Windows 8 dropping the ability to play DVDs

By Scorbing
in Back Page News

 Share

Recommended Posts

Grand Master

Scorbing

Posted
Posted

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/windows-8-dropping-ability-play-dvds-171546904.html

Okay, we get it ? DVD is starting to go the way of the VHS tape and film reel. But we've still got hundreds of DVDs in our house, and always pack a few in our laptop case for viewing on those long flights. That's why this news is so frustrating: The upcomingWindows 8 operating system (which you can download and preview now) is dropping the ability to play DVD content.

According to Windows engineering team member Steven Sinofsky (emphasis his), "Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray." In other words: If you want to watch that Bridesmaids DVD on your next plane trip, you're going to have to pay extra for software that will let you play it, even if your laptop already has a DVD drive. And don't think getting Blu-ray is an option ? you can't play that straight from the box, either.

If you're left scratching your heads, the rationale behind dropping DVD support is simple: It's about the bottom line. Says Sinofsky, "traditional media playback scenarios, optical media, and broadcast TV, require a specialized set of decoders (and hardware) that cost a significant amount in royalties." Windows 8 will allow customers the option to install a Windows Media Center upgrade to allow DVD playback at extra cost, though Microsoft is not saying exactly how high that cost will be.

Will the move confuse customers when Windows 8 hits stores this October? Almost certainly. Will not including DVD playback hurt sales of Windows 8? Probably not at first, but we're willing to bet the change adds to the level of frustration people sometimes have with a new operating system. And when combined with some of the other frustrations of Windows 8, such as a tablet experience being shoehorned into a PC format, Microsoft may very well be playing with fire. There's a reason why so many people are still running Windows XP on their computer, after all.

Another stupid move by Microsoft. Way to go Steve Ballmer.

Grand Master

Brandon H Supervisor

Posted
  • Supervisor
Posted

they only dropped support for playing DVD's in WMP. but lets be honest, who really ever used wmp for playing dvd's? I always found it limited compared to the other 3rd party options out there such as PowerDVD which is one of the few thing (shock) I'm glad was pre-installed on my computer

Veteran

Wakers

Posted
Posted

Good move by MS - it allows them to sell Win 8 for cheaper because they don't have to account for royalties, and it removes a feature that hardly anyone used in the first place - who actually uses WMP to playback movies?

And "there's a reason why many people are still using XP" - yes, they either don't know any better, are stubborn or don't want to spend money on a new OS.

Grand Master

Argi

Posted
Posted
maybe they would offer free codec in app store when you try to play unsupported format in win8?

DVD licensing isn't free. Part of the cost of Windows includes this price.

The surprising thing is Windows Media Center won't be free now.

As above, presumably part of the cost of WMC will include that licensing fee so that if you do decide you want it, you can pay for it. If you play all your DVDs on a home threatre setup, you won't be paying for what you won't use.

Everyone's just getting worked up because currently it's cool to hate. The number of people actually impacted by this I'd be happy to bet is quite fewer (zero, when you include WMC addon).

Enthusiast

Josh the Nerd

Posted
Posted

But does anyone HONESTLY think this will happen?

I don't.

An upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium, the descendant of Windows XP Media Center Edition, is $20 more expensive than the basic home edition upgrade has traditionally been. With Windows 8, they're going back to having one home edition, and I think there's a good chance it will be the traditional $100.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • The official Funny Pictures thread

      By Steven P. · Posted

    • Celebrating Windows XP's 25th anniversary this year

      By carols23 · Posted

      If I could, I would commemorate it the best way possible: Replacing old machines that are still running Windows XP with something more modern, stable and better.     Noone and nothing should be running Windows XP in 2026.
    • Google's new hand-wave reCAPTCHA can be bypassed with a stock photo

      By Ivan Jenic · Posted

      Google's new hand-wave reCAPTCHA can be bypassed with a stock photo by Ivan Jenic Image: Screenshot Google is testing a new reCAPTCHA method that asks you to wave at your camera to prove you're human. So, besides solving puzzles and reading distorted text, you can now use your computer’s camera to pass the verification test. When the hand gesture verification is triggered, your browser asks for camera access and prompts you to perform a simple gesture, like a wave or an open palm. Google says it records a short video of the movement and uses AI to extract 21 hand-knuckle coordinates to complete the verification process. The video is then immediately deleted, and Google swears it doesn't keep it. The process alone can be uncomfortable for people who wouldn’t want their biometric data, which hand scans technically qualify as, recorded. But it gets even more nuanced, as early testers discovered that the new hand-waving reCAPTCHA can be passed with a simple stock image. A user on X tested the new challenge using a stock image of a hand fed through OBS Virtual Camera, and it passed. I wanted to verify it, so I tried the same thing. It took me a few tries and a few stock images, but in the end, I was also able to pass the test. I simply had to readjust the stock image of a generic person waving inside OBS, and Google’s mechanism registered it as a legitimate hand gesture. Once again, it didn’t even have to be a video or an AI-generated hand animation. Given the simplicity of the process, the entire action can be automated in minutes. All it takes is a simple Python script to render the new reCAPTCHA method obsolete. And it doesn’t even have to be an AI bot, which is usually used for solving puzzles and other verification methods. The new reCAPTCHA method is still in its early phase, and Google will, hopefully, update its AI to at least reject still images. However, this incident, combined with users’ initial skepticism about Google’s practices regarding user data, likely won’t make too many people wave at the camera anytime soon.
    • Why it's almost impossible to produce a smartphone in the United States

      By monterxz · Posted

      🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 "to fund healthcare and tuition" 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Who do you think you are talking about, some COMMUNIST? We are better than them, doG bless Murica!!! p.s. I'm from a country where government does exactly that, i.e. not form US.
    • Microsoft Edge gets tons of security features, including AI model that can see your screen

      By ad47uk · Posted

      Apparently not. I know it is on Edge for business at the moment, but how long will it be before it become on the home version of Edge?

  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      carols23 earned a badge
      First Post
    • One Month Later
      Tom Willson earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Apprentice
      Asgardi went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • One Month Later
      sunrisea2milk earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      sunrisea2milk earned a badge
      Week One Done

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      499
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      255
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      154
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      89
    5. 5
      macoman
      66
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!