Zune HD Media Player will be available in stores on September 15, offered in 16GB ($219) and 32GB ($289) models. Both models will go on sale with either platinum or black finishes. As with early generations of the portable media player, more color and customization options will be purchasable at launch instantly from Microsoft’s Zune Originals online storefront.
The Zune HD will be the first Zune to include an Internet Explorer browser, complementing its additional Wi-Fi features such as Channel streaming, song sharing, and Zune Marketplace browsing. The Zune HD’s web browser is optimized for the touch screen with an onscreen keyboard.
Microsoft also revealed plans to dramatically strengthen the video download option of its Zune Marketplace online store, and use the better storefront to power the film and television downloads available to the Xbox gaming console. The new storefront will support film rentals that can be transferred to Zune hardware playable from either your PC or from the Zune HD.
The Zune HD Is not the first MP3 player to provide a 3.3-inch touch-screen OLED display or high-definition video output, but it’s among the first portable audio devices to integrate an HD radio tuner. Beyond the added fidelity of HD radio, the format also lends itself well to transmitting artist and song data, which is important for the Zune’s existing FM radio song-tagging and download feature.
Microsoft rates the Zune HD’s battery life at 33 hrs of music playback and 8.5 hours of video. If these numbers are accurate, they represent an extensive improvement over early generations of Zune hardware, which were frequently criticized for deficient battery performance.
- Dimensions: 4 x 2 x .4 inches (102.05 x 52.73 x 8.9 mm); 2.6 ounces
- Built-in HD Radio receiver
- HD video output (needs HDTV and Zune HD & AV Dock, all sold separately)
- OLED 3.3 inch screen with 480×272 resolution and 16:9 display
- Wireless capabilities
- Internet browsing
