked up one the of DLO Leather Cases.

CocheseUSA, CompUSA should have those Brown 30GB Zunes at $99 until the end of Saturday this week (B&M). As I mentioned in a couple Zune-related threads, price-matching at another B&M store for another color (YMMV) might work.
 
[quote name='asianxcore']
CocheseUSA, CompUSA should have those Brown 30GB Zunes at $99 until the end of Saturday this week (B&M). As I mentioned in a couple Zune-related threads, price-matching at another B&M store for another color (YMMV) might work.[/QUOTE]

I already checked at CompUSSR. No go. And I'm not going to even bother trying to PM, we have PM Nazis around here.

Wow, Circuit Shitty has the 80GB in stock locally. I may just order it for in-store pickup right now. Then, if I get any giftcards for Best Buy (which I've asked for), I'll buy another there and return this one.

Guess I also need to bite the bullet and buy that cucusoft program so I can start ripping my movies.
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']Just got back from that hellhole, I hope to have a bunch of pics up later. Can't wait to try it out.[/quote]

Did you use the circuit city coupon i posted earlier?...The 40 bucks off one?

The CC around here has them currently, but they only have em in stock when im flat broke.
 
[quote name='joe2187']Did you use the circuit city coupon i posted earlier?...The 40 bucks off one?

The CC around here has them currently, but they only have em in stock when im flat broke.[/QUOTE]

I don't even try coupons like that with this CC, they seriously suck.

I'm planning on buying another one from Best Buy (where I can get my Reward Points and use gift cards) after Christmas, so it really didn't matter much to me.

I bought their bundle with a $15 wall USB thing, and it was for iPod. :lol: I know it will work, but it was funny. Got a dual charger from Walmart for the same price.

My Zune says it's connected, but the software isn't doing anything, or letting me do anything with the device.

EDIT: There we go. A software reboot fixed it.
 
Man, I can't take advantage of any of these deals on the 30gb's. There is only CompUSA around here and they are all sold out of the brown zunes and they might be out of business for all I know. The one I ordered through Dell is still set to be delivered on February 8th... WTF
 
Initial impressions of the 80GB:

This thing has a little girth to it. Heavier than the Touch for sure. But, it's not a bad weight. About as heavy as my Mini estimated.

It takes FOREVER to first sync up.

The video I thought I had directly converted to Zune format had to be reconverted. Annoying.

The Zune software still doesn't work as intuitively as I'd like. I still have artwork and artists that are wrong even after I tagged them.

The CD artwork is nice and big. I like that. We'll have to see how well it works in the car.

The FM reception isn't that great. I also don't know if that affects the RDS signal, or if I only have one (ONE?!) station here that transmits it.

The premium headphones are nice, but at low volume you can really hear the cord noise.

They could have included better videos.

Right now I'm kinda meh on it. Mostly due to the fact that the video conversion process is really pissing me off. I have a ton of movies that I'd be more likely to watch on the road, but I can't get that far.
 
Gamestop.com has the Zune 80 in stock. Unfortunately all stores within 200 miles are marked as 0 in stock, No restock coming.

I guess ill go for FYE. The Backstage pass works on the Zune and credit there is almost as easy as GS credit.
 
I'm an idiot.

I misread the Zune.net page where it talks about recoding H.264 and MP4 files, but they were talking about HD versions.

:doh:

I think I'll now try to find a MP4 or H.264 converter now since TCMP works on my Blackjack and 8525, and it can handle either of those formats.

No wonder I was having such a hard time trying to find a converter that worked. Encode360 works fine, except it's taken almost 90 minutes to load The Matrix onto the Zune.

BTW, even at the lowest quality it still looks good. Too bad it wasn't formatted correctly. Guess I'll just have to try it again, this time with one of the other formats.
 
The plays record seems like it's way off, I played 9-10 songs last night before bed, and then plugged it in and let the software run all night. None of the ones I listened to synced, but a couple that I didn't listen to did... Not sure what's going on.
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']I'm an idiot.

I misread the Zune.net page where it talks about recoding H.264 and MP4 files, but they were talking about HD versions.

:doh:

I think I'll now try to find a MP4 or H.264 converter now since TCMP works on my Blackjack and 8525, and it can handle either of those formats.

No wonder I was having such a hard time trying to find a converter that worked. Encode360 works fine, except it's taken almost 90 minutes to load The Matrix onto the Zune.

BTW, even at the lowest quality it still looks good. Too bad it wasn't formatted correctly. Guess I'll just have to try it again, this time with one of the other formats.[/quote]

Just to let you know, if you care about organization you should stick with WMV. For some reason, there's no metatag editor yet for mp4/h264 soo all of your videos will be under the "all videos" folder.

At least with WMVs, there's programs like dSharpie that will let you edit stuff like if it's a tv show, movie, etc. and it will show up on the Zune as that way. Was a bitch for me to edit all my MP4 movies into WMV but it's worth it IMO because it looks so organized and easy on the eyes now.
 
[quote name='TheRock88']Just to let you know, if you care about organization you should stick with WMV. For some reason, there's no metatag editor yet for mp4/h264 soo all of your videos will be under the "all videos" folder.

