The Complete Disclosure - Zune HD and AV Dock Review

Value
As with anything value is a subjective issue. What to me is a good value might be bad to you. As such we try to look at value from two sides. The first is in simple terms of how much money are you spending. The second is, what do you get for that money.  

You can buy the Zune HD Black 16GB like the one we tested here for $219.99 and the 32GB Platinum for $289.99 The AV Dock will set you back an additional $89.99.  The price for the 16GB mode is excellent for a media player considering you pay $199 for an 8GB iPod Touch.  For the 32GB the price is more in line with other players as the 32GB Touch is $299.99. When you consider the Zune HD’s better display and more spacious and full sound it really shows off the value of the Zune HD. The extra feature of an HD Radio Tuner in the Zune is only icing on the cake. Unfortunately the AV Dock throws a wrench into the whole concept of value for the Zune HD. In order to take advantage of the “HD” part of the Zune HD’s video output you need this. While this extra is very nice and cool to play with, it adds an extra $90 to the cost of owning the Zune HD. It also has negligible value in terms of actual use. I honestly cannot think of when I would use this on a regular basis. It does have potential for use as a dock for the HD Radio Tuner and on the road, but I do not see this accessory selling all that well to be perfectly honest.