Zune

Zune is a brand of digital music products and services sold by Microsoft. It includes portable media players, client software, and the Zune Marketplace online music and video store. The devices come in three styles, all of which play music and videos, display images, and receive FM radio. They can share files wirelessly with other Zunes and via USB with Xbox 360s, and can sync wirelessly with Windows PCs.

The Zune Software, which runs on Windows XP and Vista, allows users to manage files on the player, rip audio CDs, and buy songs, music videos, and TV shows at the online store.

Digital Rights Managments on Zune
Several entities have expressed the effect of Microsoft imposing Digital Rights Management (DRM) passively to the customer before and immediately after the introduction of the Zune. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, in opposition to the Zune’s DRM, wrote:

“ Microsoft’s Zune will not play protected Windows Media Audio and Video purchased or ‘rented’ from Napster 2.0, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Unlimited, Movielink, Cinemanow, iTunes, or any other online media service. The Zune will not even play content previously purchased from Microsoft’s own MSN Music service. …The media that Microsoft promised would Play For Sure doesn’t even play on Microsoft’s own device. ”

The EFF calls this “a stark example of DRM under the DMCA giving customers a raw deal.” Technology reviewer Leo Laporte of G4techTV Canada said in his November 11, 2006 radio show that Zune may be the “beginning of the end” for DRM as a business tactic.

Before the release of Zune 2.0, restrictive wireless-transfer policy and “three days or three plays whichever comes first” rule were noted. Extra restrictions resulted for
(1) those with a Zune Pass;
(2) all songs regardless if the song had copyright or DRM or even if the user created the song;
(3) a registered “play” for any portion of a song;
(4) prevention in song re-trades.

Later on 40% of popular Zune store downloads were discovered non-exchangeable, triggering a “cannot send some songs due to rights restrictions” message. Microsoft attributed the problem to a “new experience, and its implementation is in a version 1.0 stage [...] working to expand the number of songs that can be shared.” Initially, observers criticized music publishers, UMG and Sony, for what was assumed to be an intentional restriction, while complaining why not disclose which songs could not be shared. Music publishers denied having placed any such restrictions.

Microsoft later became less strict in its use of DRM. With the introduction of the Zune 4G, 8G, 80G devices and a firmware upgrade to 2.0 for Zune 30, the next version of Zune Marketplace dropped the DRM for around a third of its tracks. Also, the “three days or three plays” rule were cut to simply “three plays”, with no timed expiration, and traded tracks will be able to be re-traded on.[citation needed]

Zune’s native file compatible formats are:

JPEG for images;
WMV, MPEG-4 and H.264 for video;
MP3, AAC (.m4a), Zune Marketplace (restricted and DRM free), WMA Pro (2-channel), WMA Standard, WMA lossless for audio.

Zune supports the Windows Media DRM (WMDRM) digital rights management system incompatible with other DRM systems and not part of the PlaysForSure platform or program. Multimedia content is transferred through Media Transfer Protocol (MTP); however, its proprietary MTP extensions (”MTPZ”) place an interoperability barrier between the Zune and previous MTP-based software.

Download software to remove DRM from  Zune music:

 SoundTaxi Pro, Protected Music Converter