RSSNext-Gen Windows Media Player Leaks to the Web
By Nate Mook | Published July 19, 2002, 11:01 PM
A beta version of Windows Media Player 9 leaked out onto Internet sites Friday, providing an early glimpse at Microsoft's upcoming Windows Media 9 Series platform. Although the leaked build -- numbered 2601 -- appears to be from late January, its new features showcase Redmond's digital media plans.
Version 9 appears almost identical to its predecessor on the outside, but adds DVD copying, improved encoders and better plug-in management. Cross-fade and normalization plug-ins have been included as standard offering in the new Windows Media Player.
The biggest changes come with a new focus on audio and video subscription services. A "Services" button has been added to the menu bar, which leads to a page with options for removing a service and selecting a default - although neither are currently functional. The feature suggests Windows Media Player will integrate with online services such as Pressplay and MusicNet, allowing users to easily download music directly to their libraries.
Besides listing subscriptions, the Media Library now supports Microsoft's new XML-based Windows Media Metadata and "Smart Playlists." This metadata can be used to view and sort music and video by a variety of different categories, along with creating rule-based playlists. The search tool has received more prominent placement in the Media Library, and now supports advanced rule-based searches.
To facilitate editing of Windows Media Metadata, Microsoft has included a new tool called Advanced Edit. For each song or video, users can input a massive amount of details such as mood, beats per minute, Web sites, multiple comments, pictures and even synchronized lyrics.
While in the past it has kept away from the issue, Microsoft has included support for file sharing from within the Windows Media Player 9 beta. A "Send to Friend" option allows users to send a song or video to others on MSN or Windows Messenger with a simple click of the mouse. Such a feature could spark immense controversy, as Microsoft may be one of the few companies with pockets big enough to fend off the Recording Industry Association of America.
For home users, a big addition to Windows Media Player 9 is the ability to copy DVD movies to disk. It is unclear whether version 9 will also be able to create DVD movies, however in early January Microsoft licensed DVD recording technology from Sonic and has begun pushing Windows Media-enabled DVD players with hardware partners.
What features make it into the final release of the next-generation Windows Media Player will not be known until a public beta of Windows Media 9 Series launches on September 4 in Los Angeles.
HELLO NAME HERE IS MIKE
WHERE CAN I GET THE NEW MEDIA PLAYER VER 9.00
SEND ANY INFO TO micorreia@attbi.com thanks
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|i was also looking for where i can get a copy of wmp 9.0 any info send to skindred68@msn.com
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|I installed it and it looks the same but plays all types well. I put in a DVD and can't find where to copy it to my hard drive. Maybe that part isn't working yet?? Other then that I like it so far.
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|So they added DVD support to WMP9?? That's a good thing to hear. They pulled it from version 8 (WMPXP) and I would love to not have to install a 3rd part application.
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|Oh yeah and now it should finally have the ability to play SVCDs. That was a missing feature that pissed me off the most.
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|WMP8 did support playing DVDs, just not right out of the box. You could either download the proper filters by themselves, or use the ones that get installed with another DVD player. That said, I personally prefer a 3rd party DVD player (I use PowerDVD) since WMP is a bit lacking in features for seeking through videos, no frame-by-frame, or variable speed playback makes seeking kind of frustrating.
I also thought I'd comment on a weird bug I've noticed with playing videos (MPG or AVI) in WMP9. For some reason it doesn't synchronize the starting of the video and audio playback when you first open a video file. So, when you open a video file it starts loading the video and audio data, but the audio typically starts playing before the video, so there's a couple seconds whenever you start a video that you have only audio, after that it seems to be fine.
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|Where can I download the leaked version
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|hey bro
can you tell me where you got the
Next-Gen Windows Media Player 9
tell me my e-mail is
Pra08@hotmail.com
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|Why dont you all instead of asking people to send you information about the "leaked" version why dont you just wait for the real thing to come out. (It is not like you are going to have to pay for it.) Then if you do get the leaked unfinished version you like to make a big fuss about why it dose not work. SO MAAAAAA
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|Feels alot like Shell Audio Player has influenced this build. I think it has some great potential (especially if this was a January leak). Just think about how much XP changed in a few months. This was early on in the design process. There is some room for improvement with this build, but this was after all beta. I'll try some of the video encoding later, and let you know how that goes.
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|I liked what I was seeing, but after using it for a few hours, I noticed a LOT of bugs. I used XP's system restore feature and wiped it. Recovering from installing it on my laptop was not as easy. I've finally gotten my system back to running WMP 7.1, but if you aren't running Me or XP, use caution.
I didn't even get to the DVD testing, I was having video problems just viewing mpgs.
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|Real has just/will announce today the availablity of their 9th Version suite of software/servers. Microsoft isn't even in Beta yet until Sept.
