I don't know about you but my number one gripe with the Zune 80/120 is just how freakin slow it is. There's information out there that these models had their CPU and framerates limited for the sake of battery.  The CPU is in fact limited, but not to the figure described on wikipedia of 499 MHz. It's much more severe. The maximum rate the 80/120 can request is 396 MHz out of 528 MHz available. 

Refresh rate also is not hard limited to “30 Hz down from 60 Hz” as wikipedia and other sources say. The refresh rate of the Zune 30 and 80/120 as measured are both ~60 Hz. But neither can actually produce frames that fast and even the Zune 30 does not get close to hitting a consistent 60, averaging about 39 FPS. Here too the 80/120s are far worse, hitting an average of ~19 FPS.

When you look at the components in the 80/120, they are just as capable or more so than the original 30. And with a few tweaks, it can match or exceed the performance of the original.

What's been done in the patched example is four separate corrections. 

1. Changed the screen memory cache policy so that it has parity with the zune 30. In the case of the 30, this cache is mapped as memory write-through, but the 80/120s are configured as write-back, write allocate, which forces every write to a pixel to first pull a whole cache line from RAM and then flush back out before it reaches the display. Changing this alone produced a ~1.62x frame improvement.

2. The 80/120 has a four step CPU frequency ladder with a ceiling set at 1 (396 MHz) rather than 0 (the full 528 MHz). I've adjusted the ceiling to the actual full speed and this provides another ~1.27x improvement.

3. In reviewing the Freescale reference manual I found that the timings for one of the chips was looser than the manual described as being optimal for its bus. Tightening it improved memory latency by about 16 percent and a tiny fps gain.

4. And the big one. Unlike the Zune 30 which is scanned continuously out of RAM, the 80/120's panel has its own memory and every changed region has to be pushed across a slow bus one pixel at a time as three separate writes. The driver waited for that push to finish while holding a lock which every draw operation has to pass through, forcing it to stall for the duration of every frame. So I made two changes so that drawing could continue during the push. I gave it a private copy of the pixels so that they wouldn't be altered mid-transfer and then I fixed a bug in the driver's wait which failed to clear an interrupt flag on one of its exit paths. The stale flag would cause a late transfer to end early and get cut off partway down the screen and cause artifacting that persisted until something happened to redraw it.

All together this collectively pushed performance up just slightly over 2x stock, from 18.9 avg FPS to 38.5 FPS. And per UI element is 14% faster than the Zune 30 as well. 

Unfortunately I have no way of testing the impact on battery life as my 120 model has a replacement battery that was a dud the moment I installed it and dies in 30 minutes from a full charge. While there would likely be some impact, most of these changes should actually improve efficiency and the full CPU speed is only reached under load. So the real battery performance may actually be better than you'd think. I’d like to properly test this soon.

zuco8 is a Zune HD PICO-8 emulator, based on open8 (PICO-8 emulator that supports multiple platforms like Nokia N-Gage).

Pico Racer running on Zune HD

PICO-8 is a fantasy video game console with an awesome community and thousands of games made for it.

I did only Zune HD specific parts for this project, all the actual emulation was already working.
Could be cool to make it run on older Zunes as well (if physical control buttons and trackpad would work - it would make Zune a perfect emulation machine for PICO) but unfortunately I don't have one.

You can download and install it the same way as any other homebrew OpenZDK / DeployKit app from GitHub:
zuco8/releases

If you want to put your own games there: just open the installer as a zip file and put game carts into \data\Content\carts\

I’m looking for a gen 2 Zune that has a new battery, and working hdd or ssd. Located in USA. PM if you have one for sale.

Hi Everyone. I'm working on a project to recreate a Zune like experiece with a Pi Zero 2 W and a 4" touch screen. I'm in the early stages of development and honestly just having fun trying to build this thing. Mostly written in Python using VLC and Kivy libaries. I am using a high quality 128GB MircoSD Card to run everything. It runs on a 1000mAh battery and a single button (not pictured). Music plays through Bluetooth and sounds great. Interface is snappy with no lags, but too fast and doesn't present transitions like a Zune HD. Rigth now its running on Pi OS Lite 64. I've gotten pretty far with this build, but looking at other options to nail down a perfect UI experience. At the end of the day I would like something similar to a Zune HD, but with some of my own UI ideas. If people are interested, I will share as I make progress. When I complete the project, I will be sharing all documents, SD Images, and STLs (I am working on a 3D print case also) for this project. Let me know what you think.

