Zune in Canada July 2011

[hugh]

I was at a Microsoft event today and one of the MS employees was going on about Zune.

She was all surprised that I didn't know all about it.

Now I know the Hardware was discontinued several years ago in Canada and more recently in the U.S. when Windows Phone 7 came out.

She was saying about how you could buy movies, music etc and then stream it to your Xbox, Smartphone and so on. This sounded like the Zune Marketplace, which I thought was still in the U.S. but never really got to Canada.

She basically made me feel like an idiot because she was saying that anyone in Canada with an Xbox 360 knows all about this blah, blah blah.

Anyway can someone tell me, is Zune in Canada? Can you buy movies and music and music subscriptions in Canada now?

Thanks in advance
Hugh

[audacity]

Yeah, I used to rent a movie on Zune (via the XBOX 360) now and then. You need to buy "points" and then spend those on movies or TV shows. HD costs more than SD. It's very similar to iTunes.

Once Netflix became available, paying for each movie you "rent" just seemed kind of over-priced.

So, to answer your question, yes. Zune has been available on the XBOX 360 in Canada for quite a while now. I think it may have been released in Fall 2009.

[hugh]

So you rent movies via Zune and not Microsoft Marketplace?

When I search the Xbox Canada website, it says nothing about Zune.

[audacity]

Yes, the "video marketplace" on the XBOX uses "Zune" branding. You can rent movies and buy TV shows, and it uses the same point system that other downloadable content on the XBOX uses.

The HD video is in 1080p and looks fantastic. My only beefs with the service are: prices seem high now with the Netflix option available, and the intermediate "points" system between dollars --> movie makes it hard on the brain to figure out "how much is this movie in Canadian dollars".

This reminds me that I have quite a few points on my account that I have yet to use. Maybe I should go rent some Zune movies.

[Tikker]

Yup

Zune has been on the xbox for quite a while now

[pnear]

They basically rebranded the XBox video marketplace and now call it Zune. It's a bit pricey, but one of the best options for HD movie rentals in Canada.

[hugh]

So the Zune software for PC is essentially the same as iTunes?

If you buy a movie from Zune and then want to stream it to your Windows Phone 7, do you have to have your PC on and running zune software ala iTunes.

Does one get a WP7 phone app which then goes out and finds a Zune server?

Does Zune only work with MS products? Can it stream to other devices?

[audacity]

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but if you have multiple devices (e.g. XBOX, PC), if you rent a movie on one device, you can only watch it on that device. I think this has more to do with the copy protection and how it is implemented on a per-XBOX profile basis, and as of right now your XBOX Live profile can only be on one machine. This deficiency is slated to be fixed however. Soon your profile can be "in the cloud" and you can use it from any XBOX. As someone who has 2 XBOX consoles I'm looking forward to this, as I'm tired of storing my profile on a USB key.

I don't know if WP7 phones use this same service. They probably do, but I don't have a WP7 phone. If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it...

I would describe this as being "like using your XBOX as a Apple TV device".

[Tikker]

afaik zune only streams to devices that run zune software (so xbox, windows pc, win7 phone, etc)


http://www.zune.net/en-US/support/zu...about/bopa.htm

With Zune, you can buy music and videos from Zune Marketplace once, and then play them anywhere you have Zune.

Depending on the type of video, you can choose to rent or buy it. Most movies are available for either purchase or rental, while most TV shows and music videos are only available to buy.

*

When you buy a video, you’ll be able to play it on a PC using the Zune software, on a Zune-enabled device, and with Zune on Xbox LIVE.

to me that kinda says it lives in the cloud, and you download it on each device seperately....sorta like steam?

if you rent, you watch it ONLY on the device you clicked rent from

[hugh]

A MS employee told me you could buy and stream music and movies. My sense was that it could not stream to any other smartphones or tablets which seems crazy.

[ava0775]

We have a WP7 and XBOX 360. The Zune software installed on your PC (like iTunes) is how you sync and upgrade the phone. Admittedly we haven't tried to watch any movies on the phone. You can't buy or stream music here in Canada (yet...? still a rumour as always).

Not sure why it "seems crazy" you can't stream to other systems? It's the same as iTunes. If I rent or even buy a movie from iTunes I can't watch it, for example, on a PS3. Like iTunes, if the Zune software is installed on various home PCs and you are logged into your account ( I think it is 3 or 5 different PCs it can be installed on) everything can be accessed.

[hugh]

It's crazy because Windows Media Server already acts as a DLNA server so it can stream music, videos and photos to any DLNA compliant device including the PS3.

Imagine if you could buy anything on Zune and then stream it to any DLNA device, then you could open your service up to so many more companies. Create a DLNA compatable app for iOS and Android devices and you'd be ahead of everyone.

In addition, MS is NOT a market leader here. It does not have a Tablet and their Smartphone marketshare for WP7 phones is negligible. Users need Zune needs to be able to stream to their video game console, their tablet and their smartphone if Zune is going to grow marketshare.

MS has to stop pretending they are the market leader and can rely on people to buy nothing but MS product.