Windows Media Player 10 Reviewed 484
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."
ogg (Score:5, Interesting)
anyone else? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Doesn't install on Windows Server 2003 (Score:3, Interesting)
Unbelievable! I mean, what Sys Admin should be denied the ability to listen to Paula Abdul in the server room, surrounded by cooling fans moving about 500 CFM? Microsoft just doesn't get it. tsk tsk tsk.
FWIW, we actually had a guitar speaker mounted in the ceiling in our computer center, years ago (it's probably still there :-) and used to crank it up in there, among the servers and minis.
Re:New Icon? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:iTMS vs. WiMP10? (Score:2, Interesting)
That would actually be an interesting thing for Apple to do- pick up that it's a DRM'd file they can't let you play, look up whether iTMS carries it, and offer you a considerable discount to buy it from the iTMS.
Re:I still like iTunes and WinAmp (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm tired of manually choosing albums to update/sync.
Or napster cards (Score:3, Interesting)
We live in strange, restrictive times..
Re:New Icon? (Score:2, Interesting)
I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that idea was inane. My?? What's wrong with attaching a user ID to all your files and folders, like real OS's have done since, oh, about the mid-1970's? And what was wrong with just calling it "Documents"? Were they afraid that [l]users might not realize that "Documents" were, in fact, their documents and not some other random person's documents?
And did you see the crazy hoops they (MS) had to jump through once they realized that a computer might, just might, be used by more than one person? (Something else they were about 30 years late understanding!) Now the name of a folder varies wildly depending on exactly who is looking at it! Whose idea of a consistent, easy-to-understand UI is this, anyway?? A quantum mechanic's??
I'm still using WMP 6.4 (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:Not impressed already... (Score:5, Interesting)
Of course it's not perfect! Is any GUI? But it certainly is the best media center design to date. I used to use MediaMatch, and I can say that I was not impressed. Options were in the oddest of places, interfaces were confusing, error messages were unhelpful, etc., etc., etc.
Can't you see that the whole article is a satire of the breathless worship of iTunes? I mean, you go on about how WMP10 has 'stolen' features from iTunes, even though Apple never invented them in the first place.
Well, lemme see. I said "WinAMP" for the crossfade, because AFAIK, they were the first to have it. As for the playlist design, that was an iTunes invention. WinAMP handled playlists through the use of playlist files.
One way or another, my point is that Microsoft copied iTunes, and now this guy is shouting from the rooftops that Microsoft is so amazing! I'd be just as disgusted if someone gushed as hard about Safari. "Ooo! It's got tabbed browsing! A 'leet feature not seen anywhere else!" Ugh.
Re:That's nice and all... (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:iTMS vs. WiMP10? (Score:3, Interesting)
Hey Ya! from iTMS is the same as Hey Ya! from Napster is the same as Hey Ya! from Musicmatch...
...is not the same as Hey Ya! from Walmart.
Re:Testimonial (Score:2, Interesting)
they will never be used in the same sentence as the word 'cool'
microsoft != cool
no matter how much bs they smear onto the box. consumers are smarter than MS gives them credit for - and we don't want the bs drm and will not support products that force us to submit to such privacy/copyright infringing (infringes fair use, etc) software like WiMP 10 and their idiotic media center PC's.
how many people will willingly submit to a lobotomy? sure some might if you offer them candy, but in the end it's still a lobotomy.
microsoft does not offer more 'choices', every ms product that claims they offer more choice, they really mean that ms offers more compatibility with OTHER MS PRODUCTS, which absolutely does not count in the real world.
Re:ogg (Score:3, Interesting)
However, there are two problems:
1) it *always* asks me if I'm sure I want to play the file, no matter how many times I tell it to remember that I said yes
2) oggs won't show up in the playlists or media library
It was that second point that the OP was asking about, I think.
Stupid Journalists (Score:2, Interesting)
To transfer MSN-downloaded music to an iPod, you need to first create a CD with the music, and then you need to import that CD into iTunes. This process will convert the music into a format that can play on the iPod.
You can read about it here http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2004/09/03/ms_m
Crappy MP3 encoder to make WMA sound better? (Score:2, Interesting)
For years MS has been touting WMA's audio superiority over MP3 "at any bit rate" (see Demos: Audio Quality [microsoft.com]). However, Amorim's Multiformat at 128kbps public Listening Test [rjamorim.com] showed LAME MP3 performing better than WMA 9 Standard. So I wouldn't be surprised if WMP 10 has a crappy MP3 encoder.
Maybe I'm just a cynical a-hole. I'm looking forward to Amorim's next MP3 listening test to see how WMP 10's MP3 encoder performs against LAME.