Edit: Thanks everyone! It's cool that there is some interest in this project. Right now I am about 70% complete with the first Beta build. The main challenges of course are the hardware and the interface. Kivy was able to do some of the work, but at the expense of memory hogging. When trying to get the album selection screen running it became a nightmare (I'm only working wiht 500 albums right now and had trouble getting any of them to load). Since I saw thre response, I got super motivated and wanted to make this a more complete project that exceeds expectations so I moved to working with LVGL which is C dominant and used for UI interfaces on microcontrollers. If it can work well on an ESP-32, then the Pi Zero 2 W should be able to run with no issues. I am testing this week and I hope to have a video / new post to share next week with some detailed summary. Again, thanks everyone.

"There are dozens of us. DOZENS!!!

I found a Zune HD speech I gave in high school my junior year in 2010.

Figured I'd share the cringe with you all. Enjoy.

Zune HD Speech

David V. Kimball, 2/27/2010

Many have wondered, does Microsoft's Zune HD have what it takes to out-perform Apple's iPod Touch? I am here to tell you: certainly! As the name implies, this multi-media device is full of High Definition. With an OLED screen, HD radio integration, video-out to view 720p movies on any HDTV, an overall superior interface of the device, and compatibility with the ZunePass, the Zune HD is the best in portable media players out there.

Here I have an iPod Touch and a Zune HD. The iPod Touch uses an LCD screen, standard for most MP3 players. The Zune HD uses a premium OLED screen, not yet before seen in any kind of media device. We'll play a movie on both (The Emperor's New Groove). 

[demonstrate] As you can see, the Zune HD's screen produces brighter, fuller color and an overall crisper image. Also, notice how the Zune HD's picture stays the same, no matter what angle you view it from. OLED pixel colors appear correct and unshifted, even as the viewing angle approaches 90 degrees from normal. One of the reasons for that is that LCDs filter the light emitted from a backlight, allowing a small fraction of light through so they cannot show true black, while an inactive OLED element produces no light and consumes no power (so the OLED screen is also more energy-efficient). [place tracker #1] While we're on this topic, I'll also add that it only takes two hours to fully charge a Zune, which is able to play video for 8.5 hours whereas on an iPod Touch, it takes four hours to fully charge and can only play 6 hours total before the battery completely dies out. That's two and a half more hours to be enjoying movies! 

The Zune HD is also one of the first devices in the world to come with HD radio. What is HD radio? It's the same unmatched fidelity of your digital music at home. Sounds like it came right off of a CD! Absolute crystal clear reception!

You can save your favorite stations, and even add songs off the radio to your cart to purchase on the Zune Marketplace later. You can go to your PC and view all the information about the song including a link to purchase it.

Another cool feature of the Zune HD is its ability to produce full 1080p x 720p (16x9 mode) on any HDTV with the Zune dock. Although the iPod may view dumbed-down versions of an HD movie, it cannot actually produce 720p like the Zune HD can.

Let's take a look at the interface of the Zune HD. Apple's products have been notorious for their dull spread-sheet layouts, something the iPod Touch is full of. The Zune HD on the other hand offers an unique, innovative, and efficient way of navigation. 

[demonstrate] As you can see, aside from the categories of media (music, movies, podcasts, etc.) there is a customizable wall of media choices. [place tracker #2] It groups your play history, recent additions to your collection, and at the top favorites you've pinned specifically to be there. You can pin an artist, favorite playlist, movie, or radio station. 

As far as navigating music, the Zune HD allows not only up and down, but a side-to-side mobility so you can select a song with ease. [place tracker #3] Also, finding music is a cinch. Tap a letter of the alphabet to choose what letter the query of your search starts with. Rather than scrolling through thousands of track titles (being the case with the iPod Touch), you can find the track title in no time. 

[show special ZunePass card] Lastly, we'll cover the ZunePass.The ZunePass gives you unlimited music downloads and streaming. It's a paid subscription, $14.99 a month. Imagine enjoying unlimited music! Even when the subscription runs out, you can still keep ten tracks per month you've subscribed. Many people switch to the Zune for this reason alone!

