Windows 8: The Missing Manual

Chapter 18. Windows Media Player

In the beginning, Windows Media Player was the headquarters for music and video on your PC. It was the Grand Central Terminal for things like music CDs (you could play ’em, copy songs off ’em, and burn ’em); MP3 files and other digital songs (you could sort ’em, buy ’em online, and file ’em into playlists); pocket music players of the non-iPod variety (fill ’em up, manage their playlists); Internet radio stations; DVD movies (watch ’em); and so on.

Media Player still does all that, and more. But it’s no longer clear that this is the program you’ll use for these activities. Gradually, the Media Player audience is splintering.

POWER USERS’ CLINIC: Missing In Action: Music Store and DVD Playback

In Windows 7, Media Player offered two handy features that are now gone. First, it offered a window into online music stores, where you could stream or buy songs. That’s over now; Microsoft figures that the Music app (in TileWorld) offers more than enough streaming and buying options, thanks to the XBox Music service.

The other missing feature takes more effort to replace: Windows Media Player can no longer play DVDs. You can no longer insert a Hollywood movie and play it on your PC—at least not without downloading some add-on software.

Solution 1: Buy the Windows Media Center add-on. It costs $10, and requires Windows 8 Pro. (See the last page of this chapter.) It can now play both DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.

Solution 2: Download a free DVD-playback program like VLC. ...