Windows Media Player
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Windows Media Player is the official Microsoft player for Windows. Play music, videos, and rip & burn cds. With the latest release, search & shop online for music at URGE, the exclusive online music store. Also, sync or copy your media library to your portable device.
Contents |
[edit] User Experience
[edit] What Windows Media Player Does
The sleek new interface of the latest version of Windows Media Player has been much improved making it more user-friendly and easy to navigate.
The most notable improvement is the streamlined library interface which makes finding the information you want faster and easier. With the elimination of the tree-based list, information is easier to read, organize, and search through. Graphical presentations such as album art, album stacking, thumbnails, icons etc are utilized as an alternative to text.
The search process is much quicker with the use of the Word Wheel function. The user need only start typing a search term and the results are instantly narrowed and displayed based on user input. You can search for all types of media including music, videos, pictures etc. Results include media from both your computer and URGE, the exclusive online music store.
Tools are easier to access, making the process for most tasks like creating playlists, downloading music, ripping & burning cds, and synching with your portable device less complicated.
[edit] How to Windows Media Player
[edit] The Basics
The main player has all the same features but the layout makes the important controls easier to see and access, & related tools are all within reach.
Playback controls are now centered with the status information to the left; taking up less space than before. New in this area is the one-click status thumbnail which you can change to represent playback status, album art, or an equalizer.
The list pane is better organized, clearly displaying basic information about the current song at the top: album art (if available) or a media icon, rating, & title. Just hover over the icon to reveal album name, artist, and an option to buy or go online to find similar music. Below that is the current playlist with user-friendly buttons for playlist options or to clear the list. Each activity has its own list pane so you can have a playlist in the Now Playing tab and create a separate one in the Library tab. Then when you're done you can go back to Now Playing and your playlist will still be there.
Universal navigation is now available, so you can use the forward and back buttons to retrace your actions.
The activity tabs now have quick access buttons to open a menu with options relative to the tab.
[edit] Library
The library interface is clean and user-friendly. The information itself is much more comprehensive as it is presented in a graphical form. Thumbnails and album art are used by default instead of text, and you can still choose to view details. Album stacking is another clever graphical representation. It's a way to see at a glance how many albums there are in a category. The bigger the stack the more items there are. In addition, all information is clearly grouped in sections based on category.
The navigation pane to the left has been simplified to only show playlists, library categories, and URGE categories. Just click on an item to view the contents.
Making the navigation process even faster are the bread crumbs up top. Quickly switch from music to pictures, video, recorded tv, & other media, and get easy access to all their sub-categories.
Change the layout with the layout options button: show/hide navigation pane, list pane. You even have the option to show classic menus.
The view options button is next to that with the usual options to show details, tiles, or icons.
The search box has been revamped to perform lightning fast searches utilizing the Word Wheel function. Based on user input the search narrows instantly. Just start typing and the query automatically goes out and returns results without even hitting enter. Results will show how many artists, albums, and songs match the string.
[edit] Rip
The rip tab has all the same features. Settings are in the quick access menu on the Rip tab. You can set the player to automatically begin ripping as soon as the cd is inserted. Click on more options to set the location you want to rip music to.
Audio formats are WMA, WMA varible bitrates, WMA lossless, mp3, and now WAV.
Select which tracks you want to rip and click on the start rip button.
A progress bar will display in the rip status column next to the song currently being ripped. You can stop the process at any time.
[edit] Burn
Select data CD or audio CD from the quick access menu on the burn tab. Select more options for further settings. The burn process is the same but now it features a status bar to display how much free space is left on your disc. If the items in your playlist are too many a new list is started as 'next disc'. Drag items to the list or remove items as desired. Drag and arrange them and when you're done click 'start burn'.
[edit] Advanced Options
Further detail on options for users wanting more control.
[edit] Features
- List of features (if applicable)
[edit] History
[edit] Current Version
Windows Media Player 11 For XP.
Windows Media Player 11 For Vista
[edit] Past Versions
Windows Media Player 10.
[edit] Links
[edit] Product Information
[edit] Downloads
[edit] Documentation & Help
[edit] Tutorials
Links to specific tutorials relating to the application.
[edit] Notes & References
Categories: OS Customization | Media Players | 2000 Compatible | XP Compatible | Vista Compatible | Work In Progress