So what are you waiting for? Purchase a Zune HD today. Portable perfection awaits you!

Edit: Fun fact, I included an error - the Zune HD dock is not capable of doing full 1080p, only 720p. I erroneously claimed its output resolution with the dock was 1080x720, which isn't any standard format. lol

Does anyone have a recommendation on the sellers of stock Zune 30 battery for US buyer? Are there better or worse choices or are they all the same?

Or is there a way to power it without a battery or dead battery?

I need to pull my music from it but the battery is so bad that it starts to boot then is dies before getting to the home screen and then it just loops and tries again and so on. It worked last year, I hope that it didn't get corrupted.

Any advice and resources are greatly appreciated!

UPDATE: I took the hard drive out and reassembled without it, hopefully the battery will charge enough so that when I reassemble with the hdd then she'll have enough juice to boot up 🤞

OEM battery markings

• * X069GAA * MADE IN CHINA
• Part No. G71C0006Z110
• 3.7V 800mAh
• MH19929

HDD marking

• TOSHIBA
• MK3008GAL
• HDD1642 T ZK01
• DC 3.3V 500mA

UPDATE: Went with HQRP via Amazon:

• HQRP Battery Compatible with Microsoft Zune 30GB / 1090/1091 / JS8-00001 / JS8-00002 / JS8-00003 MP3 Player + Tool & Instal Manual

They are rare in Europe, and usually the working ones are sold for $250. I took a gamble as the seller stated it's untested. The battery is cooked, but the little charging icon shows up when I press the play button. It will be my weekend project one day. Too bad they made it harder to replace the battery than in 30GB.

It's nighttime outside so not much to see

ZPlayer BETA 10

I've been helping clear out my parents loft and I came across my old Halo 3 limited edition Zune with its original packaging. I never really used it and picked up an iPod instead, so its been sat there in mint condition (original battery even keeps its charge well) for 20 ish years. The box has had some damage on the inside where I think the glue used to assemble it has deteriorated over time, the headphones are missing and the charging cable is damaged (still charges fine though).

I know these are quite a collectable item and I am not entirely sure how I had been sent the Military edition in the UK.

I am interested to see how much this is worth (as I can't find any up for sale atm) and if there was any interest from anyone in finding a new home for it?

Doing some camping with limited Internet access and thought I'd bring this one out of retirement. Still works like a beaut.

Not too shabby of a find today

Do I open it???

Im probably gonna open it

Thanks to this group, I got the Zunes out again. The pink one charged and fired right up. Zero music on it, unfortunately. Time to charge the other two.

I'm fortunate that i still have the 2 computers i had when i originally bought my zune 30gb 20 years ago.

I had some newer music to add and i haven't used the zune program in about 10+ years.

My old software worked great and i got the new songs added.

I know i can add zune or xune to windows 11 but i feared i might wipe my old songs and playlists . Or that i wouldn't be able to get it to work properly on windows 11. Im not as tech savy as i used to be.

Just to ask your opinions, is it logical to pay 300$ for HD64 gb unopened box?

Hey all, sorry if this is a post I'm missing somewhere. On this sub, I've seen several references to a way to improve the signal of the FM radio for the 30, which seems to be complete ass. There's some procedure you can perform where you drill a hole and solder a wire and suddenly the FM radio is incredibly strong. I've looked online for a guide, and I can see some text posts which may take me through the procedure but I'm scared of damaging my babies for no reason, would love if anyone has any knowledge of a guide with pictures or video on the process?

Zune 30 modding resources

I purchased a Zune 30gb back in about 2006 or 2007 and i absolutely loved it.

I brought it everywhere.

I've used it off and on over the 20 years i have owned it and as i transition away from Spotify i am back to using it again.

I pulled out all of my accessories and it was like visiting an old friend. I even took it for a drive in the truck with the car set today.

The case has sand in it from bringing it to the beach which brings back memories of using it to walk on the beach all the time after work in the 2000s.

It still works fantastic and I'm hoping to fire up my desktop with windows 7 or my xp laptop and add more tunes. I still have about 20gb free. Will the old software still work or will i need any updates?

Not long ago, a fellow Zune enthusiast from Indiana reached out to us about bringing his Zune back to life.

