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Windows Media Player 10 Reviewed
An anonymous reader writes "Paul Thorrott reviews Windows Media Player 10 and notes that unlike Apple's iTunes Music Store, which offers music that is only compatible with Apple's iPod portable player, WMP 10 will work with songs from virtually any other online music store. There are more screenshots here with a download link." Reader Thomas Hawk writes "I wrote my Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 Review today the first day the software was released and one of the first reviews on the product. I basically give it good marks but there are definiately some things that they can still improve upon."
An anonymous reader writes "Since I'm somewhat wary of Microsoft's new software (particularly DRM-laden Media Player types,) I was paying attention to the EULA and privacy agreements provided when downloading the software. Ironically enough, the privacy page linked from the installer (at time of writing) merely said "TODO: Privacy policy goes here". Most certainly an honest mistake, but in the meantime it appears there is in fact no policy on privacy (or it has not yet been taken into consideration) in WMP10."
since WS2003 can do almost anything that XP can yet is more stable and can do a lot of testing for work related activites I have that as one of my main computers at home... I tired to install Media Player 10 and it won't install, apparently its only for XP
go fig.
put step 2 here.
Forgot to mention, as far as ripping goes, CDex is a superior tool.
Songs bought from Windows Media Player based music stores work in and only in Windows Media applications such as WMP.
Songs bought from the iTunes Music Store work in and only in Quicktime applications such as iTunes.
Songs bought from mp3 based music stores work anywhere.
Didn't we all know this already?
Irritable, left-wing and possibly humorous bumper stickers and t-shirts
One of the first things I do with a fresh Windows installation is installing K-Lite Codecs.
It includes every codecs you need, WMP Classic, a Real-Player alternative, and a QuickTime alternative.
It works great, and its free.
That's the privacy policy for the BETA version of the MUSIC STORE. The privacy policy for WMP10 is here: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/mp10 /privacy.aspx?locale=409&geoid=f4&version=10.0.0.3 646&userlocale=409/
Winamp does video too.
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
You don't have to downgrade. Leave windows do its mad upgrading thing and then if you want to run "old" media player type "mplayer2" in start->run.
Personally I think you can't been vlc.
"WMP 10 will work with songs from virtually any other online music store
:)"
I guess "work" has become a very subjective word.
I'll second this. Read Walt Mossberg's WSJ review of the store -- he couldn't get music purchased from other WMP-based stores to play in WMP10.
This means that not only is WMP10 incompatible by definition with the vast majority of music sold online (70-80% of all music sold is through the iTunes Music Store, which is in protected AAC format not supported by WMP), it apparently won't play what little music is sold in protected WMA format, either.
Given that WMP10 apparently doesn't play any music ever sold online, I'd say that they have an uphill battle. I'm sure that MS and the MS-based retailers will eventually fix the problems that keeps WMP10 from playing the 20-30% of purchased music in MS-based formats. But since Microsoft's store isn't better than Apple's, and MS-based players aren't better than Apple's, about the only advantage that MS has is the ability to pre-install WMP on every copy of Windows. Of course, since Apple is doing deals with PC manufacturers to pre-install iTunes and iTMS on PC's as well, with any luck the market will at least stay competitive, to the benefit of customers...
Enable 3D printed prosthetics!
can't iTunes run WMP file? Is it because Apple won't let them or because Microsoft won't let them? Can Microsoft Media play AAC files? Why not?
All files downloaded from iTunes (music store) can be played on any other system if you go through the effort to convert them. Same as Windows media files.
I really don't get the fuss about converting files. If I want easy access to my CDs I rip them to my computer and change their format. If I wanted to listen to an album I bought in the 80s I recorded it to a tape. If I wanted to listen to an 8 track... oh wait - I am a little young for those... but for most all things, if I want to listen to it in a different form than what I bought it in, I went through the effort to change the format.
You know, all the reviews pan Apple for providing their songs in a "proprietary" format, which is called AAC. AAC is actually a patent encumbered open standard.
Well, all the other stores, be they MSN Beta, Napster, or buymusic.com all provide songs in WMP format, which I believe is a PROPRIEATRY PATENTED FORMAT, last I checked.
The reason why iTunes and the iPod don't use WMA is because Apple DOES NOT want to give Microsoft a cut every time a Mac or an iPod is sold.
People seem to forget that the iPod and iTunes happily play MP3 files, as well AIFF, and WAV files as well as AAC.
There was also a note about the MP3 decoding chips inside the iPod. The exact same chip is used in a number of other players that are Windows only. That chip will happily decode, MP3s, AACs and WMA files. Apple pays the licensing for AAC, but refuses to pay to license WMA. Well, the makers of the other players don't want to pay Dolby a license to be able to play AAC files, hence why their firmware doesn't use the AAC. They could easily turn on AAC and write a plugin for iTunes and the thing would work with iTunes then (at least the non DRMed stuff).
Since I have an iPod, I started ripping stuff to 192K AAC, but have since switched to 256 VBR Lame MP3 files. My iPod has no issue with these files whatsoever and iTunes plays them happily.
If Apple and Microsoft wanted to use a REAL open standard (just because most PCs ship with WinXP, and WMP is FORCE BUNDLED with them DOES NOT make WMA a standard), they would offer songs in MP3 or Ogg Vorbis format.
Please mod this down! It is not free--you have to pay for membership to a website that probably sells mp3s without artists' permissions. The poster probably owns the website.
Please, slow down with the FUD.
From the article (that YOU linked):
He was unable to get purchased songs from some stores to work on his device. That is not the same as WMP10 being unable to play them. He mentions that you have to download updated software from the stores themselves to be compatible with your device. When I launched WMP10 for the first time, it prompted me to download the update for MusicMatch (which may not have been available when Walt did his review), which I did without a problem.
