A few days ago I mentioned that there was a Zune HD firmware update available, version 4.5, and then when I arrived home I performed the update. I had to connect several times and faster to update the software update check before my evaluation found an update available, but then everything was fine. Besides the new features I mentioned earlier, he had another surprise in the update, no more advertising in games.

I take a quick walk through Picks and Smart DJ Mix on the Zune HD. There are also improvements in video codecs, but honestly, I do not use my Zune for watching HD movies, it will take time before I test this feature. Picks appear as a new tab when you start on your Zune HD Fair. You can see the album art of selected artists and after touching a record, you’ll see, songs and more. To enable Smart DJ Mix just press and hold on a song, album or artist to see a menu of Smart Play DJ Mix, then Zune software will generate a compilation of songs that is selected for the enjoyment.  There are so many songs in the Zune Marketplace that discovery can be difficult, especially from the Zune Desktop software. I am really enjoying the Smart DJ Mix capability and plan to use this quite a bit as I workout and enjoy my music.

There are no longer any ads in the application. There have never been ads in the utilities like the calculator, Twitter, and Facebook, but there were static or moving Zune and Kia car ads in the games. When you start a game now, you will see a charging icon, but no more ads.