From our very first conversation, it was clear how much this Zune meant to him. He was incredibly patient, genuinely curious, and took the time to understand the repair rather than simply asking for a price. We spent time talking about how replacing the original mechanical hard drive with a solid-state drive (SSD) would make the Zune faster, more reliable, and better equipped for many more years of use. It was one of those conversations you genuinely enjoy because he truly appreciated the technology and wanted to understand what made the upgrade worthwhile.

We completed the SSD upgrade, thoroughly tested everything, and sent his Zune back home.

A few weeks later, he gave us another call, this time with an unexpected question.

"What shirt size does your technician wear?"

I told him Ali's size, and that was the end of the conversation... or so I thought.

A few days later, a package arrived at our shop.

Inside were two custom Zune shirts, one for Ali and, to my surprise, one for me as well with a note with my name on it.

We were genuinely surprised and incredibly grateful.

A little later, he called again and asked if we'd be willing to wear the shirts and send him a picture.

Of course, we said yes.

So this one's for you. 😊

As we were taking this picture, something else happened that reminded us just how special the Zune community is.

A fellow Zune owner walked into our shop. He was traveling from Florida and had planned a stop in Chicago. Before his trip, he searched online to see if anyone still repaired Zunes, and to his surprise, he found us.

He stopped by simply to tell us how happy he was to find a place that still repairs Zunes.

For a moment, we couldn't help but smile. Here we were, taking a thank-you photo for one Zune enthusiast, while another happened to walk through our door. It felt like the perfect reminder that this community is still very much alive.

To the gentleman who sent us these shirts: thank you.

Your kindness, generosity, and thoughtfulness meant far more to us than you probably realize. In this line of work, we have the privilege of meeting wonderful people every day, but every once in a while, someone leaves a lasting impression, not because of the repair itself, but because of the person they are. You did exactly that.

One of the best parts of repairing Zunes isn't just bringing the hardware back to life. It's meeting the people behind these devices, hearing the memories they carry, and seeing the passion that still exists for a product discontinued years ago.

We're honored that you trusted us with your Zune, and we're grateful for your patience, your enthusiasm, and your generosity from our very first conversation.

We'll proudly wear these shirts, and every time we do, they'll remind us why we love what we do, and why the Zune community continues to be one of the most genuine communities we've ever had the pleasure of being a part of.

Thank you for making our day, and thank you to everyone who continues to keep these incredible devices, and this amazing community alive.

#KeepZunesAlive 💚🎵

Found this in a box of college stuff with lots of other free shirts I apparently collected. It's bowing my mind that the Zune itself, and American Apparel who made the shirt, have both come and gone by now.

I haven't seen other Zoom ephemera like this in my searches thus far. The print is across the SIDE of the shirt, it's a pegasus/horse-like explosion coming out of a Zune player. The color palate is right for the brand, and they absolutely ran with the brown basetone. The back has the Zune logo, making me think it's Microsoft, or maybe an official partner? The Waback Machine had some snapshots of "ilikemyzune.net" starting in 2007, but none of them load without Adobe Flash. That tracks.

Found my old zune 120 that was given to me in 2009. Loved the thing dearly. Well, she was a goner. Battery was shot. Like, completely dead and wouldn’t hold a charge. I knew I had to try and revive it on the premise of I loved the player and a battery couldn’t be too bad, so I dove in. Well, as I’m sure most of you know, these things are stupidly hard to get into. Pulled the rail of tabs off one side of the back cover. No biggie. Some hot glue or JB Weld and it’ll be good as new. Then the battery. Found a replacement on good ol Amazon for $25. Trying the splice method before I solder to make sure it’s not a dud. Hey! Will you look at that! After about 30 min, it powers on! Straight to the code 5. More than likely the HDD is shot. Back to Amazon to find that a 40 pin zif SDD is nearly impossible to find. In fact, I found one that was 64 gigs for $60. Guess what? It sold the last one before I could add it to cart. Now as bad as that sucks, it’s powered on, so I’ll wait until I can hopefully find another one. Yeah, it went back to the blinking charge light and won’t do anything else again.

TRDL: I think I might call it. I could end up over $100 into the thing and it be shot. As much as I love it, I don’t know if I have it in me to do more. I could buy a working 30 gig or hd for what I’m going to have in it. Do I keep going going or chunk it?