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Zune 4.0 Internet Radio (UPDATE)
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So, it seems you can get the Internet Radio to show itself. After giving up a couple of days ago after my initial investigation after concluding that the Zune Team had probably not left enough resources in the software for it to work, I came across a picture from Rafael Riveria showing it working. My first thought, “BUGGER, why did I give up?!”. Of course my second thought was well, lets get it working. And its pretty much exactly how I thought it would work when I tried two days ago, except I had made one little error… here’s how to do it yourself, though be warned, it has practically no functionality at all.
Open RegEdit, Navigate to HKCU/Software/Microsot/Zune/Shell, and modify the value of “StartupPage” to “Collection\Radio”. Then, relaunch your Zune Software, and say hello!
Seemingly me and Raf have achieved it slightly differently, presumably he hacked his way in, meanwhile I just kinda tricked the software into doing it. Though his way does seem a little better considering he can actually get the word “radio” to show up along side podcasts and channels
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Zune 4.0 was/is going to support Internet Radio?
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![](http://qihndw.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pSATeliS_rQz6YTnGstpT5eZXR7OsOe5OSl2KRMHn1G92ZivHvpxXwZcuPBecCfDpPac5dvSG0fj9fY3ySTOQQA/18%2001.jpg")
Upon my various ventures into checking out the Zune Software I’ve learnt a few things. For example, those 4 new Zune HD colours, or the fact that “Smart DJ”s original, and frankly more accurate name is “QuickMix”. But something far more interesting is a little something that I skipped over through my initial search, until I came across this “Radio” entry in the registry under the Zune tree.
As you can see, listed under the Radio tree are three radio stations, and in each entry? Why a link to their Internet Stream of course! Now obviously the only reason you would actively save a radio stream is if you were going to use it… for say streaming Internet Radio!! So uhh where is it? Well lets take a looksie shall we? Also listed is what we’d naturally assume to the Image source for the station logo in side the ZuneShellResources.dll, unfortunately however as you can see on the left of the image above, such files aren’t actually present. However, there is a NEW resource not found in previous Zune Software’s, simply called “RADIOPANEL.UIX”. I wonder what this is for…? (To avoid any confusion here, RADIOBUTTONS are those little circular checkbox-like buttons, not buttons for a radio!)
Now see if this were the previous Zune software we could easily see that this “panel” did, as before all UIX files followed basic XML structure, unfortunately now Microsoft seem to have decided to compile them (probably in an effort to boost GUI speed… or to stop nosy people from freely customising the software UI) and now all we’re left with is a lot of hex. Bugger.
But it’s saved Internet Radio streams on our computer, and there’s a mysterious new resource with Radio in the title, and the station logos are missing. So this could mean either:
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They cut the feature earlier on, and removed the logo images, but forgot to remove the creation of registry keys?
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They didn’t have enough time to finish the feature, and it’ll be implemented in a future release.
Personally I’d like to believe the latter, but only time will tell. In the meantime however, I’m going to crackdown and try and see what this RADIOPANEL does…
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Zune 4.0 Screenshot Gallery
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XNA 3.1 Extensions for Zune HD
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Ready to develop for your Zune HD? A downloadable Extensions pack for XNA 3.1 adds support for the Zune HD product line, including two brand new API’s for developers (touch input and accelerometer support, both features of the Zune HD), to tailor their games for Zune HD.
Unfortunately this release isn’t dedicated to Zune HD, it just adds support. So no new 3D graphics support, no AA on rotating sprites, basically nothing else new at all. Which is a shame, as the current XNA portable framework in no way lets us take full advantage of the power of Zune HD’s nVidia Tegra chip. Bring on the dedicated SDK guys.
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Posted by Johnny on 15 Sep 2009 in HD, XNA, Zune |
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Taste the Rainbow
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Zune 4.0 Software is out, right now! Check it out at Zune.net. (I’ll post more about it later) Meanwhile, more importantly… I do what I always do and check out what news Zunes we’ve got hiding around inside the software. Nothing new for Scorpio/Draco/Keel, but the new Zune HD (Pavo) has a few little hidden variants.
