Zunes with HD receivers: True Or False

[eyg2181]

i have heard that microsoft will make the new zunes with HD receivers. is this true? and will i be able to pick up distant or fringe HD signals? i dont really know too much about HD radios...but i found a few of my stations that have cool HD channels... do the HD signals travel as far as the regular signal? i live in Pottsville PA, and get most of the philly stations clear for the most part. would the HD signals reach me up here? i would rate 1029MGK and Radio1045 and 933 WMMR as distant (not even Fringe) and according to radio locator, neither of these signals even exist in my area. in my place in levittown, i have a station that radio locator says is fringe, but 1057 The Hawk is clear as day there. any way the main question is about HD signals and about weather or not Zune is making these players with Fm and HD, instead of just the FM?

 

[jras20]

I have a place outside of Austin, I am in the Distant area of KFMK, all I can recieve is the call letters of the HD Signal on KFMK. And with my place out in the fringe areas of Houston FM, I cant even pick it up only every so often it might come in. I'm done with HD. I guess its good if your in the City but not if your 30-50+ miles out.

 

[dbdigital]

i have heard that microsoft will make the new zunes with HD receivers. is this true? and will i be able to pick up distant or fringe HD signals? i dont really know too much about HD radios...but i found a few of my stations that have cool HD channels... do the HD signals travel as far as the regular signal? i live in Pottsville PA, and get most of the philly stations clear for the most part. would the HD signals reach me up here? i would rate 1029MGK and Radio1045 and 933 WMMR as distant (not even Fringe) and according to radio locator, neither of these signals even exist in my area. in my place in levittown, i have a station that radio locator says is fringe, but 1057 The Hawk is clear as day there. any way the main question is about HD signals and about weather or not Zune is making these players with Fm and HD, instead of just the FM?

Now there's a thought. Take a failed product and boat-anchor it with HD Radio. Need I say more?

I can't find any information to substantiate this rumor. As much as I detest all things Microsoft, I will give them credit for trying to boost the Wi-Fi capabilities of the Zune 2. But there is very little community support for Zune and it seems MS is more interested in acquiring Yahoo and becoming a bigger internet player then improving on their MP3 player.

Here's a site that is supposedly the best for finding all the latest news and rumors on Zune:

http://www.zunethoughts.com/

These people actually care about it.

db

 

[Mike Walker]

The Zune a "failed product". You betcha...if it's Feb of 2007. It isn't. The new Zunes are great, selling like hotcakes, and have received glowing reviews just about everywhere. I know, I'm as shocked as anyone else, but this seems to be something that Microsoft eventually got right!

 

[JohnnyElectron]

I'd be shocked if anybody can build a decent AM-HD portable as you need the AM loop a mile away to work at all.

 

[KB1OKL]

Zunes must be as popular as HD radios as I've never even heard of it. I'm listening to last.fm right now, no cutouts, no interference, got it hooked to my Marantz 2385, 185 WRMS per channels continuous driven @ 8 ohms, 240 @ 4 with double large advents, sounds great.

 

[FightingIrish]

I seem to recall the Zune selling very well around the holidays. I was certainly surprised.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Zunes must be as popular as HD radios as I've never even heard of it. I'm listening to last.fm right now, no cutouts, no interference, got it hooked to my Marantz 2385, 185 WRMS per channels continuous driven @ 8 ohms, 240 @ 4 with double large advents, sounds great.

I'm listening to:
mms://75.125.83.196/kfxm8661
I leave it on for days without the least bit of interference, multipath, HD hash, rebuffering or dropouts. KFXM-LP (analog) comes in perfectly clear 24/7 from 3000 miles away on the internet. No HD radio necessary.

 

[R.F. Burns]

Zunes must be as popular as HD radios as I've never even heard of it. I'm listening to last.fm right now, no cutouts, no interference, got it hooked to my Marantz 2385, 185 WRMS per channels continuous driven @ 8 ohms, 240 @ 4 with double large advents, sounds great.

I'm listening to:
mms://75.125.83.196/kfxm8661
I leave it on for days without the least bit of interference, multipath, HD hash, rebuffering or dropouts. KFXM-LP (analog) comes in perfectly clear 24/7 from 3000 miles away on the internet. No HD radio necessary.

I guess you don't leave home very often. Not all of us are homebound. Its nice to be able to listen to a radio in my car while I'm traveling.

