XP and Vista to Get New Media Player

[Jeremy Charette]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://news.com.com/XP+and+Vista+to+get+new+media+player/2100-1016_3-6061520.html' target='_blank'>http://news.com.com/XP+and+Vista+to+get+new+media+player/2100-1016_3-6061520.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Microsoft is on track to release a Windows XP version of Windows Media Player 11 before the end of June, the company confirmed last week. Microsoft has been uncharacteristically tight-lipped about the XP incarnation. The company briefly demonstrated it at the Consumer Electronics Show in January but has said little since. Microsoft has said the XP version won't have all the features of its Vista sibling, but the company won't say which features will be excluded. The company also has yet to offer a public test version of the software."</i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/wmplayer_Vista_550X413.jpg" /> <br /><br />I think the key difference between the XP and Vista versions of WMP11 will be in the interface. Vista has Media Center functionality built into every version of the operating system, so every Vista machine will have that slick MCE interface for Windows Media Player. I predict that Microsoft will keep the XP interface much closer to that of WMP10. Now, interface is one thing; functionality is another. If Microsoft wants to compete with iTunes, they need to incorporate an eCommerce platform into Windows Media Player (ala the iTunes Music Store), as well as advanced support for the iPod product lineup. Without that, it'll just be another music player for the PC. Big whoop. :roll:

[Jason Dunn]

Vista has Media Center functionality built into every version of the operating system, so every Vista machine will have that slick MCE interface for Windows Media Player.

Nah, people aren't going to go into a 10 foot view just to queue up a song to listen to on their PC. And the MCE bits will not be in every version of Vista.

If Microsoft wants to compete with iTunes, they need to incorporate an eCommerce platform into Windows Media Player (ala the iTunes Music Store)

Yeah, supposedly MTV URGE will be the default store, and the experience is supposed to be much improved over the disaster that is Napster and pretty much every other store. I'm witholding judgment on that until I see it in person, but given that it will be USA only upon launch, I can't get too excited about it.

...as well as advanced support for the iPod product lineup.

Do you really think Apple will let them do that? I don't.

[ale_ers]

[i If Microsoft wants to compete with iTunes, they need to incorporate an eCommerce platform into Windows Media Player (ala the iTunes Music Store), as well as advanced support for the iPod product lineup. Without that, it'll just be another music player for the PC. Big whoop. :roll:

I thought they had already announced that with the new "Urge" music store.

[Jeremy Charette]

Like Jason, I reserve judgement on Urge until I see it for myself.

And I wasn't necessarily talking about going into the full MCE interface just to use WMP, but more along the lines of the menus that expand horizontally in the MCE. IMHO, MCE is much cleaner than the default Windows layout. That's what I'm hoping to see in WMP.

[Neil Enns]

All I really care about is whether they fixed the performance of the library. It's so bad on WMP 10 it's just sad :(

Neil

[Jason Dunn]

All I really care about is whether they fixed the performance of the library. It's so bad on WMP 10 it's just sad :(

Yeah, agreed, it's pathetic. But yes, they fixed it. The last demo I saw was of a library with 10,000 songs, and it was blistering fast. I was told that was before any tuning had been done (this was in 2005). So I think performance will be great in WMP11...