Zune Media Player QuickStart Guide

What is Zune Media Player?

Zune software is an all-in-one media player and organizer.  With it installed on your  computer (Windows XP or Vista only!), you can easily link to the Zune Marketplace to find great music, videos, movies, podcasts, and more. 

For podcasting, Zune acts as your podcatcher, allowing you to subscribe to podcasts  from the Zune Marketplace or podcasts you find on the Internet. It also helps you organize your podcasts and manage your podcast subscriptions.

Getting Started

In the following sections, you'll be introduced to the basic features of Zune Media Player software, including how to find and subscribe to podcasts in the Zune Marketplace as well as how to subscibe to podcasts you find on the Internet.

Downloading & Installing Zune

This is a straightforward process. It also takes some time.  I tried it on a fast Windows Vista computer connected via Cable broadband and it took me about 15 minutes to download and install. However, I had no problems or cofusions with the installation process. Watch the Downloading and Installing Zune video tutorial or follow directions below:

1. Make sure your computer meets system requirements to install and run Zune.
2. Go to the Zune Download site and click on Sign Up + Download button or just click on Download.
3. Save the file to your desktop when prompted. Depending upon your connection speed, this process could take 5-15 or more minutes to download.
4. Double click on the file to begin the installation process.  Depending upon a number of factors, the installation process could take 5 minutes or more to finish

Exploring the Zune Interface

1. Launch Zune by double-clicking on the Zune Icon on your desktop.
2. If this is the first time you've started Zune, you will be prompted to either go with the default settings or to customize your settings. Here's two scenarios to help you choose:
   • if you already use a media player like iTunes or Windows Media Player or Real Media Player and you want to keep your media files associated with one of them, then opt to customize your settings so you can deselect any media file types that you don't want Zune to automatically be the default player for.
   • if you want Zune to be your default media player from now on, then you're safe in going with the default settings.
   • Regardless of which you choose here, you can always change these settings later. 
3. Zune will search your computer for your media files and add them to your Zune library catalog.
4. Watch Zune Interface Basics for a quick video overview that covers the above plus walks you through many features of Zune.

Subscribing to Podcasts in the Zune Marketplace

Now that you have a little familiarity with the Zune software interface, let's explore Subscribing to Podcasts in the Zune Marketplace in a bit more detail and briefly look at how to subscribe to a podcast you find on the Internet.

Subscribing to Podcasts on the Internet

Let's take a deeper look at how to subscribe to podcasts you might find in your travels through the Internet. Watch Internet Podcasts and Zune video tutorial to see several examples.

Managing Your Podcasts Subscriptions in Zune

Now that you've subscribed to several podcasts, it's time to check out how to manage all those subscriptions. Learn how in this video tutorial called Managing Your Zune Podcasts.