HD Radio confirmed in Microsoft ZuneHD

[thataveragejoe]

"Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don't like the song playing on your station's HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming."

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/26/zune-hd-is-official-heading-your-way-this-fall/

[R.F. Burns]

This just goes to show that HD radio is doomed.  Hmmm, I wonder if the radio will do AM HD. I guess these "failing" companies haven't gotten the memo that HD radio is a failure. Maybe a letter writing campaign is in order from some of our more prolific fellow posters. Why, including this technology might cause the demise of Microsoft !!

[Savage]

On the contrary, RF: I think that HD Radio's thumping worldwide success is "just the ticket" to leapfrog Zune's .0003% market share of portable music devices, way past that floundering stupid little Apple iPod.

Conquering the world - with "HD in the van!!"  Onward and....ummm...(what was that next part again?)

(Hey - you started it!!)   

[Bob_Hudson]

"Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go.

Does it handle quadraphonic too?

[BRNout]

Two technological losers for the price of one!!!!!!  A match made in Heaven! 

Does Bill Gates even use a Zune?  I'd bet 1/10th of his hourly pay that he has an iPhone!

[KB1OKL]

Man I bet the range is um... at least 2 or 3 miles with a tin foil hat on, incidentally who's going to pull the wagon with the paralleled car battery's in it?

[Zach]

Nevermind the range, what will an HD chip do to the battery life?

[dumber than a box of hair]

Ever see the ear buds that come with a Zune?  Those will now be the HD antenna...as if HD didn't have enough problems already...

[vsa]

I can't help but wonder how much free advertising the HD Radio Alliance pledged to Microsoft to promote the ZuneHD and other Microsoft products. Near-bankrupt fools.

I have seen tons of iPods/iPhones/Touches and even own and heavily use one of the Apple critters. I have yet to meet or see a human being who owns a Zune. I probably need to get out more often.

[Savage]

"Zune HD is officially heading your way this fall!"  (And back to the store for a refund about two weeks after that.)

Nor have I ever seen a human being using a Zune.  Just imagine the cool/wow factor among gadgetphiles:
"Wow, Dude, COOL ZUNE!  How come you didn't get an iPod??"

I get a kick out of: "If you don't like the song playing on your station's HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming."  If ever there was a marketing pitch made by someone who knows ZERO about the industry he's writing about that's it.  Yep...let's promote TUNEOUTS....as if the main-channel listener is going to decide, then-and-there, to tune to completely different formats.

That's not the way radio listeners function in the real world.  For example, if they're country listeners and a tuneout occurs they'll tune to the COMPETING station with the SIMILAR format, dumkopfs, not a dissimilar product offered on an HD sub by the same station.

Think HD listening behavior will differ significantly from analog listening behavior?? It's "if you don't like the song that's playing, tune to another station using the tuner's handy up/down tune buttons."

Duh!