At least with WMVs, there's programs like dSharpie that will let you edit stuff like if it's a tv show, movie, etc. and it will show up on the Zune as that way. Was a bitch for me to edit all my MP4 movies into WMV but it's worth it IMO because it looks so organized and easy on the eyes now.[/QUOTE]

I just want to get a fucking video on my fucking Zune, period. I'm so fucking pissed off right now, I'm probably going to return it tomorrow.

MOTHERfuckINGPIECEOFSHITGODDAMMITCOCKSUCKINGSONABITCH
 
Been hearing some of you been having problems with the Video support, heres some Helpful Info

From the Zune.net forums Member Tidin
AVS Video Converter ---------- $50 //\// Special $40 - Screenshot *MY PICK*
STOIK Video Converter ------- $29 -------------------- Screenshot *POPULAR* No Free Trail Limitations
Advance X Video Converter - $30 -------------------- Screenshot
Alive Video Converter -------- $36 --------------------- Screenshot
Xilisoft Video Converter ------ $35 --------------------- Screenshot
WinAVI Video Converter ----- $30
CUcuSoft Video Converter --- $40
Windows Media Encoder ------- Free ---------------------------------- *POPULAR*
Encoder360 Video Converter - Free
Super © Video converter ----- Free
MediaCoder Video Converter - Free

Video
Frame Width: 320
Frame Height: 240
Data Rate: 960kbps
Total Bitrate: 960kbps
Frame Rate: 25fps

Audio
Bitrate: 192kpbs

Supported Audio/Video/Picture File Formats

.wma .wmv .mp3 .jpg .mp4 .m4v .m4a .m4b .mov
Click to expand...

Heres some more Info

From Zunescene.com Forums member Blackboxconsiprator

Conversion Tuts



XMike14x Tut for a Youtube/Google video downloader
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=16811.0

Basic Media Loading Tut via Zunes.com
http://www.zunes.com/tutorials/loadzune.php

BlackBoxConspirator's Tut via Renaming File Formats
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=11337.msg113146#msg113146

Mrxxg's Tut via CuCuSoft, Tunebite/Sound Taxi, Moyea, and AVEX DVD to Zune
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=1999.msg15810#msg15810

Medawen's Tut
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=9425.msg87895#msg87895

BlackBoxConspirator's Tut via MediaCoder
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=10365.msg99958#msg99958

PQChick's Tut
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=3229.msg25121#msg25121

ivanhoe's Tut via Videora
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=8769.msg80518#msg80518

valk's Tut via Super + DVD Decrypter
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=8467.msg76660#msg76660

zebus's Tut
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=8037.msg71102#msg71102

TheRealStJimmy's Tut via Encode 360
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=7489.msg64759#msg64759

Zunescom's Tut via IMtoo @ zunes.com
http://www.zunes.com/tutorials/imtoodvdconverter.php

Wondershare DVD to Zune Ripper @ zunes.com
http://www.zunes.com/tutorials/wsdvd2zrip.php

Avex DVD to Zune Converter tutorial via zunes.com
http://www.zunes.com/tutorials/avexdvdconverter.php

Microsoft's Tut via Windows Encoder 9
http://www.zune.net/en-us/support/howto/start/providecontent.htm#section5

Original Renaming Conversion Tut by snrsuave
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=3564.msg27456#msg27456

Reg. Hack for .avi & .mpeg files by KingJehu
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=3609.msg27786#msg27786

jrb's tut via AutoMKV
http://www.zunescene.com/forums/index.php?topic=11089.msg109201#msg109201

Links

CuCuSoft http://www.cucusoft.com/ (purchase/trial)
Encode 360 http://dcunningham.net/encode360/ (free)
Super http://www.erightsoft.net/SUPER.html (free)
TuneBite http://www.tunebite.com (purchase/trial)
Sound Taxi http://www.soundtaxi.info/ (purchase/trial)
Zune Video Convertors http://zunevideoconverters.com/dvd-to-zune.htm (purchase)
MediaCoder http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/ (free)
Imtoo http://www.imtoo.com/zune-video-converter.html (purchase/trial)
FLV online convertor http://vixy.net/flv_converter (free)
Converter Download Center http://www.zunes.com/downloads/index.html (in alphabetical order)
Zunes.com Tut Page http://www.zunes.com/tutorials/tutorials.php
Your Best Friend http://www.google.com
Zune.net http://www.zune.net

DVD Ripping Tools

DVD Decrypter http://www.dvddecrypter.org.uk/ (free)
DVD Shrink http://www.dvdshrink.org/ (free)
AnyDVD http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvd.html (purchase/trial)

*If anybody wants to contribute to this section, feel free. I've only had to use these three prorams without any problems ever. So, let me know
wink.gif



As a disclaimer, this is just a simple solution for people instead of having to search through pages on top of pages in the Conversion + Upload Forum. If people have anything to add or changes that need to be made, please PM me.

Credits

Gotta give credit Zunescom (zunes.com) for giving me some great links and tuts.
To everybody making the the tuts out there for us Zuners
To the mods for making this a sticky for Zunescene users to take full advantage of!
Click to expand...
 
