- #Windows media player improved tiny player skin mac os x
- #Windows media player improved tiny player skin install
- #Windows media player improved tiny player skin update
- #Windows media player improved tiny player skin plus
WMP 9 introduces a couple of new song-recording options, and here's where you get the second, better part of this update - new "variable bit rate" and "lossless" Windows Media formats.
#Windows media player improved tiny player skin mac os x
Windows PCs took me to that site automatically, but the Mac OS X version of Windows Media Player only yielded an "unknown error" message when presented with a copy-protected song. It restricts you to 10 copies of the song and requires that each copy be activated by visiting a Microsoft Web page. There's no good reason to opt for copy protection. You can't select "no" and move on until you click an "I accept" check box next to a vague scolding about copyright restrictions. When you first copy music to your hard drive, Windows Media Player will ask if you want to copy-protect it. WMP 9 will also fill in missing information in your music library and even adjust volume settings so each file plays around the same level. Pop a CD into your computer and Windows Media Player will reach out to a Web database to compile a (usually accurate) dossier on the disc - not just artist and title, but also cover art, a bio of the artist, news headlines and links to related music. That's both intrusive (what if I were browsing elsewhere?) and unhelpful (how about putting the station's info in WMP's own window instead?). Selecting a Web radio station opens its home page in your Web browser. Unfortunately, I could not get the reverse-playback feature to work, so I still don't know if there are any hidden satanic messages in my CD collection.Ī Radio Tuner screen is simple but spotty in its coverage.
#Windows media player improved tiny player skin plus
In its favor, WMP 9 adds an auto-playlist feature that generates song sets on the fly based on your listening habits and other criteria, plus an expanded set of listening options - computer-generated visualizations of songs, additional controls and sound-effects plug-ins. The music-management interface remains an awkward two-pane layout, reminiscent of Windows Explorer, that hides some convenient features behind right-click menus. But these replacements are no substitute for getting the defaults right. Some of WMP 9's alternative skins are quite elegant and artistic Windows XP users can also collapse the interface to a "Mini-Player" task bar module. A menu bar that hides automatically every now and then eliminates access to the Options window, and the relocated button for shuffling tracks looks like the old WMP's graphic-equalizer button. Its navigation bar mixes Web links (Media Guide, Premium Services), tasks (Copy From CD, Copy to CD or Device), file browsing (Media Library) and alternative interfaces (Skin Chooser) in no clear order, sometimes scattering related functions into segregated screens. Unfortunately, the new Windows Media Player hasn't improved on its predecessor's inefficient, designed-by-committee looks. Other media-software developers - yes, RealNetworks, that means you - could learn from this.
#Windows media player improved tiny player skin install
The program's install is pain- and restart-free, with a refreshingly clear explanation of your privacy options and no sneaky attempts to spam you with marketing pop-ups. It's really two updates in one your download (9.7 megabytes for Windows XP 13.3MB for Win 98 SE, Millennium Edition or 2000) gets you an updated application and a set of new file formats. The latest version of this software, Windows Media Player 9 Series, shipped two Tuesdays ago. Microsoft's Windows Media Player has grown from a forgotten item in the "Accessories" branch of Windows 95's Start menu to one of Windows XP's flagship applications - and a core part of the company's strategy to make its products as essential in audio and video as they are on personal computers.
0 kommentar(er)
