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Zune 80 TV output demo

CNET Senior editor shows off the TV output feature on the Microsoft Zune 80 MP3 player.

Donald Bell Senior Editor / How To
Donald Bell has spent more than five years as a CNET senior editor, reviewing everything from MP3 players to the first three generations of the Apple iPad. He currently devotes his time to producing How To content for CNET, as well as weekly episodes of CNET's Top 5 video series.
Donald Bell


If you would have told me a month ago that I'd be ga-ga for the Zune, I would have had you institutionalized. "Zune-lover? Are you high?" But here I am, smitten with the Zune 80, spending my entire weekend exploring every little feature while my trusty iPod languishes in my messenger bag.

Photo of John Hodgman as PC guy.
Is Apple right? Does loving the Zune mean I'm this guy? Apple, Inc.

I'll be updating the MP3 Insider blog this week with some personal insights on why the Zune is currently rocking my world. I invite all the Apple fanboys and girls to sound off in the comments section to try and snap me out of whatever spell Microsoft has put on me.

Now there are some definite drawbacks to the Zune 80 (read my full review to get the whole picture), but there are enough knockout features to make me forget about them (momentarily, at least). To give you a taste of the kind of goodness the Zune is showing me, here's a minute-long demo video of me exploring the new Zune GUI on my home video projector. No AV dock is being used here, just the built-in composite video feed straight from the Zune 80's headphone jack. There's no sound on the video, but if you listen carefully, you can hear the self-satisfied, diabolical giggling of Bill Gates.

Why can't my iPod do this, again?