.m4v does not work for me. The Zune software doesn't see it. If there was some way it would have, I sure wouldn't have just spent $30 on Cucusoft, as that's the only thing that's gotten anything on there, albeit with a tag.

I just ripped a Band of Brothers disc, and the computer froze up at some point. I set it to output at 640x480 and a high bitrate so I could stream it to the 360 as well. Well, it looks great on the computer. Going to try and sync it up now.

The problem is, with this, and the last one I did before I bought it (and with another that I ripped via a different method) is that I can't advance the clip at all. Windows doesn't show me a clip length, either.

All of the programs and methods you listed that I tried, at least 60%, don't work for me. I can't tell you why. Trust me, I've been trying to get the process right for at least two weeks.

The Zune software is having to convert the file, so I'm going to try and recode using the exact specs you gave. Thanks for those, BTW.
 
Encode360 has all the Zune Specs built in and rips a good video, or you can just download the Windows Encoder 9 from the microsoft Website if you already havent.

These two programs are the best, fastest and free

The Windows converter works great.
 
[quote name='joe2187']Encode360 has all the Zune Specs built in and rips a good video, or you can just download the Windows Encoder 9 from the microsoft Website if you already havent.

These two programs are the best, fastest and free

The Windows converter works great.[/QUOTE]

Tried both. 0-for-2.

Depending what happens for Christmas, I may try to find another HDD and rebuild my system, because I know I was missing the MPEG-2 codec. Downloaded one, but it doesn't seem to work well.

I may just install Windows again fresh on the other HDD I have already with the same key, and see if I can have a streamlined approach.

But until then, I'm stuck with Cucusoft and trying to iron out the bugs.
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']Tried both. 0-for-2.

Depending what happens for Christmas, I may try to find another HDD and rebuild my system, because I know I was missing the MPEG-2 codec. Downloaded one, but it doesn't seem to work well.

I may just install Windows again fresh on the other HDD I have already with the same key, and see if I can have a streamlined approach.

But until then, I'm stuck with Cucusoft and trying to iron out the bugs.[/quote]

Sorry to hear about that, wish i could help you out further but thats all the info i could track down.
 
It just sucks knowing I have this really cool thing, and can't use it to it's potential. Actually, video is the only reason I bought it.

Trying again with the right resolution. When I aborted one just a bit ago, the scroll bar showed up again, so here's hoping. If the computer didn't lock up I'd have it done already. Tried running msconfig to take off some unnecessary startup programs and see if that makes it more stable.

Guess I'm putting a new processor on my tradelist.
 
OK, I feel a lot better. Had a couple of Stellas and got a decent amount of sleep.

I was successful in converting what I had been working on yesterday, a random Band of Brothers disc. I set it at WMV7, at a bitrate of 499/96K. The resolution was 320x192, even though I set it at 320x240. Now, the Zune software is re-reconverting it and loading it.

I guess it's just a crapshoot or trial and error as to what settings will produce the best results. I'd rather it not have to reconvert in the Zune software, but I'll take that over the program freezing every time I try to do it.

If it's just going to reconvert it every time, I'm just going to set it for the 360 and put my entire library on a hard drive and let stuff sync overnight.
 
Hey Cochese why does the Zune software have to still convert even if you already have it in WMV? I bought my Zune 80 yesterday with the understanding that it natively supports wmv, mpeg, and h.264 in higher resolutions. My plan was to rip everything to h.264 in 640 x 480. That would allow me to play my movies in good quality on my Xbox 360, PS3, PSP, Zune, Pocket PC and laptop with additional plug-in's for windows media player. I want to rip my movies one time with one program and be able to play them on all my devices.
 
Beats me, wish I knew.

Just finished ripping one with WMV9 at 1000kbps. Took 2:20, but it's not being converted at all to my Zune! Woohoo!

After it finishes syncing, I'm going to check it on my 360 and phone. The WMV7 version of the other disc was ok, but you could see the artifacting pretty well. We'll see how good it looks on my other two devices.

But if it works, I'll be super pumped.

Unfortunately, it looks like there's a bit of artifacting still with the WMV9 version. Slow on my phone, but I haven't overclocked it yet.

May try the 640x480 Zune TV setting, see how that works out.

I'm getting closer, though. I'm just happy I've started to figure out solutions.
 
Heres some more info from Zune.net's manual on the Zunes

Supported Formats for Zune Software
The following codecs and formats can be imported and played back on a computer that has Zune software installed as the default media player. Zune software can also automatically synchronize these content formats to a Zune device, converting the content to a supported format if necessary.

Audio
  • Windows Media Audio (.wma) - all bit rates
  • MP3 (.mp3) - all bit rates
  • AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov) - all bit rates, Low Complexity (LC)
Video
  • Windows Media Video (.wmv) - all bit rates and resolutions
  • MPEG4 (.mp4, .m4v, .mov) - Simple profile, all bit rates and resolutions
  • H.264 (.mp4, .m4v, .mov) - Baseline and Main profiles, all bit rates and resolutions
  • DVR-MS (.drv-ms) – standard definition Windows Media Center DVR recordings, Windows Vista Home Premium and Ultimate only
Pictures
  • JPEG (.jpg) - all resolutions

    Note
    Zune software will only support unprotected versions of these media files unless the media file is purchased or downloaded from the Zune Marketplace.
Supported Formats for Zune 4GB, Zune 8GB, and Zune 80GB
The following codecs and formats can be synchronized and played back on the Zune 4GB, Zune 8GB, and Zune 80GB.

