DVD to Zune Converter

Zune supports MPEG4 (in .mp4, .m4v and .mov containers), H.264 (in .mp4, .m4v and .mov containers), WMV and ASF video formats. If you want to rip DVDs to Zune movies, and convert FLV, AVI, MPEG and other types of videos to Zune movies, Any DVD Converter Pro, the versatile DVD iPod converter, can provide a great solution for you.

With Any DVD Converter Pro, you can convert DVDs to MP4 or WMV movies for your Zune media player. You can also capture DV movies and convert them for view on Zune. Any DVD Converter can also convert various video formats to Zune videos.

What can the DVD to Zune Converter do?

• Convert DVD to MP4 and WMV for all models of Zune
• Download and convert YouTube FLV videos for Zune
• Capture DV videos and convert to MP4 or WMV for Zune
• Convert DVD for playback on iPod, iPhone, PSP, Apple TV and 3GP cell phones
• And convert avi, asf, mov, mp4, 3gp, m4v, rm, rmvb, flv, mkv, mpg and vob for Zune

Converting YouTube Videos for Zune

YouTube videos are becoming popular and being viewed and downloaded every day now. Many Zune users are also loyal fans of Youtube. Unfortunately, Zune media player does not support YouTube FLV format. Good news is, Any DVD Converter Pro has built-in YouTube Downloader that can automatically download Youtube videos and convert them to MP4 or WMV for playback on Zune.

Zune Media Player

Zune is the portable media player (PMP) released by Microsoft. Zune has Wi-Fi built-in. Users can transfer files from Zune to Zune, and sync Zune files to PC. 30 GB Zune has 3-inch QVGA LCD screen, with a resolution of 320×240; while the 80 GB Zune has 3.2-inch Glass LCD screen, and with a resolution of 320x240 at 4:3 aspect ratio.

The Zune can play music, pictures, and videos, display images, receive FM radio, and on a limited basis share files wirelessly with other Zunes and via USB with Xbox 360s. The Zune 4, 8 and 80 are new Zune devices can additionally support H.264 and MPEG-4 files and podcasts.

Zune is based on Windows CE kernel and it supports WMV video format, and MP3, AAC (.m4a), WMA Pro (2-channel), and WMA Standard audio formats. Zune software will convert MP4 video to WMV video.

Zune supports a single digital rights management system — Windows Media DRM (WMDRM) — incompatible with other DRM systems and not part of the PlaysForSure platform or program.

Video formats supported by Zune:

• WMV
• H.264 (not supported by Zune 30)
• MPEG-4 (not supported by Zune 30)

Zune Software

Zune Software is a modified version of Windows Media Player 11 and it requires Windows XP or Vista. Zune Software manage the Zune device and library and as a client to the online music store. The Zune Software supports MPEG4 (in .mp4, .m4v and .mov containers), H.264 (in .mp4, .m4v and .mov containers), WMV and ASF video formats.

Zune Social

With Zune Social, Zune users can find and connect to other Zune media players. They can sync files from their Zune wireless to computer or other Zune players. Sending pictures, podcasts, videos and music is a snap with the Zune. They can also find out the Zune users around them.

The 80 GB Zune

With a new design, higher capacity, wireless sync capability, larger screen, and integrated support for audio and video podcasts, the new 80GB Zune is a nice alternative to the iPod. The audio, video, photo, and radio features of the Zune are largely unchanged from the first generation. The Zune music player supports MP3, WMA, protected-WMA (Zune Marketplace only), WMA Lossless, and AAC music file formats.

The Zune supports WMV, MPEG-4, and H.264 video formats natively at a DVD-quality 30fps frame rate. Windows Media Center users will be happy to know that the Zune also imports DVR-MS recorded video content.

The 80GB Zune measures 4.3 inches high by 2.4 inches wide by 0.5 inch deep. With a diagonal measurement of 3.2 inches, the 80GB Zune's luxuriously large LCD screen leaves the 2.5-inch screen of the iPod Classic in the dust.

The screen size may seem like a marginal improvement from the first-generation Zune's 3-inch screen, but the 80GB Zune's use of an optical glass screen shield. The second major improvement engineered into the new fleet of Zune MP3 players is a completely unique navigation control that Microsoft dubs the Zune Pad.

The 80GB Zune is now much closer in size and shape to iPod. Existing Zune loyalists will be very happy to know that Microsoft is offering the new Zune operating system as a free upgrade to all first-generation Zune owners.

European Zune fans waiting for Zune’s debut

It is reported that Microsoft has delayed the European release date of its Zune portable media player to 2009. The US is already on its second-generation Zune, which was released last year. However, French newspaper reported that Europeans won't get their own Zune for another ten months at least.

Zune fans in the United States can now select between 4GB Zune, 8GB Zune, 30GB Zune and 80GB Zune. But in 2007, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that the Zune won’t go on sale Europe until 2008. The two smallest capacity models look similar to an iPod Nano, while the 30GB Zune and 80GB Zune draw their styling from classic fatter iPod designs. But for Zune fans in France, U.K., Germany and other European countries, possible they have to wait till next year for the debut of Zune in their markets.

Zune earns good profit for Microsoft

Microsoft reported their second quarter earnings with a profit of $4.71 billion and grouped the Zune with the Xbox. Sales from the division responsible for the Xbox 360 game console and the Zune digital media player edged up 3 percent to $3.06 billion. Zune is selling well and Microsoft is likely seeing a nice return.

Comparison between DVD standards

DVD is basically a souped-up version of CD-ROM. CD-ROM data is stored in patterns of pitted and un-pitted areas on a disc. DVD data is stored the same way, except the pits are much smaller and closer together. That’s why CD-ROM can only store 650-700 MB of data, while DVD can store 4.7 GB data or higher.

DVD drives can also read regular CD-ROM discs. Since the pits are more tightly written on a DVD disc, the mechanism in the drive for reading them also has to be finer and more precise. So DVD drives is much more expensive to produce than CD-ROM drives.

DVD-5 is a single-sided, single-layer disc of the same thickness as a normal CD-ROM; it’s 4.7 GB of data or 135 minutes of video. If the disc is double-sided, that’s DVD-10. With DVD-10, you can double that capacity to get a 9.4-GB or 270-minute capacity.

More data can be stored onto a two-layer DVD disc, that’s DVD-9. The top layer is semi-reflective, so the read laser can pass through it to read the second layer of data beneath it. DVD-9 can hold 8.5 GB data.

But DVD-9 is not the most capable DVD disc yet. DVD-14 combines double-sided and double-layer disk together and its capacity can reach as much as 13.24 GB. The next generation of DVD standard, Blur-ray DVD, can even store up to 50 GB files.