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Zunes must be as popular as HD radios as I've never even heard of it. I'm listening to last.fm right now, no cutouts, no interference, got it hooked to my Marantz 2385, 185 WRMS per channels continuous driven @ 8 ohms, 240 @ 4 with double large advents, sounds great.

I'm listening to:
mms://75.125.83.196/kfxm8661
I leave it on for days without the least bit of interference, multipath, HD hash, rebuffering or dropouts. KFXM-LP (analog) comes in perfectly clear 24/7 from 3000 miles away on the internet. No HD radio necessary.

I guess you don't leave home very often. Not all of us are homebound. Its nice to be able to listen to a radio in my car while I'm traveling.

"I guess" you don't travel very far for fear of loosing the digital HD signal.
Freedom is the opposite of being bound. It's nice to have freedom of choice. "The American way".

 

[dbdigital]

Zunes must be as popular as HD radios as I've never even heard of it. I'm listening to last.fm right now, no cutouts, no interference, got it hooked to my Marantz 2385, 185 WRMS per channels continuous driven @ 8 ohms, 240 @ 4 with double large advents, sounds great.

I'm listening to:
mms://75.125.83.196/kfxm8661
I leave it on for days without the least bit of interference, multipath, HD hash, rebuffering or dropouts. KFXM-LP (analog) comes in perfectly clear 24/7 from 3000 miles away on the internet. No HD radio necessary.

I guess you don't leave home very often. Not all of us are homebound. Its nice to be able to listen to a radio in my car while I'm traveling.

"I guess" you don't travel very far for fear of loosing the digital HD signal.
Freedom is the opposite of being bound. It's nice to have freedom of choice. "The American way".

That crack about being "home bound" is even more out of touch then it sounds with what AT&T has planned for 3G AND the 700 Mhz spectrum.

Read about it here:

http://www.forbes.com/wireless/2008/02/07/ATT-3G-wireless-tech-wire-cx_ew_0227att.html

They already have a chunk of the 700 Mhz spectrum and are building out capabilities to: " use the spectrum for mobile broadcasts or to provide more capacity for existing services", as the article states. A 3G iPhone is on the way.

The point is that the ability to hear internet radio wirelessly and while being mobile (like riding in a car) is advancing rapidly.

If Microsoft is smart they'll forget HD Radio (if they're even thinking about it at all) and go directly to 3G or WiMax with the Zune.

db

 

[nd2023]

The HD stations that stream can be heard on those too, so it can act like an HD radio

 

[KB1OKL]

Zunes must be as popular as HD radios as I've never even heard of it. I'm listening to last.fm right now, no cutouts, no interference, got it hooked to my Marantz 2385, 185 WRMS per channels continuous driven @ 8 ohms, 240 @ 4 with double large advents, sounds great.

I'm listening to:
mms://75.125.83.196/kfxm8661
I leave it on for days without the least bit of interference, multipath, HD hash, rebuffering or dropouts. KFXM-LP (analog) comes in perfectly clear 24/7 from 3000 miles away on the internet. No HD radio necessary.

I guess you don't leave home very often. Not all of us are homebound. Its nice to be able to listen to a radio in my car while I'm traveling.

Actually for now I'm content with the analog radio in my car as long as I don't get iBlock sideband noise. I'll just wait until internet radio is a reality in cars if IBOC ruins the bands completely which actually is more and more doubtful every day, radio is backed into a corner and doesn't know how to get out. I hate to say it as I've loved radios and radio for over 40 years but it looks like radio is going the way of the Dodo, and 1996 was the beginning of the end.

 

[RichWood]

i have heard that microsoft will make the new zunes with HD receivers. is this true? and will i be able to pick up distant or fringe HD signals?

Not possible. First, the current chip is too power hungry. There are no portable receivers. There's a rumor of a better chip but it's just a rumor, so far. Unless it's much, much more sensitive than the current receivers you'd be lucky to receive anything beyond the driveway of the transmitter site. Unless you're going to wear a beanie with a yagi on top you're out of luck.

Rich

 

[Mike Walker]

I've listened to WFAE in Charlotte, 80 miles away, every day for the better part of two years, and it has never, and I repeat NEVER switched to analog. As I write this, I'm listening to "Car Talk". Sounds like "Click and Clack" are in my living room. And I'm not wasting the bandwidth of my broadband connection!

 

[SUPERCASTER]

Are you squirreling away all your unused bandwidth for a "rainy day" or intending later resale (on E-Bay perhaps)?