Audio
  • Windows Media Audio Standard and Pro (.wma) - up to 550 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
  • Windows Media Audio Lossless (.wma) – up to 1.5Mbps, up to 48-kHz sample rate
  • MP3 (.mp3) - up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
  • AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov) - up to 320 Kbps, Low Complexity (LC), up to 48-kHz sample rate
Video
  • Windows Media Video Simple Profile (.wmv) - up to 320x240, 10fps and 1.5 Mbps
  • Windows Media Video Main Profile (.wmv) – up to 720x480, 30fps and 3 Mbps
  • H.264 baseline profile video with AAC audio (.mv4, .mp4) – up to 720x480, 30fps and 2.5 Mbps
  • MPEG4 Part 2 simple profile video with AAC audio (.mv4, .mp4) – up to 720x480, 30fps and 2.5 Mbps
Pictures
  • JPEG (.jpg) - up to 640x480
Supported Formats for Zune 30GB
The following codecs and formats can be synchronized and played back on Zune 30GB with firmware 2.1 or later.

Audio
  • Windows Media Audio Standard and Pro (.wma) - up to 550 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
  • Windows Media Audio Lossless (.wma) – up to 1.5 Mbps, up to 48-kHz sample rate
  • MP3 (.mp3) - up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
  • AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov) - up to 320 Kbps, Low Complexity (LC), up to 48-kHz sample rate
Video
  • Windows Media Video Simple Profile (.wmv) - up to 320x240, 10fps and 1.5 Mbps
  • Windows Media Video Main Profile (.wmv) – up to 720x480, 30fps and 3 Mbps
Pictures
  • JPEG (.jpg) - up to 640x480
Encoding Content for Zune
There are a number of encoding tools—consumer applications and tools available for purchase (or free), as well as professional applications and tools—available that you can use to create and encode content for Zune. There are also several that output content to codecs and formats that are not supported by Zune. However, audio, video, and graphic conversion tools are available to enable you to convert unsupported content into one of the supported codecs and formats. You can use any tool or application as long as the content is ultimately encoded into one of the codecs and formats supported by Zune.
The following sections provide details about the specific encoding parameters for audio, video, and picture content supported by Zune software and the Zune device.

Encoding Audio for the Zune Device
In order to present the best possible experience for customers, content should be encoded in a format natively supported by the Zune devices. This will allow for synchronization of content to the device without the delay of an intermediate transcode. The following audio format is recommended to sync directly to the device and allow for the best combination of quality and long battery life:
  • WMA Standard - 128 Kbps, 44 kHz, CBR (Recommended for best battery life performance)
Alternative formats suggested for encoding:
  • WMA Standard or Pro 2-channel - 2-channel, up to 384 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate.
  • MP3 - up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
  • AAC (.m4a and .m4b files) - up to 320 Kbps, up to 48-kHz
Several applications exist on the market to encode content to the formats listed above, including Windows Media Player and Windows Media Encoder.

Encoding Video for the Zune Device
Whether you are creating video from scratch or already have a finished video, you will want to encode the content using the parameters specified in this section to ensure the content synchronizes and plays on a Zune device without the need for conversion. For long videos, this conversion may take a considerable amount of time. To provide the best possible import and sync experience you should encode content that doesn't need to be converted. The following formats are recommended to sync directly to the device and allow for the best combination of quality and long battery life:
  • Format: Windows Media Video (.wmv), H.264, MPEG4 (part 2). Additionally, H.264 and MPEG4 part 2 files should be inside an m4v or mp4 container.
  • Video codec: WMV9 for Windows Media Video 9 (Simple and Main Profiles), AVC1 for H.264 (Baseline Profile), M4S2 for MPEG-4 (part 2, Simple Profile)
  • Video resolution: 320x240
  • Video peak bit rate: up to 1.5Mbps
  • Complexity or profile: Simple and Main profile for WMV9 (CBR and VBR), Baseline Profile for H.264, and Simple Profile for MPEG-4
  • Audio codec: Windows Media Audio (.wma) for Windows Media Video 9, AAC for H.264 and MPEG-4
  • Maximum audio bit rate: 128kbps
  • Maximum total bit rate: 1.692 Mbps

    Note
    The Zune device also supports Windows Media Video (WMV) Simple Profile, Windows Media 7 and 8, and PhotoStory files. For these video types, the maximum video bit rate is 736 Kbps with a maximum overall bit rate of 800 Kbps when audio is included.
Using Windows Media Encoder to Encode Video Content
You can use Windows Media Encoder 9 Series to encode video to a WMV file that is suitable for the Zune device. To download the free encoder, go to the Microsoft Download Center.
The following instructions describe how to use Windows Media Encoder to encode content up to the maximum quality for the Zune device. Content can be from either a live source (for example, a video camera) or an existing video file.
To encode content for the Zune device using Windows Media Encoder
  1. Click the Start menu, and select Windows Media > Windows Media Encoder .
  2. In the New Session dialog box, click the Wizard tab, and then double-click Custom Session .
  3. In Windows Media Encoder, on the Sources tab, under Source from, do one of the following:
    • Select Devices if your content is on a device such as a video camera or a capture card.
    • Select File if content is in digital format accessible from your compute, and then locate the file you want to convert.

