How to frustrate potential customers ...

[Philip Colmer]

So Microsoft have released Windows Media Player 10 ... ever one for trying out the latest & greatest versions of things, I installed it only to find that only US stores existed, so off it came.

That was a few weeks ago. Over the weekend, I had another look at the MS web site and it says that for the UK, you've got MSN Music, Tivoli, Court TV and Napster. OK, thinks I, and on goes WMP 10 again.

Sure enough, it lists the stores and, not having tried Napster before, I go ahead and install the plug-in ... only Napster thinks that I live in an unsupported country.

So I follow the instructions and send an email to their support email address ... only to get an email back telling me that I've got to use a specific web page to submit feedback or to ask for help.

Come on, guys! You've lost me already - it was only a vague interest at best and you've just made it too hard for me to get to hear what you've got to offer me.

This needs to be a LOT simpler than this :evil: .

--Philip

[Darius Wey]

One of the biggest issues with all these "integrated" jukebox solutions is the fact that you need to install additional plugins on top of the program itself.

Though I haven't tried the Napster plugin you were referring to, around a week ago, I decided to see what NineMSN Music had to offer (in Australia). I steadily clicked a link, and it asks me to install MSN Music Manager (which failed installation five times until I finally got it up and running again). Fair enough I thought. And then it asks to establish an account! :x

I would have thought that following on from the likes of iTunes, that this music service would be improved. Well, think again... Although I've never been an Apple fan since day one, I have to say that iTunes provides a better music service so far. No additional plugins. No account service to preview music. No annoying credit based system.

I'm really hoping some of these issues are sorted out in due course before the service becomes a force in the digital music service industry. I've always liked to have these services integrated in Windows Media Player, yet it sadly failed to live up to my expectations. The irony in the move from WMP9 to WMP10 is the fact that in order to download and stream music, the MSN Music Manager plugin is a requirement for WMP10, yet it isn't for WMP9. It almost seems like a step back? :?

My thoughts anyway... :P

[Gary Sheynkman]

Apple has the itunes store in the UK now...maybe you should check that out :wink:

[Philip Colmer]

Apple has the itunes store in the UK now...maybe you should check that out :wink:
Don't have an iPod, don't intend to ever get an iPod. I've got enough hassle trying to decide between MP3, WMA, RMA and ATRAC without adding AAC to the list :!:

--Philip

[Gary Sheynkman]

And that is why I dont use a mac.

I swear the moment they release an ipod with at least half the features of the iriver h series I will buy one.

itunes does have a GREAT built in MP3 decoder built in. You can download all the files in ACC, burn them on a CD, and then reconvert them to MP3 :lol:

[Jason Dunn]

So Microsoft have released Windows Media Player 10 ... ever one for trying out the latest & greatest versions of things, I installed it only to find that only US stores existed, so off it came.

Well, keep in mind that WMP10 has more that just an integrated music store.

I've had a similar problem with my wife's computer - I installed the WMP10 Napster client, and it while it works on my main computer, it would not work on my wife's computer. It kept saying that it wasn't supported in this country. Unless the top floor of my house and the basement are in different countries, something is very wrong with the Napster plugin. :roll:

[Philip Colmer]

So Microsoft have released Windows Media Player 10 ... ever one for trying out the latest & greatest versions of things, I installed it only to find that only US stores existed, so off it came.
Well, keep in mind that WMP10 has more that just an integrated music store.
Yes, it is but at the time I first installed WMP10, I did occasionally use the MSN store in the UK so to lose that feature wasn't worth going for the upgrade. Now, they've had time to get the MSN store working in the UK with WMP10, so I'm happier. Not as happy as I would be if I could actually find some of the tracks I'm looking for though :x

Unless the top floor of my house and the basement are in different countries, something is very wrong with the Napster plugin. :roll:
Well, you did build your own home, so anything's possible :-)

--Philip

[Birdman]

It took me 25 minutes and a live on-line chat session with someone at MS to finally find out that MSN Music Store is NOT available in Canada.
For some reason, when I tried to buy a song, it kept showing me as living in the US but not able to purchase when in fact, my profile clearly has Canada listed as my place of residence.