Microsoft's promised Zune HD firmware update has been detailed and shown off ahead of its release. The upgrade will primarily bring Smart DJ to the device itself and, like Apple's Genius playlists, automatically create whole playlists based on the theme of a single song. Zune Pass owners will reap the greatest reward as the player can download up to 30 more recommended songs over Wi-Fi to fill out the playlist.
A newer feature will bring more involved music playback when the device is attached to the Zune HD AV Dock: owners can browse the Zune Marketplace and stream songs directly from the service, much as they can on the desktop. Additional upgrades will bring the previously known support for XviD and other AVI-framed videos as well as a Picks feature that provides a recommended list of songs to download based on Social preferences.
The update is due in roughly two weeks but doesn't have a specific release date.
Source: electronista