      IMPORTANT: If your file requires conversion to a format compatible with Zune, do not select Script: In File. For a list of compatible video formats, see Zune Formats and Codecs.
  4. On the Output tab, check the Archive to file checkbox, and then choose a location and file name.
  5. On the Compression tab, select the following encoding settings:


    Setting ValueDestination File download (computer playback) Video DVD quality video (1 Mbps VBR)
    By choosing VBR, the encoder will perform two-pass encoding, which maximizes the overall quality of the video although it takes roughly double the time to encode.
    To perform one-pass encoding, choose DVD quality video (1 Mbps CBR) Audio CD quality audio (VBR)
  6. Click Edit .
  7. In the Custom Encoding Settings dialog box, click 1073 Kbps, and select the following encoding settings:


    Setting Value Audio Format 128 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo CBR Video Size 320x240 Video bit rate 500K
  8. Click OK to close the Custom Encoding Settings dialog box.
  9. Click Apply.

    Note
    You can choose to configure additional parameters on the remaining tabs as well.
  10. On the toolbar menu, click Start Encoding.
For additional information about Windows Media Encoder, see the following resources:
Click to expand...

For Encode360 help.

From Zunescene.com Forums member TherealStjimmy

Important!
You MUST follow these pre-install steps for Encode360 to function properly. (If you have any of these to strat with, lucky you!)

Install M$ /NET Framework 2.0 - http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=0856eacb-4362-4b0d-8edd-aab15c5e04f5&displaylang=en

Install Windows Media Player 11 Series - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/download/default.aspx

Install Windows Media Encoder Series 9 - http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/forpros/encoder/default.mspx

Now you may have luck with your current installed codecs but if your worried i would advise a complete uninstall, system restart and then...
Install K-Lite Codec Pack - http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_Lite_Codec_Pack.htm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now, get hold of Encode360 from here - http://dcunningham.net/encode360/

(This is a great app, if you like it and use it please donate to support the development!)

Once you've downloaded and extracted Encode360, run it...you will get the following screen:

pic14.jpg


Now firstly, check your ssettings match what I have above...(Obv. your destination drive can be different...)

Now click on the '+' button in the top right to add your files to be encoded.

Select your files (AVI/MPEG/MPG/VOB) in the dialog box and add them into Encode360, they should appear in the Encoding box:

pic15.jpg


Now click the 'Advanced Settings' button down in the bottom right...

pic16.jpg


Now you want exactly the same settings as above...This will ensure that you can directly sync it to your Zune without the Zune software having to re-convert which is what a lot of these guides I've seen seem to leave with.

Note: You can change the 'Mode' if you want, to something like 'CBR-2 pass' or 'VBR' if you feel you want better encoding wuality but to be honest, with the time difference involved, there is a limit to what imperfections you can see on a 4" LCD screen so these settings have worked flawlessly for me so far.

When done, hit ENCODE and wait for however long it will take...and you should have your complete WMV file wherever you specified, ready to be sync'd to your Zune.

Hope it helps.
Click to expand...

for more Info on some of the Metadata Info, for certain types of Video and music files check out the guide on Zune.net
http://www.zune.net/en-us/support/usersguide/podcasts/create.htm#section5
 
Didnt want to post this metadata info, because

1. I dont understand it

2. Its long as hell

3. I dont understand it.

Hopefully this helps?....I got nothing.


Metadata for Zune
To provide an optimal experience during playback on the Zune device, you should include metadata with your audio and video files. A variety of tools are available that can be used to set metadata attributes in Windows Media content. You can use Windows Media Encoder to set most of these attributes.
Metadata Recommendations for Audio Content
Recommended metadata fields for audio content are outlined in the following table.

Metadata Name Windows Media Format SDK Name Song Name Title Artist Author - multivalued field (semicolon delimited) Genre WM/Genre Album Title WM/AlbumTitle Album Artist WM/AlbumArtist Album Art WM/Picture Track Number WM/TrackNumber Parental Rating WM/ParentalRating Parental Rating System WM/ParentalRatingSystem Grid Global Identifier
(for music) WM/GRID Ad-ID Global Identifier
(for ads) WM/ADID
Notes
In the initial release of Zune, WM/ParentalRating and WM/ParentalRatingSystem metadata does not transfer to the Zune device. This will be addressed in future updates.
The GRid and Ad-ID codes are for commercial use only and are not visible.Some licenses require the encoding of GRid and Ad-ID codes in the media. For more information, check with your provider.
When album art is displayed on the Zune device it enhances the overall user experience. It is strongly recommended that you supply album art with your music files. You can add album art to the WMA files you are sending to a Zune device by filling in the WM/Picture attribute as specified in the audio metadata table above.
If album art is not supplied with the content, the Zune software will make a best effort to find it for that particular content.
Metadata Recommendations for Video Content
You can also add metadata to categorize video content according to the categories available on the Zune device:
  • Movies
  • Music Videos
  • TV Shows
The Zune device displays these menu items if it contains any content that has the appropriate MediaClassPrimaryID and MediaClassSecondaryID fields set. If a video does not have these fields set, it is not categorized and is displayed on the device in the "All Videos" list.
Recommended metadata fields for various content categories are outlined in the following tables.
Video
Recommended metadata fields for video that doesn't fall into any of the defined categories are listed in the following table.

