TELL US HOW YOU USE AUTO/SMART PLAYLISTS...so we do it the way you want in future releases!

I must say. I understand what had to go into the program. I am seriously impressed. I had just started using and loving smart lists weeks before this update and am pretty sad that it's not there. It's a trade off I accept though. I could go on about the things I absolutely love but I'll say this about my use of the smart lists;

I liked that it controlled my zune for me. I grab music and videos from many different places and constantly. Also having to remember to throw them onto the zune and take off ones I don't like is an unwanted extra step. Setting up the guidelines and rules for what goes onto and stays on my zune and just adding to my library as usual is magical to me. Keeping only fresh tracks and highly rated tracks on the zune and old unwanted tracks off automatically? It's like someone hand feeding me delicious food and then cleaning the dishes.

KB

I mostly used auto-playlists to shuffle most of my library while excluding certain tracks. I also used it to help organize my podcasts, but that's taken care of now. I always wanted to use it to create more useful playlists on the Zune device. For example:

Recently added to device

On device but never (or rarely) played

I could neve rdo things like this because there was no conditional for "on device" in the playlist settings.

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~ Ac1d Puppy

Yes, I want to control whats in my collection and the collection to control whats on my Zune. Is it that people most use it to just locate/find music? Or to actualy make a playlist and sync? I only use it as a conditional sync.

I would say that there are only a few (3-4) types of auto-lists that are helpful and used.

-Recently added

-Rated

Would it be easier to place variable sliders in the search frame? And/ or add the functionality to the playlist frame? I guess having maybe a "date added/played" slider above the search results list. And maybe the option for 2 types of variable playlist creators in the playlist frame. Being able to keep it as uncluttered as possible is what I like the most. I can find ways of generating a playlist myself, I'm not that lazy, but I can not un-clutter the UI and I can not re write the program to still be super quick. Thats my priority.

KB

The example response provided in the post described my usage well.  Here are my modifications:

All music except what I hated, I had recently acquired, I had never rated. I disliked how it didn't update the list immediately when I rated something. I disliked the clunky UI I had to use to create a auto playlist. I disliked that it had a limited set of possible values and combinations of values, and I couldn't just put in a value.  I wanted unlimited possibilities in configuring the auto playlists.  I did playlists by what I deemed "sub-genres".  I wanted to be able to label each / any song with unlimited "tags" and create auto playlists from these tags.  This is the feature in Zune 1.0 which I was most frustrated in missing.  At this point, not having auto-playlists is ridiculous.  I'm about to sync my Zune for the first time since upgrading the Zune client software, and it appears that all my auto-playlists (which I play from about 85% of my usage of the Zune) are going to be zeroed out!  Frustration.

Aah yes, I almost forgot.  I don't think I can handle a Like/Dislike, Pass/Fail, 1/0 rating system for my collection for very long.  I absolutely have to have a 5 point system to rate each song!  I have four auto-playlists which I had created off of my different ratings...

http://forums.zune.net/1787/ShowPost.aspx#1787 BRING THE ZUNE AND WMP11 TOGETHER

A New heading on the front page of the Zune called "Top Music"

• My dream system for autoplaylists would be a new section on the front screen of the zune below "Music" and above "Videos".  I would title the new section "Top Music".  It would have the following sections "Albums" (i.e. with greater than 5 songs... or let the user set this threshold), Artists (i.e. with greater than 10 songs).  This threshold would cut out artists and albums with single songs, which I look for in genre, decade, and 5 star rated autolists.  A user friendly slide bar would be a cool way to accomplish the threshhold.
• Also under the "Top Music" section I would like a "Genre" tab and a "Decade" tab that has 3, 4, or 5 star rated songs in each genre.  Since MS got rid of the 5 star rating system that THOUSANDS of my songs were ranked in already.    I would love it if the "Genre" and "Decade" tab on the zune had songs "I heart". 
• This new system has been dumbed down too far!!!!!!  If Ipod users can figure out 5 stars, then zune users can too!!! I propose a compromise!  A 3 tier rating system.  I don't need 5 stars, but I need 3 (love it, like it, hate it). 2 does not cut it.  Use a smiley :), frowny :(, and another emoticon :| instead of the broken hearts.  Broken Hearts break my heart.  If you must stick with the hearts theme, then use an arrythmic heart for the intermediate level...just get me a third level!
• I still like the ability to make autoplaylists in the old way, so put the playlist tab under "Top Music" also.  The complete list should read:  Playlists, Albums, Artists, Genres, Decades, and Songs I Love.  The original "music" tab could implement a search function and carry on in the way it already has. 
• Making playlists by band, album, rating, decade, date added, and genre are crucial.  I also liked being able to add multiple bands to a playlist i.e. (Blink 182, Angels and Airwaves, and +44 since they are all really the same band with different names)

what I would also like to see:

a) an audiobook section similar to podcasts

b) I haven't been able to try pictures on the new zune software because I am afraid to sync it now, but I hate the file directory system of the photos section my zune currently has.  Why can't the directories just mirror the file directory of the "My Pictures" folder on my computer?  I hope this has been fixed.  Better video management would be nice too.

(complaining)

I am very upset that  MS did not notify me that by upgrading I would lose my ratings on thousands of songs, play counts, and auto playlists.  Now I can't sync my player until this is resolved.  I was already getting podcasts with an auto playlist, so now that is gone.  Please HURRY!  I would not have upgraded if I knew that and this page was hard to find.  Let current users know this before they upgrade!

Eddie

I certainly hope that auto playlists can be incorporated into a future release - and soon.  I practically used them exclusively to listen to music.

I generally used them to filter music that I liked from music that I didn't, and kept the music fresh.  The 5-Star rating system worked well for me, since I had a "favorites" playlist that only played music that (1) was at least a 4-star rating, (2) did not have a subgenre of "Christmas" (I also want to see a reincorporation of subgenres), and (3) had not been played in the last 30 days.

I used nothing but autoplaylists

First, lists based on ratings, from 1 star to 5 star.

Following, combinations of 5 stars played at least like 50 times or so (sort of to make my favourites) and I had even a superfavourites list that allowed only 10 songs in total

Also autoplaylist that used custom fields, to create 'chart-like' playlists

What I want is the same functionality as it was, and on top of it, because I noticed previously it was kind of xml-based, is the possibility to edit playlist within notepad, and adjust accordingly. i don't need a fancy interface, notepad would do just fine.

iTunes has some very VERY cool functionality for building your own smart playlists.  As others and I have mentioned, Recently Added is most important!

I wish there was a "Song Count" so I could see what I was really listening to.  That was one of the most addictive parts of iTunes and would fit great with Zune's "Social".

I am what I hear.