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“Atomic”
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Red
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Citron
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Blue
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Magenta
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Purple
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Pink
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Also worth nothing that the “White” Zune 120s and flash Zunes are still in the software. Looks like there’s probably still life left in them.
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Zune 4.0. Now.
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At approximately 7AM GMT, Microsoft finally let loose the Zune 4.0 desktop software for us, with a host of new features.
We’ll have a full in-depth review with lots of pictures and a few videos up within the coming days, but for now, here are the juicy details, straight from the horses mouth:
Greater Access to and Control of Music and Videos
Quickplay, matching the menu available on the Zune HD device is featured on the PC software, allowing favourite content to be displayed along with most recently played and added music, video and podcast content.
Smart DJ feature showcases the power of the Zune software and services by creating endless playlists using any artist, album or song as the starting point. For Zune Pass subscribers, Smart DJ will queue song recommendations from both the customer’s collection and from more than 6 million tracks in the Zune Marketplace. Nonsubscribers will get Smart DJ recommendations from the user’s music collection. And what’s more, it does actually create very good playlists, which I’ve found better than any other automated playlist generator I’ve ever used!
Zune Marketplace has also been updated with a slightly tweaked layout (for the worse I reckon), but also now includes full Movie rentals in both HD & SD, though they can only be synced with Zune HD. There’s also now an apps section for downloading Microsoft made apps to the Zune HD.
 
There’s also a handy new Mini-Player, and a Taskbar toolbar, ala Windows Media Player 11.
Now as Zune Pass subscribers, not only can customers enjoy access to close to 6 million songs from the Zune Marketplace catalog for $14.99, the price of one CD a month, but they can also log into Zune.net and stream full albums and tracks through a computer’s browser. Customers will also find the Smart DJ feature on artist pages in Zune.net, which means they are one click away from starting an endless playlist to keep them rocking through the day.
Download the software now at http://www.zune.net
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First glimpse at games….
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Yep, there’s been a lot of Zune HD details slipping through recently (which I haven’t been quite keeping up-to-date here at the moment due to personal issues), but one which many of us have been wanting to know more about is gaming. It’s no secret that the Zune HD is going to include games, heck its even been in official promotional material for a few weeks now, but until today we haven’t actually seen what it’s going to look like. 2D, 3D? XNA? Native Code? Better than an iPod Touch?
While we can’t answer the latter questions, just let, looking at the image above shown in a recently released promotional video is footage of the rumoured Burnout game running in full 3D on the Zune HD, thanks to it’s powerful nVidia Tegra processing chip. Undoubtedly Zune HD has more power under it’s hood than the iPod Touch, and it does have a smaller screen resolution to cater for, so we should be looking forward to even more impressive games than on Apples device, although unfortunately it does suffer the same pitfall – no buttons. Not game breaking obviously, but there will be times when they are sorely missed. Still, one more reason to get excited. Just 4 days now.
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UK Pre-orders now available
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Now, Microsoft have yet to announce that it will be released here (but news of it being released later on this year/next year is a huge possibility) a local UK site is allowing Pre-orders. The prices are a little higher than if you were to order from the states and then get it shipped over, but I think its a great opportunity. The prices are as follows:
16gb Black = £209.99
34gb Silver = £249.99
Although pre-orders start sending around the first week of October, which is nearly a full month AFTER the release in the states, I would still buy one of here, as it has less to travel and therefore would turn up at your door in a better quality. But hey, your choice! Lets hope that they release them properly soon, because then we get colours!!
Link here – http://www.zunethings.co.uk/
~ Charge
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Zune HD Video Media Explosion
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Zune HD launch details, pre orders now available!