Metadata Name Windows Media Format SDK Name
Description
NotesTitleTitleThe title (or name) of the video that is displayed to the user. Description WM/SubTitleDescriptionThe description of the contents of the video displayed to the user. Author Author The creator of the video. Date WM/Year The date the video was created. Genre WM/Genre A classification or category type for the video. Primary Media Type WM/MediaClassPrimaryID A GUID that indicates that the media file is a video. GUID should be: DB9830BD-3AB3-4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B ISAN WM/ISAN An ISO standard (15706-2) global identifier for commercial audiovisual works. For more information, see www.isan.org. Ad-ID WM/ADID An advertising industry standard for commercial advertising identification. For more information, see www.ad-id.org .
Notes
In the initial release of Zune, WM/Year, Author, and WM/Genre metadata does not transfer to the Zune device. This will be addressed in future updates.
The Ad-ID and ISAN codes are for commercial use only and are not visible.Some licenses require the encoding of ISAN and Ad-ID codes in the media. For more information, check with your provider.
Movie
Recommended metadata fields for trailers, feature length films, and short form films are listed in the following table.

Metadata Name Windows Media Format SDK Name
Description
Notes Movie Name Title The name (or title) of the movie that is displayed to the user. Description WM/SubTitleDescription The description of the contents of the movie displayed to the user. Actors Author Listing of the actors in the movie. Names separated by a semicolon. Parental Rating WM/ParentalRating The rating of the trailer or film. Ratings should be: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, NR Parental Rating System WM/ParentalRatingSystem The rating system used to rate the trailer or film. MPAA/CARA For more information, see www.mpaa.org . Release Year WM/Year The year the movie was released. Release Date WM/OriginalBroadcastDateTime The date the movie was released. Genre WM/Genre The movie classification or category type. Primary Media Type WM/MediaClassPrimaryID A GUID that indicates that the media file is a video. GUID should be:
DB9830BD-3AB3-4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B Secondary Media Type
WM/MediaClassSecondaryID A GUID that indicates that the video file is a movie. GUID should be:
A9B87FC9-BD47-4BF0-AC4F-655B89F7D868 ISAN WM/ISAN An ISO standard (15706-2) global identifier for commercial audiovisual works. For more information, see www.isan.org. Ad-ID WM/ADID An advertising industry standard for commercial advertising identification. For more information, see www.ad-id.org.
Notes
In the initial release of Zune, Author, WM/Year, WM/Genre, WM/OriginalBroadcastDateTime, WM/ParentalRating, and WM/ParentalRatingSystem metadata does not transfer to the Zune device. This will be addressed in future updates.
The Ad-ID and ISAN codes are for commercial use only and will not be visible. Some licenses require the encoding of ISAN and Ad-ID codes in the media. For more information, check with your provider.
Music Videos
Recommended metadata fields for music videos are listed in the following table.

Metadata Name Windows Media Format SDK Name
Description
Notes Title Title The name (or title) of the music video that is displayed to the user. Normally the same as the title of the music track. Description WM/SubTitleDescription The description of the contents of the music video displayed to the user. Artist Author The artist associated with the music video. Parental Rating WM/ParentalRating The rating of the music video content. Ratings should be:
Explicit Content - Parental Advisory, Edited Version, Not Rated Parental Rating System WM/ParentalRatingSystem The rating system used for rating the music video content. RIAA, TV Guidelines ReleaseYear WM/Year
The year the music video was released. Genre WM/Genre The video classification or category type. Primary Media Type WM/MediaClassPrimaryID A GUID that indicates that the media file is a video. GUID should be:
DB9830BD-3AB3-4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B Secondary Media Type WM/MediaClassSecondaryID A GUID that indicates that the video file is a music video. GUID should be:
E3E689E2-BA8C-4330-96DF-A0EEEFFA6876 ISAN WM/ISAN An ISO standard (15706-2) global identifier for commercial audiovisual works. For more information, see www.isan.org. Ad-ID
WM/ADID An advertising industry standard for commercial advertising identification. For more information, see www.ad-id.org. GRid WM/GRID An music industry standard for commercial music identification. For more information, see ifpi.org/site-content/grid
Note
In the initial release of Zune, Author, WM/ParentalRating, WM/ParentalRatingSystem, Genre, and WM/Year metadata does not transfer to the Zune device. This will be addressed in future updates.
The Ad-ID, ISAN and Grid codes are for commercial use only and will not be visible.Some licenses require the encoding of these codes in the media. For more information, check with your provider.
TV Shows
Recommended metadata fields for TV shows or episodes are listed in the following table.

