i love my zune. ive converted like 5 other ppl to zune and they all love it. the only thing that sucks is my only laptop i have is my macbook and theres no mac support. for now im using my roommates laptop for zune until some mac loving comes :)

I love this feature.  It made it so easy when I had essentially three new computers to replace three old computers, and all my key content already on my Zune 80: install Zune software, connect Zune, copy; media collection transfer complete.

I do love the reverse sync feature, but its too bad when you copy music to your collection from your Zune, album art is not copied as well.

If I transfer my entire collection from home to my office computer, I'm staring at 0 album art which creates ALOT of extra double work.  Especially if you have alot of obscure music not picked up by the 'Find Album Info' feature.  Surly there is a way around this??

How does this play in with DRM (subscription content?).

Also, it might be cool if someone could post here about pairing a device to multiple pc's (but the same zune account on that pc).

Of course you're not reverse-syncing any copyrighted materials to your friend's computer, correct?

Isn't copying music from somebody else device on your computer illegal ?

There's one thing that you cannot do with the zune: playback music located on a zune (guest or not) directly on the computer without syncing the data to the computer : useful for a party where you want to use everybody's music.

Don't get me wrong I love my zune...

Also, it would be cool to be able to control the zune device wirelessely. The zune would be pluged directly to a sound system but you would browse the content of the zune and control the zune directly on the computer.

That would be a killer.

So with reverse sync you can share music with your friends?  Ummm...what am I missing?  What about DRM?  If you can share it with reverse sync...why can't you share it (without limitations) wirelessly?

To be completely fair, and to shoot down any objections by zune haters out there, the ipod can "reverse sync." The catch is that you have to use all sorts of trickery(setting your computer to see all hidden files and folders and then rescuing your songs which are all renamed to things like DCQH4) to do it. Also, I'm pretty sure it doesn't work on mac. I think there are some hacking tools to do it too, but the point is that the zune software does it easily and directly from the software itself.

This is one of the things I absolutely love about my Zune 8GB. Come on, Apple, get with the picture - crippling your devices so users can't back up their own music is obsolete.

Love the reverse feature. To make a long story short a while back I was visiting my oldest son in Portland and we went out one Saturday to get some music. We bought about 10 cd's. When we got back to his place I loaded the cd's into my laptop (which has the Zune software on it) then put them on my Zune. I gave my son the cd's and came home. Once at home I was able to reverse sync all the new music I had bought into my main Zune collection. Pretty sweet.

This is really a cool feature, This way i can store all the songs in my zune and copy em back whenever required.

I'd really like to see this same feature with my pictures also. ive got around 8-9 gb of photos which i'd like to store in my zune. The problem is that, zune s/w will resize my images when ever they are transfered to the device. I really wanted them in their full resolution :(

The RIAA would not be too pleased with you Cesar.

Pretty ballsey of you to blog about dropping and dragging  music onto you Zune that you did not pay for.

Glad it has that feature though!!

My Zune 80 is actually the first PMP I've ever purchased, so I didn't know any of these features weren't already available on the iPod. Reverse sync seems like something pretty darned rudimentary to me, and it already came in handy recently: I paired my Zune to an aging laptop, and when I got a new computer, I simply paired it with the new computer, and reverse synced my entire collection to the new computer.

Shame about the album art not transferring tho. That's something that definitely needs to be fixed.

@slbucian: I second that. I've got numerous computes, but my Zune is only paired with my desktop. I'd like to be able to plug my Zune into one of my laptops and listen to music off it. Also, the remote control idea is killer. I keep mine plugged into that iHome clock radio and sync wirelessly while I sit at my desktop in the other room, so being able to remote control the device would be sweet ;)

Yep, that's been a selling point for some of my friends -- I have at least three now that are going to switch when their iPods die.

Zune has matured really well.  I think my only gripes are now the icon qualities for the files (have you guys seen the MP4, etc, icons in Vista? Horrid!).

DRM'd files will do a rights check, which will fail if you're logged into the appropriate account.

@asurroca

I just hope that the zune team is reading our comments. About remote controlling the zune with the PC. I really don't see any technical reason why it couldn't be possible. Wirelessely browsing the zune works fine so they just need to add the play back button (Not that simple but still). And I think it would be a very nice way to use the wifi function of the zune and to promote it to the customers.

About advertisement, I had also another idea that could have been (or could be) very nice in the context of the Zune/ipod competition. Again it would be related to the WIFI function. At the End of the Ad I would write :

ZUNE: Sync different!

(If Microsoft ould like to pay me for this idea, here's my email: albucian@hotmail.com)

;)

In terms of backup, all the Zune team needs to complete the picture is enable the Zune as a mass storage device, just like what our opponents currently do.

