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Microsoft releases Windows Media Player 11

By Derek Sooman

On October 31, 2006, 9:27 AM

Windows Media Player 11 has been released by Microsoft. The new player features a new interface, increased support for portable players, and integration with the Urge music service.

Mike Sievert, Microsoft's corporate vice president of Windows, said that the new features are "a preview of what's to come in Windows Vista".
There are new navigation options, which allow users to organise music by album art using a new "stacking" style interface, which is similar to interfaces used by iTunes. Microsoft has also added audio fingerprinting software, which will analyse new music and automatically update it with artist, track and album information, all by consulting an online database. Other new features added to the media player include a facility which allows users to manage recorded TV shows. There are also more options for syncing features on digital media devices.

What will interest users probably the most, though, is the inclusion of Urge. This is a joint venture between Microsoft and MTV, which will provide users with access to more than two million songs and is the preferred download service in Media Player 11. This is accessible as a subscription service, or on a per-song basis. It is currently only available in the US but wider ranging availability is planned.

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  1. October 31, 2006 11:53 AM
    nathanskywalker said:
    Nice, took them long enough. I've had the beta scince it came out, and it's pretty cool. Looks pretty sweet, a lot better than older versions; however, it had quite a few annoyances, glitches if you will. Mostly compatibility issues and such. Can't wait to see how the official release holds up.
    Reply
  2. October 31, 2006 2:59 PM
    jesse_hz said:
    GD those idiotic gfxers at MS need to learn something about graphics and gradients!!
    Reply
  3. October 31, 2006 6:32 PM
    sTharsdan said:
    This is the best media player/organizer available on any system. Blows itunesquicktime out of the water - not even an option anymore. Funny thing is, as soon as I removed itunes my system was suddenly much, much faster. Interesting. I'll have to test this company wide.
    Reply
  4. November 1, 2006 1:11 AM
    nathanskywalker said:
    [b]Originally posted by sTharsdan:[/b][quote]This is the best media player/organizer available on any system. Blows itunesquicktime out of the water - not even an option anymore. Funny thing is, as soon as I removed itunes my system was suddenly much, much faster. Interesting. I'll have to test this company wide.[/quote]I agree as far as itunes, realplayer and such, but have you tried winamp? Media player is nice if you don't care about customization, copywright laws, and just want a simple platform that works, but if you want to try something a bit more customizable i suggest you try [url]http://www.winamp.com/[/url]you might like it.
    Reply
  5. November 1, 2006 2:48 AM
    Gars said:
    Guys, when i listen music or watching movie i don't look at the player. Who care about the "new cool design and other outstanding features" - its a matter of week to get tired of it. So im fine with foobar2k.
    Reply
  6. November 1, 2006 7:15 AM
    hagane7 said:
    [b]Originally posted by nathanskywalker:[/b][quote][b]Originally posted by sTharsdan:[/b][quote]This is the best media player/organizer available on any system. Blows itunesquicktime out of the water - not even an option anymore. Funny thing is, as soon as I removed itunes my system was suddenly much, much faster. Interesting. I'll have to test this company wide.[/quote]I agree as far as itunes, realplayer and such, but have you tried winamp? Media player is nice if you don't care about customization, copywright laws, and just want a simple platform that works, but if you want to try something a bit more customizable i suggest you try [url]http://www.winamp.com/[/url]you might like it.[/quote]Yeah.. I totally agree with you. Winamp is the lightest. Took around 6000K of memory.
    Reply

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