1. RealOne is already the "RealPlayer 9" of their software.
2. RealOne already integreates services like Musicnet and other Digital Rights Management formats like liquid audio, etc.
3. RealOne now supports basically every audio/video type there is. RealAudio/RealVideo, Apple's QuickTime, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, SMIL, Flash, and now Windows Media.
4. RealOne supports instant-on for Broadband already with TurboPlay and now enhancements to it's new Helix Univeral Server.
5. RealVideo 9 codec doesn't just cater to the broandband customers, but to narrowband too.
6. ATI new Radeon 9000 series works with Real to take out the blockness that's associated with video you experience on dial-up.
7. Real also, now has surround sound with 24 bit/ 96khz.
8. Real's new Helix Universal Server also has playlists.
Finally, it's available on multiple platforms. RealOne is already on Nokia phones, Ipaqs, Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, Playstation 2, etc.
http://www.realnetworks....eadership/products.html
Real innovates and delivers, Microsoft puts out hype and press releases.
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|Well let's see, in the past, Real codecs have ALWAYS been subpar.
Real Player is a memory hogging piece of junk that tries every way possible to invade your desktop by trying to steal associations, the stupid message center, etc....
Just because WM Series 9 isn't yet available as a full release, doesn't mean it won't be.
And oh yeah, the Corona Media Server IS in beta and is part of .NET Server, and works very well, I might add.
Also, MS said they wouldn't release a beta TO THE PUBLIC until September, howevever, that does not mean that the product is not in beta yet.
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|i gotta agree, real quality is very subpar when compared to DivX and WM8. plus they throw ads at you like crazy! ever try registering Real 8? have you seen those hidden check boxes on the last page of the registration? have you tried to download the free version? it's pretty much hidden on the site, and you have to register to get it. and Real 9 now check the email against it's database (i never enter real addresses with crap like this.) hopefully Quicktime 6, WM8 and Divx will drive real into the ground.
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|All I know is that RealONE refuses to playback a MPEG all the way through that Windows Media Player does... and it doesn't redraw its top and bottom properly sometime when a window has been moved over it. However when the same content is directed to the screen and TV with DirectDraw hardware acceleration turned off, it does display in both places and allow enlargement of the picture when others don't.. but nearly all players including RealONE don't show in both places with hardware acceleration turned on.
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|You need to learn how to write so your post doesn't sound like a stuffy press release.
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|Frankly, I don't care *what* Real does any more. The RealPlayer is like a virus; its authors deliberately made the launcher difficult to remove. Most novice computer users I know have the damned thing sitting in their system tray, but have no idea what it is.
I like WMP (different versions for different reasons), accept Quicktime because the exclusive content makes it worthwhile, and spit upon Realplayer.
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|Oh course RealOne also takes the best part of two minutes to start which is a problem that WMP doesn't have...
It is also very difficult to use RealOne without having to register. WMP doesn't have that problem either.
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|I think it reads closer to spam since he submitted exactly the same thing on the "launches" link at the bottom of the article.
http://www.betanews.com/...cle.php3?sid=1026791919
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|Of course the last time I checked, Windows Media Player wasn't spyware, whereas RealPlayer is spyware.
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|Do you work for REAL or something?
Dang! Why is it that whenever something about Micro$oft is said, someone always comes out to bash it? Everytime someone talks about winxp, someone cries about macs being better; whenever an IE issues comes up, netscape is better, etcetera.
can we stick to the issues at hand, and stop the bashing already? nobody forces you to use MS software.
and if anybody is wondering, I use windows at work and OSX at home. For my particular needs, its the same thing with different colors.
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|Yeah. And you forgot the asinine, juvenile idiocy in the installer, such as having the association list appear unchecked until the user begins to scroll down (surprise), encouraging click-throughs in the wizard. And then when you scroll down, it pages more than a page at a time, meaning you never see some checked boxes unless you scroll a line at a time. And this is so non-standard that it has to be programmed by design.
Since this forum is a family show, I can't use the words I'd like to use to describe what I think of everything about the company's obvious contempt for users. Frankly, to tell the truth, I hope they go under and someone with integrity buys 'em out. And I hope whoever's responsible for the decisions that created the whole unethical mess (and it has to be a good number of people) never get a job again, outside of grillmeister in a greasy spoon somewhere on the backroads of Arkansas.
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|I'll keep my post short and sweet this time....the announcement was about the server not the player.
Everyone talking about how RealPlayer is terrible can still use their media player of choice. The announcement means, Real's Helix server will stream Windows Media, Quicktime and of course Real's format to your media player of choice.