Metadata Name Windows Media Format SDK Name
Description
Notes Series Name Title Name (or title) of the TV series displayed to the user. Episode Title WM/SubTitle Name (or title) of the episode of the TV series displayed to the user. Episode Description WM/SubTitleDescription The description of the episode displayed to the user. Actors Author Listing of the actors in the episode. Names separated by a semicolon. Release Year WM/Year The year the episode was first aired. Release Date WM/OriginalBroadcastDateTime The date the episode first aired. Parental Rating WM/ParentalRating The rating of the episode. Ratings should be:
TV-Y, TV-Y7, TV-Y7 FV, TV-G, TV-PG,
TV-14, TV-MA, NR Parental Rating System WM/ParentalRatingSystem The rating system used for rating the episode. Rating system should be TV Guidelines.
For more information, see tvguidelines.org
Network WM/TVNetworkAffiliation The network on which the episode first aired. Genre WM/Genre The TV show classification or category type. Primary Media Type WM/MediaClassPrimaryID A GUID that indicates that the media file is a video. GUID should be:
DB9830BD-3AB3-
4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B Secondary Media Type WM/MediaClassSecondaryID A GUID that indicates that the video file is a TV show. GUID should be:
BA7F258A-62F7-47A9-
B21F-4651C42A000E ISAN WM/ISAN An ISO standard (15706-2) global identifier for commercial audiovisual works. For more information, see isan.org . Ad-ID WM/ADID An advertising industry standard for commercial advertising identification. For more information, see ad-id.org.
Notes
In the initial release of Zune, Author, WM/Year, WM/OriginalBroadcastDateTime, WM/ParentalRating, WM/ParentalRatingSystem, and WM/TVNetworkAffiliation metadata does not transfer to the Zune device. This will be addressed in future updates.The Ad-ID and ISAN codes are for commercial use only and will not be visible. Some licenses require the encoding of these codes in the media. For more information, check with your provider.
For more detailed information about any of these metadata attributes, see the Suggested Attributes by File Type section of the MSDN article Windows Media Metadata Usage Guidelines.
Primary and Secondary Media Type IDs
While most of the metadata is straightforward, the Primary and Secondary Media Type IDs require further explanation. These two pieces of metadata are GUIDs that identify the type of content (movie versus TV show) as opposed to the format of the content, such as WMV.
Zune devices have three video related categories: Movies, Music Videos, and TV Shows. For video content to appear in one of these categories, you need to set the Primary and Secondary Media Type IDs, as shown in the following table.

Content Type
Primary Media Type ID
Secondary Media Type ID Videos DB9830BD-3AB3-4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B Movies DB9830BD-3AB3-4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B
A9B87FC9-BD47-4BF0-AC4F-655B89F7D868 Music videos DB9830BD-3AB3-4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B E3E689E2-BA8C-4330-96DF-A0EEEFFA6876 TV shows DB9830BD-3AB3-4FAB-8A37-1A995F7FF74B BA7F258A-62F7-47A9-B21F-4651C42A000E
Content that does not have a primary or secondary ID will be shown in the "All Videos" list and under the "Other" menu option on the device.
Conclusion
To optimize the user's experience synchronizing and playing content on a Zune device, create content that can easily be downloaded and synchronized to a Zune device by using the Windows Media Encoder and the encoding settings outlined in this article. Audio, video, and picture files that are encoded properly optimize the synchronization process, the viewing and listening experience, and preserve the battery life of the Zune device.
For More Information
Web addresses can change, so you might be unable to connect to the Web site or sites mentioned here in the future.
Click to expand...
 
Terminator 2 Extreme Edition [the current metal box one] has a WMV version on disc 2 , I'm going to try to convert it now , I'll let you guys know howit goes .

EDIT : It must be hidden on the disc , it's gonna take some research .
 
It pisses me off that it is this hard to get MY media working in the format/on the devices that I want. Thanks to all the people that are much smarter and have more patience than I have.

Again, I love my zune, but hate the software.
 
Yeah, that didn't tell me what to use.

WTH are the cases? And why are they so damn expensive?

I tell you, it's tempting to exchange the 80 for the 30 just for how cheap the accessories are.

Picked up a A/V cable at Wally World for $10, some iConcepts Audio/Video RCA Cable. Slightly worse than eBay, but better than the 1st party ones.

My wife guilted me real good about spending m money on this versus getting books. Looks like I may return this and see about getting a cheap 30 if I can find one.

I dunno. I'm going to have a Zune, just which one is the question. I've spent too much time trying to get it right to abandon it now.
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']Yeah, that didn't tell me what to use.

WTH are the cases? And why are they so damn expensive?

I tell you, it's tempting to exchange the 80 for the 30 just for how cheap the accessories are.

Picked up a A/V cable at Wally World for $10, some iConcepts Audio/Video RCA Cable. Slightly worse than eBay, but better than the 1st party ones.

My wife guilted me real good about spending m money on this versus getting books. Looks like I may return this and see about getting a cheap 30 if I can find one.

