Zune gets video store, NBC shows

At long last, TV shows are coming to the Zune—including some of the very shows you can't get if you're an iPod user. Still no movies, however, and the selection of 800 episodes pales in comparison to the Xbox Video Marketplace and iTunes.

The revamped video store on the Zune Marketplace (which previously sold only music videos) now has more than 800 TV episodes for sale, including several high-profile shows from NBC—the network that ditched iTunes last year after a pricing dispute.

Among the shows Zune owners will be able to buy: "The Office," "Heroes," "30 Rock," and "Battlestar Galactica." Also on tap are shows from NBC subsidiary Sci Fi, Comedy Central, MTV networks, and Turner Broadcasting.

The shows will go for 160 Microsoft Points—or about $2, for those of you who aren't familiar with Microsoft's arcane system of currency.

Eight hundred TV shows is a good start, but as Crave notes, that number is far smaller than what you'll find on iTunes or ever the Xbox Video Marketplace, and the Zune store still lacks movies.

And while you'll be able to stream Zune videos over your Xbox 360 via USB, you won't be able to transfer Xbox Video Marketplace shows or movies to your Zune. Even stranger, such NBC shows as "The Office," "Heroes", and "30 Rock" aren't available on Xbox Live. Huh...aren't the Xbox and Zune units within Microsoft, like, talking to each other? (Either that, or they're trying to force "Office" junkies to get a Zune to go with their Xboxes.)

Also worth noting: Part of the reason NBC deserted iTunes was because Apple, which sells all its TV shows for $1.99 a pop, isn't interested in "variable" pricing, and indeed, Microsoft says that TV episodes on the Zune Marketplace may eventually cost less—or more—than $2.

Along with the TV shows, Zune owners are getting a software update that adds features such as gapless playback (performed by the Zune player itself on the fly—nice), auto playlists, and the ability to drag your pals' Zune Cards (similar to Xbox Gamercards) to your player, along with up to 18 of their songs.

Anyway, back to the Zune video announcement. My reaction...mixed, and puzzled. Microsoft has had a robust video store—complete with movies and TV shows—on Xbox Live since Thanksgiving 2006, so why did it take so long for the Zune to get a decent video store? And why can't you transfer Xbox shows to the Zune? And what's up with the schizophrenic selection ("Heroes" on the Zune, but not on the Xbox)?

So, what do you think—are you Zune owners out there (you hoo?) happy with the new video store?

Related:
Zune: Welcome to the video [Crave]
Press release [Microsoft]