Hey Matt (p.s. you guys should make it clear who's writing what),

What did you mean by "Notice how the background changes and takes on a hue that's similar to the color of your device"? Both of my Zunes (and my friend's pink one) all have the same greyish background as you show in the picture. Or am I missing something?

P.S. Would you mind helping me out with my sync case (http://forums.zune.net/297214/ShowPost.aspx)? TIA

It'd also be nice to have the Zune device work with the new Honda/Acura USB audio function.  It works with the iPod and mass storage USB devices.  It does place the DRMed iTunes tracks through the car's speakers.  It seems a software update on the Zune side should work.  When you plug a Zune in to these vehicles it shows "unspported device" and the Zune starts to charge.  The iPod and Flash Drive have the songs show on the head unit or navigation screen.

Um when i try to download podcasts and songs, i have to log in, right? I tried to but i always get this text saying i have to agree to a new policy. I click on it and I'm directed to https://live.zune.net/en-US/signup/error.aspx?appId=zunenet.

And it says:

Not Available in Your Region

The Zune service is not yet available in your region.

Thanks for your interest! Please continue to check Zune.net for the latest news and information.

even through i live in the US....

Sorry to post here and on the Zune forums, but i desperately seek advice.

On Zune insder on July 9th, you posted this as a comment as a response to a blog about sync groups.

Hey guys,

Reading you loud and clear on the "manual sync" option. :)

If you are having problems that you need help with, please come visit me in the sync forum. I would be glad to help you out. Zune Insider really isn't the best place for support, but I want to help you if possible. Drop me a PM or post a thread here: http://forums.zune.net/34/ShowForum.aspx

Thanks for reading! Some new tips/tricks coming soon...

-----------------------------------------------

However, unfortuently you did not leave a way for us to PM you if we did have questions, not even on your profile on the site itself, so il just have to hope i get you attention here as i do have a problem.

I just got a Zune 80g to replace my 30 for the express purpose of filling it up with movies, over the past few days this is what i have slowly been doing, ripping dvds onto the comp and then syncing them to the zune, however i have reached the stage where over 25gb of HD space on the laptop is taken up with movies. The original plan was to at this stage, delete the files on the laptop while keeping them on the zune, but of course the wonderful interface that is sync groups will auto delete my movies if I A) delete them off the comp. Or even B) delete the sync groups themselves (having just tried this my zune will be busy resyncing 25+ movies for a few hours.) This is highly frustrating, i loved the old Zune software that came with the 30g, it was simple and it worked. The improvements that have come with this new version are very good, and bringing it back up to standard, but these issues with sync groups go beyod idiocy. Any advice would be highly appreciated.

@rosie: Check the location setting under Control Panel -> Region and Language Settings.  I have mine set to the USA (instead of Canada, where I am) and can browse the Marketplace anyways.  Can't buy anything, though.

I love everything about Zune, and I've used reverse sync many times. What many of my friends and I think that the Zune lacks is A CLOCK!

reverse sync is great....when it works

quite often i sync a track and it doesnt work, ends up being a .tmp file rather than mp3 or wma.

any ideas why this happens?

the zune could really use a clock...lol its really simple

i think it'd b cool to be able to play songs wirelessly well the zune is attached to a dock by using windows media center, like what you can do with the 360! the zune has the wireless function built in. Perhaps a internet browser on the zune too? the touch pad could work like a laptops...

I am in the UK - we have 6 ppl in my office with Zune, and it has revolutionised my music consumption. really good machine.

Hey, i tried to use the feature, but when i right click and click "copy to my collection", nothing happens. Ive tried with video and everything but nothing works....

I too used to take this feature for granted. I thought, well, every MP3 player ought to have reverse sync, I figured the iPod would have it as well. However, one day, I had to help someone reverse sync some songs from their iPod, I found out the shocking reality that it doesn't have that feature built in. There was an article on how to restore the music but it required renaming a whole bunch of incomprehensible files and then reorganizing them yourself.

Screw that, I'm using my Zune and dragging and dropping instead.

This isn't working for me. I have a Zune30/WinXP and updated the software to the latest/greatest today. When I click on "Device", I do not see draggable music. My screen shows a Zune with buttons to "Start Sync" and "View Sync Groups". Have They taken reverse sync away from us?!?!?

When I wiped my computer and installed vista, I didn't have to back everything up, because it was already on ym zune.

What would be really cool is if you can change how the zune stores the data for music. Like instead of by artist, do it by album instead. By the way I just found this blog about the reverse sync and love it. Only now my music is stored as artist level in stead of album