Windows Media Player 11: "Early 2006"

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Windows enthusiast and journalist Paul Thurrott has just posted some new information concerning Windows Media Player 11. Microsoft intends to release WMP11 (Codename: Polaris) as an XP compatible version of the Windows Longhorn media player.

Microsoft's original plans for Windows Media Player (WMP) 11-- formerly code-named Aurora--were fairly low-key, with just a few minor new features. That's all changed: Microsoft has canceled Aurora, and the company is moving the Longhorn media player to XP. Now code-named Polaris, WMP 11 will be a major release. There's just one problem: Instead of shipping in November, as per the original plan, WMP 11 will now ship in a public beta during that month, coinciding with Longhorn Beta 2. The final release is roughly scheduled for early 2006.

View: WinInfo Weekly Update | Windows Media Home

Fixed:

Freezing during scan (occurring on some systems) now corrected
Combination of the +silent and +update command line parameters no longer
prevents scan completion
The +nodefnotice command line parameter now suppressing "out-of-date"
message on preferences window.
Ad-Watch TrayIcon tooltip indicating the loaded definition file now refreshed when
the definition file is changed or updated in Ad-Aware
Several minor GUI improvements (Ad-Aware, Ad-Watch and Proc-Watch)

#1 EduardValencia on 28 May 2005 - 00:26

nice,i'll be waiting for it

#2 capeche on 28 May 2005 - 00:27

Can I go into cryogenic deep-sleep and be awakened when this is released? I just can't wait!

#3 lylesback2 on 28 May 2005 - 00:28

already! wow...

(8 replies) #4 Alien Venom on 28 May 2005 - 00:39

You know, I'm really tired of Windows Media Player's poor compatibility with a large number of formats.

Mac OS X, out of the box, comes with support for a large number of formats like MPEG-2 (used for DVD playback) and OGG Vorbis (the open source audio format).

Not to mention, it's even more sad when open source projects like Media Player Classic (not Windows Media Player 6.4) can play DVDs and do a whole lot more -- like adjusting various filters, choosing which codecs to enable and a whole smorgashboard of other things like opening Video Capture devices.

Aside from the media library features in the current Windows Media Player, there is really no reason to use it! And even then, those that do use it are probably familiar with a lame-ass bug that cuts off the first second of audio when you click to go to the next track in your library.

And it's funny that Apple (the same people who include awesome support for formats in OSX) port a popular music program to Windows, so we can enjoy the music store and have the same functionality that Mac OS X users do with the music library features and putting music files on the iPod, which, last I checked, Windows Media Player had trouble doing with MOST portable devices.

#4.1 icecaveman on 28 May 2005 - 00:45

*snipped* - Hateful, don't you know Microsoft will get sued if they include DVD decoders.

Last edited by 52 on 28 May 2005 - 04:54

#4.2 Kushan on 28 May 2005 - 00:46

Yeah, so Apple should get sued too?
It's called licensing you idiot.

#4.3 hostility on 28 May 2005 - 00:53

Microsoft originally did have a dvd encoder integrated into its media player but they did get sued and had to remove it. Windows media player will play dvd's no problem if you have a dvd decoder installed on your system. you can actually just buy the component without a player for 15 bucks from windvd.

who cares about vorbis ??????????

#4.4 karmakillernz on 28 May 2005 - 03:28

Windows Media Player will play any file you have filters installed for. Install Ogg Vorbis filters and you can play Ogg Vorbis files. Install DVD (MPEG2) filters and you can play DVDs too. It's quite simple really.

#4.5 PCyr on 28 May 2005 - 05:41

Does QT automatically update itself with codecs from Apple's site? Thought not.

When it comes to codecs, WMP has got QT beat.

QUOTE

And it's funny that Apple (the same people who include awesome support for formats in OSX) port a popular music program to Windows, so we can enjoy the music store and have the same functionality that Mac OS X users do with the music library features and putting music files on the iPod,

Gee, maybe because they had to, because they don't support any other players to work with the iPod?

which, last I checked, Windows Media Player had trouble doing with MOST portable devices.

Check again. WMP works with PDAs, whereas I've never seen iTunes work with anything except the iPod.

#4.6 Alien Venom on 28 May 2005 - 18:43

Try loading up an XVID file in Windows Media Player on a default installation. Sure, it might "try" to check with Microsoft to see if it can find a suitable codec but it wont find one. Do the the same for DivX and other MPEG-4 formats. Do it for H.264. Do it for anything other than avi, mpeg and the standard windows media stuff. It simply will not find it.

