Zune Video
Store - Part 2 (Buying)
In part 1 of this
article series I gave an overview of the all-new Zune video store
that released with the version 4.0 Zune software update.
Here I'll walk you through the process of buying a video through the
Zune software.
Later, in part 3 we'll look into renting a Zune video.
The Buying Process
While it may be a challenge to find something you actually want to
purchase (at least as of now), once you've found it, the rest of the
process is as simple as 1-2-3 (and maybe 4).
I'll be honest, I'm not a huge video fan. I rarely watch a movie more
than once (at least never on purpose) and almost never watch TV. (I'm
all about music.) So it
doesn't make sense for me to
purchase videos. Instead I always
rent.
But my 3 year old daughter is a huge fan of the Backyardigans, a series
on Nick Jr. that for the life of us we can never figure out when it
airs, if at all. (Ok, I'll admit that I like them too! They're
adorable,
how can you resist?) So I was excited to find 3 seasons of the
Backyardigans, just ripe for the clicking! (Excited for my daughters
sake, of course!)
I went through the buying process, purchasing the episode "Mission to
Mars" and I've captured the screens along the way to walk you through
it.
Ready? Let's get started...
Remember,
you can click on any screenshot to enlarge it.
Step 1: Select your Video
The
first step is to locate the video that you wish to buy. The Zune video
store gives you an overall description of the TV series as well as a
rating. Of course this is only useful if you are exploring unfamiliar
videos.
You can
then drill down into various seasons. (If you are looking at movies,
you will jump directly to this screen.) This will allow you to buy the
entire season or episodes a-la-carte.
Some
episodes or movies are available in both SD and HD. In this case, only
SD is available. You also have the option of previewing the video you
would like to purchase before you fork over your hard earned cash
(errr...points).
Step 2: Buy your Video
If
you click "Buy" you'll see the confirmation screen which will remind
you of how many points you have and how many you'll be spending. You
can see the declaimer that tells you there are no refunds for this
purchase. So look before you click!
Step 3: Download your Video
That's
it! Your video will now download to your PC. This could take a while
depending on the speed of your internet connection and the size of the
video. An HD movie is quite large. I was downloading over Wi-Fi and it
took "quite some time" for a TV episode to download -- that's a
scientific measurement, by the way.
You
can continue to browse the Zune video store while your video (or
videos) are downloading. At anytime you can go to the "Downloads" tab
of the Zune software and check on the progress of the downloads.
After
the video finishes downloading, you'll find it in your collection under
"Videos". You'll see a new "purchased" section if this is the first
time you've bought something from the Zune video store.
Step 4: Sync your Video
The
video you download will not auto-sync to your Zune, even if it's
connected to your PC. However, syncing is a snap! You can sync it by
right-clicking on the video and choosing the sync option.
That's
all there is to the buying process. Next, I'll walk you through the
rental process. It's brand new with the Zune 4.0 software.
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