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After months of rabbid speculation, Microsoft have finally gotten round to revealing all the launch details for Zune HD… though only for America. Yep, no details of an International launch yet, and not even of Canada. But hey for those in America here’s the juicy details, straight from Microsoft:
REDMOND, Wash. – Aug. 13, 2009 – Zune HD, the next generation of Microsoft Corp.’s portable digital media player, is available now for pre-order and is set to hit store shelves on Sept. 15. The player, available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, is the first touch-screen Zune and includes powerful playback technology to give you a different way to experience media on the go. Combined with unparalleled PC software and online services such as Zune Pass, Zune provides a rich and meaningful connection to music, videos, podcasts and more.
Pre-order Zune HD in 16GB Black and 32GB Platinum through http://www.zune.net/zunehd from Amazon.com, Best Buy, Walmart and Microsoft. Beginning Sept. 15, at http://www.ZuneOriginals.net, both 16GB and 32GB capacities of Zune HD will be available in five different colours with the option to customize your player with one of 10 new engravings designed by guest artists.
PRICING: Zune HD 16GB: $219.99 (estimated retail price); Zune HD 32GB: $289.99 (estimated retail price)
WHEN: Pre-order starting Thursday, Aug. 13. Purchase in stores on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
WHERE ONLINE: http://www.zune.net/zunehd
WHERE IN STORE: Place a pre-order in person at Best Buy beginning Aug. 16. If you want a sneak peek, visit select stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. areas on Aug. 22 and 23.
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Zune HD supports 5.1 Surround Sound
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It should come as no surprise now that the Zune HD is a pretty powerful beast, after all it boast the industry leading Nvidia Tegra chip at its core. So, what can us audio & video fanatics expect? We’ve already been told that the Zune HD will support 720p video out using a new AV dock (what about an Xbox 360?).
But, we can also find out a little more by looking at the latest release of Microsoft Expression Encoder, Microsoft’s leading professional quality video encoding product. It’s latest release boasts two Zune HD profiles, tucked away in it’s devices section, one optimized for device playback, and one optimized for AV dock playback. (Along with Windows Live Movie Maker, these are the only two officially approved Zune encoding programs, not that that matters much).
 On the left here, you can see the encoding profile for the Zune HD AV Dock. 720p video? Check. Interestingly, the video bitrate goes upto 12,000 Kpbs (just under 12Mbps, which is some seriously high quality video right there)!
Of course, the news here is with the audio encoding: Allowing 5.1 channels, more commonly known as Surround Sound! Obviously this can’t be achieved through headphones, there being only two speakers there, but through the AV dock you can connect your Zune to your home AV system, an enjoy full 720p, 5.1 surround movies, for the perfect entertainment experience. Now let’s just hope there’s enough storage on these devices to handle all this potential.
Awesome Zune HD image from DeviantArt
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Seeing the light
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Microsoft recently released the third version of their web application framework, Silverlight, which enables web developers to create fully featured rich internet experiences for web sites (For those still confused, think of it as a better version of Flash). Along side the Silverlight 3 launch came the launch of Expression Blend 3, the development tool for creating these Silverlight experiences, and inside it comes a few nice little demo applications.
One of them just happens to be a Zune Originals demo app, allowing users to rotate their Zune in 3D, whilst fully customizing it with designs, colours and personalised text. It’s a cool little experiment, and just for you guys to get a taste of it, I’ve uploaded it here for you to check out! (Requires Silverlight 3, obviously! Note that you’ll need as big a window as possible for it to work properly, no netbooks here!)
Also, slightly less news worthy is the fact that I’ve decided to take advantage of Silverlight, and if you’ve been on the site the last few days you’ll have noticed our new features box at the top of the page, with 3D transitions and such. I’ve written it from the ground up in about 3 hours following the Silverlight 3 launch, so there are still a couple of quirks I have it work out, but by and large its usable, and looks kinda nice!! Depending on what you guys think, I may transfer more meaning parts of the site into Silverlight as well to create a far more interactive user experience.
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Site Design Copyright 2008 Johnny M.D. Westlake.
Certain design elements based on those used in the official Zune software, no
copyright infringement intended. ZUNE and the ZUNE logo are Trademarks of Microsoft.
This site has no affiliation to Microsoft. News posting powered by WordPress.
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