The problem is not *just* the player, its not being able to play "standard" formats. I shouldn't have to download a DirectShow filter to play XVID/DIVX. I shouldn't have to download a filter to play OGG Vorbis. Both codecs are 100% free and Microsoft should include them.

#4.7 dhan on 29 May 2005 - 04:04

MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 (xvid/div

are not free.

They are not free for commerical use (e.g. MS)

#4.8 mac15 on 30 May 2005 - 06:08

No it doesn't, to play Mpeg-2 you need to buy a $20 codec from Apple and it doesn't play Vorbis out of the box either. You need to download another codec.

Apple pay licencing fees to use things like Mpeg-4 and play DVDs...

#5 Cubiz on 28 May 2005 - 00:43

Great

Does anyone know if Microsoft have plans for a new WMP for OSX?

(3 replies) #6 Kushan on 28 May 2005 - 00:48

Ever since WMP7, it's only gotton more and more bloated IMO, I mean WMP10 was just eye candy to disguise MSN Music and all that stuff.
Best media player I've ever used is BSplayer and of course winamp for just music, great combination (and both proggys running at once probably take up less RAM than WMP10

)

#6.1 hostility on 28 May 2005 - 00:56

i have bs player on my pocketpc and there is not even 1 thing thats cool about it. winamp rocks, but it crashes sometimes. windows media player has trippy visualiszations !

#6.2 Kushan on 28 May 2005 - 11:20

Each to their own, I just like a basic player that plays what I want.

#6.3 eilegz on 28 May 2005 - 21:43

Agree wmp 6.4 its still the best version very lite and less bloated i personnally use MPlayer for media player and winamp for music

(9 replies) #7 Stingray on 28 May 2005 - 00:56

FIREFOX OWNS ALL!

Ooops sorry, wrong topic!

#7.1 Porp on 28 May 2005 - 01:19

Har-har.

#7.2 Avi on 28 May 2005 - 01:21

lmfao

#7.3 neufuse on 28 May 2005 - 01:38

hey don't tempt them.. just wait till FireEagle comes out... their media player project

#7.4 FuhrerDarqueSyde on 28 May 2005 - 04:56

or Flamingfox, for all those spamming zealots.....

¬_¬

#7.5 bush on 28 May 2005 - 05:35

aaarghh, that was a god one

#7.6 TwoTailedFox on 28 May 2005 - 08:11

Someone mention Fox?

#7.7 SquareSoft0 on 28 May 2005 - 10:15

Somebody sees the inane nature of FF fanboys, huzzah!

#7.8 Octol on 28 May 2005 - 14:44

I ate some hot chile peppers and and beans had FireFarts!

#7.9 ArKeYa on 28 May 2005 - 15:48

I'm going to switch to Firefox now because of this.
One question though can it directly burn CDs?

(1 reply) #8 Ivand on 28 May 2005 - 01:20

Then.. what are we gettin only for Longhorn?

#8.1 atkoj on 29 May 2005 - 11:25

They will have had nearly an extra year to come up with features for the longhorn wmp(12?). But anyway, wmp releases are fairly independent from the OS (else the EC would have another tantrum and stamp their feet - if ONLY the EU was a democracy, and we could elect some less stupid people!)

(2 replies) #9 capeche on 28 May 2005 - 01:23

I guess I just wish WMP would play Ogg Vorbis files!

#9.1 IGx89 on 28 May 2005 - 01:35

My WMP10 plays Ogg Vorbis audio (and even their video format) just fine...

You just need to download a small filter here: http://www.illiminable.com/ogg/

#9.2 rm20010 on 28 May 2005 - 05:51

Ahhhh, thanks for that link. There used to be this other filter that didn't work that well.

(3 replies) #10 Angel Blue01 on 28 May 2005 - 02:06

I have no reason to get this.

I have no reason to get Media Player 10.

#10.1 metazoan on 28 May 2005 - 04:27

Then don't.

#10.2 Crayon on 28 May 2005 - 07:00

then what is your reason for sharing this with us...

#10.3 jameseuk on 28 May 2005 - 21:49

then y post here?.

go troll somewhere else.

(1 reply) #11 FightingChance on 28 May 2005 - 05:08

Can't wait for more DRM goodness. . .

Windows Media Player Classic for me. (It's not perfect, but it's small and configureable)

#11.1 atkoj on 29 May 2005 - 11:27

yeah, mpc rocks for video. But try organising 20,000 music tracks with it!