I dunno. I'm going to have a Zune, just which one is the question. I've spent too much time trying to get it right to abandon it now.[/quote]If you're in a money crunch, then obviously you should be going with the 30GB. I think the 80GB accepts more video formats, though, which judging by your posts in this thread that i've seen, could be important. If I had the choice at a new 30GB for $90-100 or a new 80GB for $250+, I would go with the 30GB without a doubt.
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']Yeah, that didn't tell me what to use.

WTH are the cases? And why are they so damn expensive?

I tell you, it's tempting to exchange the 80 for the 30 just for how cheap the accessories are.

Picked up a A/V cable at Wally World for $10, some iConcepts Audio/Video RCA Cable. Slightly worse than eBay, but better than the 1st party ones.

My wife guilted me real good about spending m money on this versus getting books. Looks like I may return this and see about getting a cheap 30 if I can find one.

I dunno. I'm going to have a Zune, just which one is the question. I've spent too much time trying to get it right to abandon it now.[/QUOTE]

I just upgraded from the 30 GB to the 80 GB and am pissed off to find the dock and the dual connect remote for the 30 GB do NOT work on the 80 GB Zune. I searched on the internet for a long time and could find NO mention of this anywhere. Everything I read said that all the original accessories would work on the 80 GB Zune. That was bullshit.
 
I don't own a zune yet and I searched around and didnt find a definite answer to my question so I figured I would ask here. Anywho can you listen to your zune music through the xbox 360 wirelessly? What's like the complete uses for a Zune and a Xbox360?
 
[quote name='Richlough']Terminator 2 Extreme Edition [the current metal box one] has a WMV version on disc 2 , I'm going to try to convert it now , I'll let you guys know howit goes .

EDIT : It must be hidden on the disc , it's gonna take some research .[/quote]

Any luck ?
I have a red 30 and the same DVD in my closet waiting on the 25th.
 
If anyone wants one of the 30 GB Brown Zunes and missed the Amazon deal, I've got an extra one I'll sell. I picked up two for gifts, but my wife decided she wouldn't likely get enough use out of it to be worth it. It's unopened, even the box it came in from Amazon. I'm thinking $97 shipped, or $100 shipped with Paypal. Any interest?

Edit: It's gone, thanks!

MjC
 
In other news, the FedEx guy just dropped off my Altec-Lansing speaker dock from Woot. It's pretty sexy. Sounds really nice, too.

I'm a tiny bit disappointed that you can't select the music you want to hear with the remote...you have to pick the CD on the Zune first, and then you can control the volume, FF/RW, skip, etc. with the remote. You can also control the bass and treble from the remote, which is nice.

On the positive side, the dock actually has a video out so I can connect it to my TV...wasn't expecting that.
 
[quote name='MCalvert1']If anyone wants one of the 30 GB Brown Zunes and missed the Amazon deal, I've got an extra one I'll sell. I picked up two for gifts, but my wife decided she wouldn't likely get enough use out of it to be worth it. It's unopened, even the box it came in from Amazon. I'm thinking $97 shipped, or $100 shipped with Paypal. Any interest?

Edit: If I don't get any response within about a day, I'll probably put it up on eBay.

MjC[/QUOTE]

I'm interested, definetly. Just returned my 80GB. I couldn't justify spending that much.

Check my list and see if there's anything you would want to knock it down, but give me a PM regardless.
 
[quote name='Mrcapcom']I don't own a zune yet and I searched around and didnt find a definite answer to my question so I figured I would ask here. Anywho can you listen to your zune music through the xbox 360 wirelessly? What's like the complete uses for a Zune and a Xbox360?[/quote]
I would think its possible, If its hooked up properly within your Wireless network

But im not entirely sure, I still havent been able to figure out how to find my WEP key to enable Wireless sync so i havent tried it.


Although i did find out something interesting

Not satisfied with the wireless remote you got for your zune?...Use it to control your Xbox!

http://zuneinsider.com/archive/2007/02/13/use-your-zune-wireless-remote-to-control-your-xbox-360.aspx
 
[quote name='joe2187']I would think its possible, If its hooked up properly within your Wireless network

But im not entirely sure, I still havent been able to figure out how to find my WEP key to enable Wireless sync so i havent tried it.


Although i did find out something interesting

Not satisfied with the wireless remote you got for your zune?...Use it to control your Xbox!

http://zuneinsider.com/archive/2007/02/13/use-your-zune-wireless-remote-to-control-your-xbox-360.aspx[/quote]

Thanks for the reply
But you figure the way the xbox controllers are wireless it could be the same with the zune kinda like how they have the wifi headset
 
[quote name='MCalvert1']If anyone wants one of the 30 GB Brown Zunes and missed the Amazon deal, I've got an extra one I'll sell. I picked up two for gifts, but my wife decided she wouldn't likely get enough use out of it to be worth it. It's unopened, even the box it came in from Amazon. I'm thinking $97 shipped, or $100 shipped with Paypal. Any interest?

Edit: If I don't get any response within about a day, I'll probably put it up on eBay.

MjC[/quote]

Thanks MCalvert1! PayPal'ing over $100 for the Zune! Appreciate it!
 
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