Actually, the privacy link from MSN Music goes to privacy.msn.com
This is from the Privacy & Legal link on the bottom of the MSN Music homepage.
Maybe the URL in the WMP10 installer is a mistake?
For instance, CDex can rip to OGG. That alone makes it superior in my mind. And correct me if I'm wrong, but WMP ripping doesn't allow you to change quality, or else makes it a real pain to do...
It does not and it never will. Infact, I wont be surprised if they totally drop the support for MP3. MP3 encoding has been intentionally crippled to force the users to encode in WMA
Bullshit. WMP 9 only had MP3 encoding in the form of an addon. In WMP 10 it's there by default, and other than the lack of some bitrates, it's not crippled. And removing MP3 playback? What the hell?
By the way, my lil' brother said that he was playing ogg files on WMP 10 using a codec/plugin or something. I'll ask him where he got that, but googling returned this.
I've never been able to get the Real alternative or QuickTime alternative to work. Everything else is fine.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land,
it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison
Its only become pay for in the past few weeks, so its very possible that the poster hasnt noticed the updated site and is posting in good faith. 3 or 4 weeks ago, that site allowed you to download a very cool codec pack, with stuff like Real Alternative, and all the codecs you could possible need, without handing over a dime.
The first time I saw WMP10's new color scheme, I thought it was the ugliest thing I'd ever seen in my life. However, there is hope! Right-click on the taskbar, select View->Enhancements->Color Chooser, pull the saturation down to maybe 15% and check the "Use black as player background", then select a non-ugly color. Now your WMP10 doesn't look retarded!
1p}{ 1 sp34k |33+ +|-|e|\| p30p13 \/\/il| 8e i/\/\pr3553|)
Does this make sense to you? "... unlike Apple's iTunes Music Store, which offers music that is only compatible with Apple's iPod portable player, WMP 10 will work with songs from virtually any other online music store. "
It looks like the summary is comparing iTMS to WMP 10 (rather that iTunes and QuickTime Player to WMP 10). The author could be comparing "Apple's iPod portable player" to "virtually any other online music store." Again the comparison makes no sense.
I'm going to try to respond anyway, since it might make the grandparent post's joke make more sense to you. Here we go:
The iPod can play many formats including MP3, but not WMA.
The iTMS sells songs with drm that only works in QuickTime enabled applications residing on the same computer as an authorized instance of iTunes and on the iPod right now.
iTunes (the audio player) can play many audio file formats and has really nice organizational features.
QuickTime Player is a media player that can play virtually anything you throw at it given the appropriate codec plugin.
WMP 10 is a media player that supports many formats including protected WMA files. I don't know if it plays FairPlay protected AAC from the iTMS, but it could easily enough, the API is simple.
MOMS is Microsoft's IE based music store. It sells protected WMA files.
There are many players that support protected WMA.
Now back to the summary: "... unlike Apple's iTunes Music Store, which offers music that is only compatible with Apple's iPod portable player, WMP 10 will work with songs from virtually any other online music store. "
iTMS doesn't work with other stores -- neither does MOMS.
iTMS doesn't work with any portable players other than the iPod (and that upcoming phone). MOMS doesn't work with the iPod, but it does work with others.
The iPod doesn't work with WMA. It does work with AAC, MP3, AIFF, etc. iPod users can get music from any source that provides audio in those formats.
WMP 10 supports many formats, but requires you to drag a pc around with you. -- that was the funny part.
I think I've covered all the angles, but damn that sentence is hard to parse.
and other than the lack of some bitrates, it's not crippled
Translated from geek to English: "Other than it being crippled by restricting it to low quality encoding, it's not crippled."
WTF?
It can't convert DRM'd songs, but is more than happy to convert other WMA songs.
It's just MS's WMA format that iTunes can't play, but neither can any other player anyways.
That's not exactly true.
"WA4 pissed me off"
That's funny, I wasn't aware that non-existant entities could anger someone. You see, Nullsoft actually skipped a number in the development of WinAmp, deciding that since their next version of WinAmp combined the best points of WA2 and WA3, they should just call it WinAmp 5 (2 + 3 = 5). WinAmp 4 does not exist.
WM-9 is an open, patent encumberet standard controlled by SMPTE. MS did that so they could be a contender for HD-DVD and BluRay. Both require open standards, though patents and fees are fine and expected.
Also they cannot use a format like MP3 or OGG, without adding DRM which kind of defeats the point. The record industry requires the use fo DRM, hence Apple's FairPlay shit.
Windows Media Player will also happily play MP3 files, as well as any other kind of file Windows has a DirectShow codec for. Want OGG support? Install the OGG DS codec and it's there.
Please: Educate yourself before you argue against something. It weakens your argument and makes you look silly when you harp on things that aren't true.
Although he has his own stand-alone pundit site, he also works for Windows IT Pro, which delivers "News about Windows and Microsoft. No fluff."
Asking him to talk in reasonable terms about a battle between Microsoft and Apple is like asking Guy Kawasaki in 1986 to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of PCs and Macs. Just look at what puts bread on the table for Thurrott.
Basically Thurrott seems to believe that Windows is "all about choice" because there is a monopolist (Microsoft) running the show. Any assaults on that monopoly seem to bring up his defenses. He'll give Apple and other players kudos, but in the dismissive way that IT people used to discuss Linux. He's generous when Microsoft is ascendant in a market, but nasty when someone else is in the lead.
Read the EFF's Fair Use FAQ