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Zune Pass question

post #1 of 10
9/29/09 at 7:51pm
Thread Starter 
Thinking about picking up the Zune HD, mainly for the Zune Pass.

I like the idea of getting some of my music on the player and then getting suggestions for other media. I also like having it all included, so I can sample it (much like a buffet).

Well, my question is does the music stay on the device for a short amount of time, or does it ALWAYS need to phone home to have that music? For example, if I load it up with the Zune pass and then get on an airplane (and turn off connectivity) does all that music evaporate? Can I listen to it while the WiFi is off.

Or are there other services you all recommend that kinda does the same thing?
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post #2 of 10
9/29/09 at 8:41pm
I believe that it phones home every time you sync the device - so conceivably, you should be fine if the device doesn't re-sync on long trips. You don't need the WiFi on to play Zune Pass songs.

The Zune only works with the Zune Pass subscription and vice versa. If you get a Plays4Sure device (like the Sansa or Cowon D2), you can use any Play4Sure compatible subscription service like Rhapsody or Napster. I've used both Rhapsody and the Zune Pass, but I don't one is necessarily better than the other - it's more of a concern as to which one works with the device in question (in my case, Rhapsody works with my Cowon).
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post #3 of 10
9/29/09 at 8:41pm
The music does not evaporate. Zune pass music CAN be streamed to the player without downloading, but it can also be downloaded to live in your collection - on your PC and on your player.

If you want to experiment with more music, you can create SmartDJ autoplaylists. These playlists can be a combination of your collection and Zune Pass music chosen by the "DJ", or just Zune pass music. And you can edit the behavior to refresh the Zune pass music on that playlist on whatever interval you want. So the playlist can keep changing. Kind of cool.

For traveling, you just have to be aware that Zune pass DRM requires that your music be synced on a regular basis, every 30 days or so. So sync just before you leave.
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post #4 of 10
9/29/09 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Desertway View Post
For traveling, you just have to be aware that Zune pass DRM requires that your music be synced on a regular basis, every 30 days or so. So sync just before you leave.
NICE! I thought it would phone home every hour or so, 30 days is excellent.

Do you find the "DJ" to be a cool feature? I mean, its cool, but is it useful?
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post #5 of 10
9/30/09 at 1:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Liver View Post
NICE! I thought it would phone home every hour or so, 30 days is excellent.

Do you find the "DJ" to be a cool feature? I mean, its cool, but is it useful?
I find the SmartDJ features to be very useful for those days when I just couldn't decide what to listen to. I just select a favorite artist and let the software pick the songs for me.

The Zund HD comes with a free 14-day trial of the Zune Pass. You can try it out first and see how you like it. I recently switched from the iPod Classic to the Zune HD, got the Zune Pass, and didn't look back. I still have a week on the free trial and I've already decided to subscribe.
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post #6 of 10
9/30/09 at 12:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by lmf22 View Post
I find the SmartDJ features to be very useful for those days when I just couldn't decide what to listen to. I just select a favorite artist and let the software pick the songs for me.

The Zund HD comes with a free 14-day trial of the Zune Pass. You can try it out first and see how you like it. I recently switched from the iPod Classic to the Zune HD, got the Zune Pass, and didn't look back. I still have a week on the free trial and I've already decided to subscribe.
I did the same thing. Took me awhile to decide to use the trial, and after I did - no question that I was going to keep the subscription. And don't forget, you get to KEEP 10 tracks every month, and many of those you can keep are DRM free.

The DJ feature SEEMS to be pretty smart, but I think it depends on what sort of music you listen to. You can download the software at anytime before getting a Zune. Set it up with your library, and then try the DJ with your free trial.

Caveat: To use the SmartDJ you must allow the Zune software access to your tags, which means it could alter those tags. I was very reluctant to do this - through all the software incarnations I disabled this option because I work so hard to keep my tags accurate. But the DJ was so intriguing that I tried it on my work computer with a copy of my library. So far, the software has made no changes to my tags, and so I have enabled it at home as well. YMMV.
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post #7 of 10
10/3/09 at 4:01pm
i heard it needs to phone home after 3 months
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post #8 of 10
10/3/09 at 8:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonhapimp View Post
i heard it needs to phone home after 3 months
No. You must login with the Zune Pass account in the software at least each month to keep your playback rights up-to-date.
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post #9 of 10
10/3/09 at 10:17pm
What is encode bit rate? Still 192k vbr?
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post #10 of 10
10/4/09 at 3:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by david1978jp View Post
What is encode bit rate? Still 192k vbr?
yeah
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