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|OH wait, I have to apologize. Wrong website to post and discuss this topic to...this is a BETA website and this is a SHIPPING product. oppps
Haven't tried the Windows Media Player that was leaked...I will wait until the public beta on Sept 4. Look forward to it, I've heard the wonderfull promises Microsoft has been making since Will Poole's keynote at Streaming Media East 2001.
Does Microsoft have a Windows Media 9 beta tester group?
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|>>1. RealOne is already the "RealPlayer 9" of their software.
Who CARES what version number is out?
>>2. RealOne already integreates services like Musicnet and other Digital Rights Management formats like liquid audio, etc.
I care not a bit for those services as I never use them.
>>3. RealOne now supports basically every audio/video type there is. RealAudio/RealVideo, Apple's QuickTime, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, SMIL, Flash, and now Windows Media.
Ok, but it's such bloatware and adware and spyware that no one in their right mind would use it.
>>4. RealOne supports instant-on for Broadband already with TurboPlay and now enhancements to it's new Helix Univeral Server.
Yes, but it crashes like hell, has memory leaks, even takes down other applications with it, and takes FOREVER to OPEN the app!
5. RealVideo 9 codec doesn't just cater to the broandband customers, but to narrowband too.
Uh.... ok. This is the job of the content _provider_
6. ATI new Radeon 9000 series works with Real to take out the blockness that's associated with video you experience on dial-up.
What if I don't have that card? I don't ever plan to use another ATI card because of their bad and backwards drivers. I'll stick to my GeForce 4 4400, thank you.
>>7. Real also, now has surround sound with 24 bit/ 96khz.
>>8. Real's new Helix Universal Server also has playlists.
Again, another feature in bad software. If RealOne really was rewritten from the ground up, why does it still have it's bad infuences from the old versions???
>>Real innovates and delivers, Microsoft puts out hype and press releases.
Opinions, opinions. Microsofts is not my favorite company but when compared to Real, it's definately much much preferred.
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|I cannot wait to see this newer WMP myself, I hope it does what they claim it to do...most importantly convert DVD to WMV. Now if they would build a conversion utility that would work within WMP that would allow for complete control over the options and export format, so you can like convert DVD to MPEG4 or CD to MP3Pro or MP4/3pro to WMV/A, now that would be worth the trouble to upgrade to XP for!!! I personally am awaiting the next installment of Windows, curious to see how open sourced it is, and further to see if they actually strip it down as per the lawsuit demands. Will still have the media player? what about the Works? what about MSN, Messenger, Outlook, IE? hell the only thing I care is that WM components are still included, now if they would just bundle the entire thing into one unit (WMP, Converter, Movie Maker, etc). I also wonder if they will be including the WinDVD components into this version? That would be too much to ask I suppose??? But, hey if it actually works and makes it possible for me to convert DVD to WMV that will be enough for me to make it a download to get in Sept. Now if they make sure to fix the upgrade so as not to lose WMP8 or 6.4 when we upgrade for beta testing. When it becomes the next installment they can make it so it replaces WMP8, but untill I would hope that I dont have to figure out how to uninstall and reinstall WMP to get WMP8 back when Corona disgusts me, which is an inevitable event when your beta testing Windows anything.
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|"curious to see how open sourced it is"
LOL. I think the answer is simple ... not at all.
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|open source != good (necessarily)
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|Ok, the next question for this great player, where can we get a sample of it on the web?
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|"wmp9.2601.exe" this is the name of the file. you can look for it in www.filemirrors.com
I dont recommend the download, its too buggy! although cool!
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|Will WMP9 be ready for release with WindowsXP SP1?
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|Nope, SP1 will be released this summer (late August if all goes well), but Windows Media 9 Series won't even go beta until Sept. 4.
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|Just installed WMP 9.0 on my Windows 98 system yesterday night, and have/still putting it thru it's paces now.
So far it's ****ing excellent!
Finally, a version of WMP that works with a not noticable system footprint and is very fast on a Windows 9x operating system that isn't WMP v6.4
Currently tested small, media and large video files of all formats including DivX movies (Codecs work) and every one has run absolutely flawless!
Yeehaw!!!
Hats off to m$ for somehow giving me this wonderful product, i will completely dump WMP v6.4 after many faithful years of service
Thank god, i can't live without a playlist!!!
I loved WMP 8.0 featured in XP, because it was fast, liked the look, loved the playlist and the GUI and it didn't take many resources that it would slow down your system from doing other tasks, where's WMP 7.0 for Windows 9x is slow as hell, slows down everything and buggy compared to the super duper v6.4.
No crashes so far, no bugs, no speed problems (not as fast as WMP v6.4, but i can live with it), simple, practical and useful, what more could i ask for in a media player!?
Step down WMP 6.4, we have a new king!
After installing WMP 9 on Windows XP,when you reboot you may see a "For testing purposes only" message in the bottom right hand corner of the screen.