(1 reply) #12 xb00t on 28 May 2005 - 10:13

I can see 2 explanations why it is called Polaris.
1. For the normal user Polaris sounds like something from the polar caps and thats b/c WMP11 is going to FREEZE a lot
2. Now, if you are aware that Polaris is actualy the proper name for the North Star you will know that WMP11 will just HANG.

#12.1 rm20010 on 28 May 2005 - 21:51

LOL.

I do hope you're wrong, though

#13 smashguy on 28 May 2005 - 11:47

Great, I've been looking forward to seeing it!

#14 capeche on 28 May 2005 - 12:34

What about making the buttons that appear be optional, so I can turn off the SHOPS button(s). I know they want to force people to think about online music, but I still prefer physical CDs and ripping to my computer. I'm too afraid of the problems I've heard people have with DRM and failed transfers of music to MP3/iPod players.

#15 plastikaa on 28 May 2005 - 13:15

Lets hope for a minimize to system tray for wmp11 and then when you right click you can control things

#16 Galley on 28 May 2005 - 13:42

I hear WMP might actually support FOUR codecs in version 11!

(2 replies) #17 soldier1st on 28 May 2005 - 16:22

WMP8 was the best wmp that came out,wmp9 and 10 are horrible,good thing you can make wmp9 and 10 look like 8,wmp7 was sucky.

#17.1 Skyfrog on 28 May 2005 - 18:26

I thought WMP8 was terribly ugly myself, though I agree 7 was the worst version ever. Personally I think 10 is the best looking version they've made, and it seems to work better too.

#17.2 atkoj on 29 May 2005 - 11:46

I don't really see how wmp9 is worse than wmp8, many things were improved between the two releases. wmp10 on the other hand is a pretty-looking disaster -- many things that worked quite well in wmp9 are now broken.

wmp9 is the current definitive version, IMHO.

p.s. ms, will you please fix the ****ing bugs in wmp10 first! (see http://msmvps.com/thinice/articles/16084.asp

(1 reply) #18 Ajapi on 28 May 2005 - 17:39

Is it me, or is EVERY FEATURE in Longhorn going tobe released for WinXP first?

#18.1 toadeater on 28 May 2005 - 22:27

M$'s version of beta-testing.

(1 reply) #19 jameseuk on 28 May 2005 - 21:45

11 already?,hmm,A major update?,hmm.

I think MS are only doing this because RealPlayer is on version 10.5 and MS think I know lets release a version 11 of our player,nm the fact that we've only just really released version 10.

mind you saying that I cant wait to find out more and download it when the time comes.

oh and to ppl who are going to or have made comments about bloating,quit complaining & find alternatives.

I dont consider things to be unessarily bloated,PC's tend to have more space on them now and as a result latest versions of programs may take up more space,also with many programs you get the choice which features you would like to install and not install.

#19.1 Jugalator on 29 May 2005 - 20:03

What do you mean "already"? It was released 2004-09 so this will at earliest be about 1.5 years later. That's not really pumping out versions quickly...

#20 jameseuk on 28 May 2005 - 21:53

another useful link:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsme...ia/default.aspx

#21 leothar on 29 May 2005 - 00:06

I'll probably stick with DivX...

(1 reply) #22 MajinDark on 29 May 2005 - 04:52

Why even CREATE Longhorn if all its features are going to be back-ported to XP?

#22.1 atkoj on 29 May 2005 - 11:22

Because the actual OS has been delayed so much but some of the features are ready and users could really do with them now, not in 2007. If they don't bring features forward, lots more people will switch to something else.

#23 roxics on 29 May 2005 - 16:10

So what's going to be new in WMP 11 anyway? What can we look forward to?

#24 Jugalator on 29 May 2005 - 20:01

"Microsoft has canceled Aurora, and the company is moving the Longhorn media player to XP."

lol, this is becoming standard news about Longhorn these days...

#25 TheSarge on 01 Jun 2005 - 14:08

I'll be plowed sideways with a ten-foot clown pole before I use WMP over K-Lite Mega.
Windows Media Player = bloatware.

#26 badazzEVO8 on 20 May 2006 - 22:36

#22 Posted by MajinDark on 29 May 2005 - 00:52 (1 reply)
Why even CREATE Longhorn if all its features are going to be back-ported to XP?

they're doing it for people like me who will NOT be buying vista for a couple years after release

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