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Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X Available
corsa writes "I found Windows Media Player 9 for Mac OS X on Microsoft's site today. I downloaded it and have it running under Panther. It seems to play WMV9 files, at least the few I've tried so far."
I've already downloaded and installed this and it is without a doubt one of the worse releases of a piece of software I've seen. In the past my copy of Media Player would at least run some of the videos that QuickTime wouldn't, now nothing. I've tried running every WMV file I could get my hands on and none of them play. It seems that Microsoft has chosen to go with less functionality, not more.
It's an interesting move for Microsoft, especially after the release of iTunes for Windows. Apple is doing it's best to convert Microsoft users by offering them incredible software. Microsoft is offering Mac users shitty knockoffs of Windows software.
I'm guessing this is a gambit to make Mac users realize they can't have the cross-platform operability that OSX seemed to bring about, that if they want to use Windows files they should run Windows. Ultimately I think the frustration that people will feel towards the new Media Player will cause even more resentment towards Microsoft. Apple's attitude that you lure more flies with Aqua than you do with water is definately the winning strategy.
If you don't already know (and chances are if you're reading Slashdot you do), you should be using VLC. It does everything this crappy Windows port does and more.
The true goal of MS is to only write for only one platform. They will soon cut off the Mac BU's ability to update Office v.X and force users to purchase the *new* Mac Office suite: Virtual PC and Office for Windows. Windows Media Player 9 ain't that bad, but the fact that MS refuses to update the UI just reinforces what I wrote above. WiMP is just a horribly media application for the Mac....and for good reason.
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I installed it yesterday and the installer changed the icon on my Applications folder from the default to the stuffit exapnder icon. This release is truely rushed. The wmv file i threw at it, it couldn't even play it. MPlayerOSX had no problems playing that same file.
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I downloaded this this afternoon and every chunk of porn I threw at yielded the same results:
mozilla launching to a page about media rights or something...
hmmmm...
It has since been deleted.
Cig? Don't mind if I do...
WMP for OS X sucks, pure and simple. On a 1.25Ghz CPU with 1Gb of RAM running a fresh install of Panther, WMP 9 started struggling on a local file after 20-30 seconds, stuttering and skipping frames. Use VLC and hope that they integrate all the annoying Microsoft proprietary codecs soon.
Interestingly, RealPlayer isn't bad at all on the Mac. I held off on installing it for quite a while after seeing all the baggage that came with a Windows install, but it's pretty clean and seems to stream video well.
Maybe Microsoft is just out to get you. I installed this new version on Saturday, and while its interface could use some work, I found the media support to be a million times better than the last version of WMP for OS X. It not only played the files that the last version wouldn't, but several files that had audio or video glitches when played with the last version now played flawlessly. Perhaps your installation got screwed up? Try reinstalling it, and more importantly, deleting its existing files from ~/Library/Preferences before you reinstall (this second part actually fixed an issue on my friend's machine).
And, while VLC is great, I have still come across a number of files (Windows Media in particular) that it won't play correctly or won't play at all. My best solution has come down to keeping updated versions of QuickTime, RealOne, Windows Media Player, VLC, and Mplayer around. In my experience, this has been the only way to make sure I can play every media file I come across.
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