1  | 

I found this helpful Thank You! Your vote will be tallied soon!

Now, it does TV!

For Christmas, my children are getting something that, on the surface, seems a little ridiculous. Excessive, maybe.

They're each getting 30-gigabyte Zune devices.

My children do love music, but that's not the primary reason they're getting this gift. Instead, it's because of the new software Microsoft released for the Zune (full disclosure: I work for Microsoft). Basically, the new software allows me to sync TV shows I record on my Media Center PC to the device - and then take the device with us anywhere we go!

Overall, the system at my house works like this. A Media Center PC has what's called TV tuner cards in them. The cable TV signal goes from my wall into my PC in my office. Through the Media Center application, I set up recordings of TV shows and movies that the kids and I like. (I take that back - I don't like the shows, but I allow the kids to watch them. Anyway.)

I then open the Zune software, connect the Zune device, and click on the icons for the TV shows that I want to sync to the Zune. It takes a while, but I tend to set up the sync and then go do something else.

Later on, we have a Zune with TV shows stored on it! This is great for car rides or any other time when the kids are just waiting around, and they're bored. I don't have a built-in DVD player in the car, and I think I like the Zune thing better than the portable DVD players: there are no DVDs to handle and scratch or lose, each kid can have his own device, and watch with his own headphones, and the devices are small - I can take them away and stash them in my purse when it's an inappropriate time for personal TV or music.

The best part, though, is that the original Zunes that were released a year ago get a free software update so they work with the new TV sync functionality. Prior to now, there wasn't a supported way to copy TV shows onto the Zunes; now there is. And because the redesigned v2 Zunes are available, the original Zunes have come down significantly in price! I paid $100 each for two refurbished devices; brand-new ones are well under $200.

If I fill up the 30-gig hard drive with TV, I can bring with us about 30 hours of TV shows. (And that's EACH device - The Boy can have his episodes of The Fairly Odd Parents, and The Girl can have her fill of Lilo & Stitch.) Since 30 hours of shows is way more TV than I want my kids to watch in one sitting, I think that 30 gigs is more than enough. The new Zunes with hard drives are 80 gigs - that's definitely more than the kids need.

But you know, it's not such a bad idea for a present for my hubby, now that I think about it.... New Zunes for everyone!