Originally Posted by TheBigM:
“True, both are QVGA resolution. Zune's screen rotation so that it is long instead of wide is more useful for movie watching, you can turn it on its side and allow the movie to take up more screen space particularly on widescreen films displaying at 2.35:1 or 1.78:1
However in terms of physical screen size zune's is bigger.”
I don't see how turning something on it's side is a benefit, all it does is make the ratio of the screen more appropriate to the medium you're watching it on. If it only had a 2.5 inch screen it would be a disadvantage because you'd be having to do something extra to achieve the same thing you can do by default on an iPod or other similarly orientated player. Yes the screen is bigger but it's still a 4:3 screen for watching movies, but because it's running at a lower ppi the picture won't automatically look better just because it's bigger.
I can accept the logic behind having the long side of the screen running along the long side of the device but I don't accept that the zune is better overall. Of course, chances are apple will come out with something bigger at some point, probably just after the zune launches to steal its thunder.
The zune has bigger screen but in terms of video it in no way makes better use of the screen other than being bigger but with a lower ppi. How important these factors are to you on a portable player is purely individual but it's not clear cut that the zune is somehow magically better because of it's screen. In fact in terms of text for track listings and the like when view right way up you'll actually have less to play with since you'll have 75% of the pixels and marginally less width to view them on.
Last edited by moisie : 31-10-2006 at 12:16
