Looking for new mp3/media device

[roguerower]

My ipod nano has faithfully served me for 2 years and will continue to do so as my default workout player, however I have begun to look into the possibility of an upgrade. A friend of mine has a Zune (think 80gb) and swears by it so that got me looking in that direction. The 8gb version is no different than my nano so I'm looking at 120gb which could hold all my music and a bunch of movies.

Questions:

-My movies are stored on my pc in stripped down DVD format thanks to DVD shrink...would the zune support these or would they need to be converted? Best program for this?

-How good is the reception on the FM/AM tuner?

-What is the battery life like playing back movies?

-Any personal reviews that people would like to chip in?

 

[gorcorps]

How long are you willing to wait? The Zune HD looks nice and it's supposed to be out this fall.

 

[pm]

Originally posted by: roguerower
My ipod nano has faithfully served me for 2 years and will continue to do so as my default workout player, however I have begun to look into the possibility of an upgrade. A friend of mine has a Zune (think 80gb) and swears by it so that got me looking in that direction. The 8gb version is no different than my nano so I'm looking at 120gb which could hold all my music and a bunch of movies.

Questions:
-My movies are stored on my pc in stripped down DVD format thanks to DVD shrink...would the zune support these or would they need to be converted? Best program for this?

You need to convert. I like Handbrake (free, open source, great quality, really easy to use if you can use the presets, reasonably fast, decently small size output, ) (www.handbrake.fr). Search google for Zune encoding instructions - there's no zune preset.

-How good is the reception on the FM/AM tuner?

The tuner is FM only - no AM. And it's decent. Quality is ok, signal strength is low. You need a good signal to pull it in.

-What is the battery life like playing back movies?

About 3-4 hours... about 2 movies.

-Any personal reviews that people would like to chip in?

A couple of my co-workers have them and swear by them. I'd get a Zune 80/120 over an iPod.

Reviews - you probably already seen these but...
http://www.amazon.com/Zune-120...er-Black/dp/B001EQ0HAW
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16855604017

 

[roguerower]

Originally posted by: gorcorps
How long are you willing to wait? The Zune HD looks nice and it's supposed to be out this fall.

There's no rush, my nano is doing fine for now. Main reason I'm doing it is because I have a lot of rowing trips in the fall/spring which include 4+ hours of driving and lots of time standing around since I'll be coaching and not rowing. FM tuner, movies from large screen, and large music selection would greatly help out. What timeframe is the HD due?

 

[Powerful Parker]

Originally posted by: roguerower
My ipod nano has faithfully served me for 2 years and will continue to do so as my default workout player, however I have begun to look into the possibility of an upgrade. A friend of mine has a Zune (think 80gb) and swears by it so that got me looking in that direction. The 8gb version is no different than my nano so I'm looking at 120gb which could hold all my music and a bunch of movies.

Questions:

-My movies are stored on my pc in stripped down DVD format thanks to DVD shrink...would the zune support these or would they need to be converted? Best program for this?
Not sure lol
-How good is the reception on the FM/AM tuner?
Pretty good but the am sucks for mine tho. but who needs am?
-What is the battery life like playing back movies?
decent compared to my ipod. what is a real battery sucker is the games.
-Any personal reviews that people would like to chip in?

I have a 120gb zune and i love it i will never go back to an ipod again. In my opinion it is faster than ipod when it comes to scyning speed and downloading from the network. and a plus is the compatibilities w/ the xbox 360