There IS a patch out there to remove this message, and can be found very easy ;)
I would recommend this beta for anyone that is sick of WMP v6.4 because it doesn't have a play list and it looks ugly :P
As for XP, there's not much change, i don't see the point, might as well wait for the final.
Gimie
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|Any ideas on where to find the patch to remove the "For testing purposes only" message? Thanks.
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|To remove " for testing purposes only" after installing Windows media Player 9 download this file and open the read me for more info. (it's less than 1kb)
http://members.optusnet....eeuwen/WMP9PatchMVL.zip
Enjoy
MVL
www.maptrax.com.au
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|Click below to download patch:
WMP9
Patch
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|This has to be Microsoft leaking there own software to give it more publicity for free. With the release of QuickTime 6 Microsoft needed a little boost in the Media department, end users are not that bothered with the news that Microsoft is "Working" on new media technologies they want to use preview versions, and now they can, it is funny how it has been "leaked" so quickly after it was first made public on Monday. I am not saying it is a bad thing, i think it is good (mainly for Microsoft) they are seeing their profits sky high at the moment and this is just going to make them even more popular. I have not got a copy of WM9 yet however i probably will, i like seeing previews of new technology as do most people. Cant someone leak Longhorn or BlackComb yet though ;)
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|have the new Player, was hoping for a whole new look. seem Microsoft likes to go with what works. i can hear the lawyers gearing up for the next round of the file sharing wars. if they keep that "Send to Friend" in the final version, my god help them. it seems like Microsoft is trying to catch up to the Mac's itunes. fix the bugs, and we'll see who wins.
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|I'm waiting for people to comment on the stability of this before I give it a try.
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|it runs okay. some of the old visualizations have disapeared. a bit mad at that. i had one i like to use that's no longer there. i turned of some of the id3 tags in winamp on some files, WMP9 doesn't show any name in it's media libary, i can't enter any info till i turn on the id3 tags back in winamp. over all, somethings don't work. but, the promise is there to be one great player.
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|It basically runs the same as WMP 8, but they've added more options. I think people who enjoy added security will like this version. The ability to add plug-ins is interesting, though. There's currently 2 DSP sound plug-ins built-in: One is Crossfading and the other is Normalization.
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|I highly doubt Microsoft has more security than other programs. If anything they would have built in spy features because they want to know everything you do.
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|dude i got this.. and it need's help.. it hates ATI
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|Why the hell would you turn off id3 tags on a file with winamp?
As far as this player goes, I dont hate microsoft, but i've always hated anything above WMP 6.4, and the features they include with the newer ones really annoy me. After using Itunes on the mac, it really surprises me how better it is than WMP.
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|Personally, I trust MS more than I trust Real or AOL/TW. I don't mistrust Apple, but I am wary of them, too.
Of course, in this day and age, privacy is just an illusion anyway, but I try and hang on to every shred I can.
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|No Kidding!!!
I've tried it on 3 ATI cards, Rage Fury Pro (Rage 128 Pro chipset), Radeon 7000, and Radeon 7500, all under WinXP with the latest drivers on ATI's website. After installing WMP 9 I've lost all video playback on just about any file. I can still hear though. ATI's player still works fine after installing their latest DVD and MultiMedia Center software, but WMP 9 won't work with ATI on WinXP Pro that I have seen so far, with or without DVD and MMC software installed.
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|I downloaded it, tried it, locked up my machine with it. I will wait till it is out officially. First impressions? Er, WMP 8 with a few bits bolted on. Which is like comparing WMP 7.1 and 8. I didnt notice any aouudn or visual difference in any format, although I couldnt find any WMP 9 codec stuff anyway. So it looks like another makeover job.
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|As a player it ran fine on my ATI Mobile chipset (win2k). It was not without bugs, but it certainly was usable playing videos and everything.
It had problems when playing some wma's that I had encoded previously and that worked on 7.1 and 8.
I had video problems on my nVidia (xp) system. I couldn't get mpgs to play, but other things seemed to play fine. I did not have the wma's that crashed to win2k system to test.
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|I got it the other day, installed it, and liked what I saw.
There are a few issues - If you import a few tracks, and then select these tracks, for example to change/add an album name to keep things neat - when you change the name, it changes all of the album names in "all media" to the same album!
This doesnt seem to be permanent, but it is a bit of a shock when you see all your hard cataloging f**k up! :)
Mine has totally given up playing anything now, but hey, this is beta software....
Mark
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|I think the issue might be with xp?
I have a radeon 8500 and i have the same problem with video playback, the only difference is that mine fixes itself over a period of 30 seconds.
If any of you can figure out what's with the smiley faces in the advanced audio controls. You got 3 faces and clicking them doesn't do anything :P
perhaps microsoft has a sense of humor...
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