Windows 8 FAQ: DVD playback and Windows Media Center

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The latest building Windows 8 blog post – FAQ – DVD playback and Windows Media Center in Windows 8.

Joe

--Joe

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I have kept a fairly open mind about Windows 8 and am waiting with interest to download the RP in a few weeks time. However, in my opinion, the news that the codecs will not be included for DVD playback in Windows 8 is bad news.

All the talk has been about Media Centre, but as far as I can see this affects Media Player too. Very few people use Media Centre, but lots of people use Media Player. Steve Sinofsky says that, in part, it’s justified because “millions of PC’s couldn’t play DVD’s due to the lack of optical drives”. I find that hard to understand – the only consumer or SOHO grade machines that I have come across without optical drives are netbooks which run Win7 Starter and that does not support DVD playback anyway.

OK, I can install VLC media player in a couple of minutes, but that’s not the point. The average user has become accustomed to being able to drop a DVD into the tray and have it fire up and play via Media Player. They will not like having to search out a 3rd party tool to do something that was built into Windows 7. Worse, many will not know about those applications and may feel they have to pay a large whack to upgrade to Windoes 8 Pro to get DVD playback.

Why not simply add the codec licence cost onto the Windows 8 licence and make it cost-invisible? It’s only a couple of dollars.

In the end, I suspect most consumer machines that will ship with Windows 8 will be from OEM’s and my guess is they will fix this omission by including 3rd party licenced software such as Roxio, VLC, Nero or others.

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I agree re the average user (btw: has anyone ever met one?). For an insight into what might be coming at them, M’soft should take a look at the user reaction when Lenovo crippled the sound card in their Thinkpad range of laptops a couple of years ago – the echoes have still not quite faded. (try googling “lenovo thinkpad stereo mix”)

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More ammo to the ” I am a pc” vs “I am a Mac” debate. Imagine a version of MAC that will not include DVD playback! Only MS knows how to screw up a good thing!

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Read the PC Magazine article about this “No DVD playback, No Problem” here– http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404028,00.asp
[h=1][/h]

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Typical Microsoft – tells its customers what they can and cannot do!
Not only that, it makes sure you cannot do what you could do before – by removing it!
I must admit, though, that many 3rd party programs are better than Microsoft’s version!

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Fail.

Win 8 is turning out to be another disaster. If I were a major shareholder I would be demanding massive changes at MS and starting with the removal of Ballmer and Sinofsky. They are dangerous in my opinion. This will be just one more justification for customers to buy Apple or try out linux on their existing equipment – I have, and for most tasks and users it is easier than Windows in normal daily operation of web browsing, email, wp, spreadsheets, photos and music.

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Have you actually even tested Win 8? If you prefer Apple or Linux then go for it. You can add to the 5 or 6 % of the world’s market share those 2 OS’s combined have. If you include phones, perhaps the number increases to 10%.

There is so much more than Media Center or Media Player in Win 8. I also use 3rd party apps for specialized apps and plan to continue to do so. I find 3rd party apps are more full featured in many cases than the Windows apps included with the OS. This definitely does not distract from the quality of the OS.

Win 8 is definitely not a disaster. In fact it is a very polished OS at this time in the beta testing phase. I spend 100% of my time in Win 8 CP and am able to do everything on Win 8 CP that I do with my Win 7 OS. For some things it is actually better than Win 7. My PC actually interacts with the other PC’s on my home network better from Win 8 CP than from Win 7. I also like IE 10 (Desktop version) better than IE 9.

You are entitled to your opinion but at least spend the time doing the testing of Win 8 CP and shortly Win 8 RP.

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HI Ted,
Not ready to weigh in on Win8 just yet, but I dig your new picture! I’m sure I’ll get to 8 in time, don’t use media center, have a wifi blue ray player, and don’t get to watch much anyway as I’m not really home enough lately, so that’s nothing to me. When I do try it will give my opinion in the lounge. Happy Saturday!!

Joel

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I use Media Player in Windows 7 to manage all my CDs and rip them to MP3. How do I do this in Windows 8?

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To lots of users of Windows, Media Player is like a gift of candy. Something you didn’t ask for, but it sure is nice to get it. Take it away and you miss it and wonder sometimes what is was like to get an unexpected pleasure. Microsoft saves pennies on an over priced Operating System installatioin. Microsoft will later be saying “there goes my market! I must follow them for I am their leader”.

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Many businesses and other enterprises would prefer not to have DVD playback available to all their Windows users. And not including it for them is worth more money than many of us can picture. If I were Microsoft though, I would have made it a free download for users who actually want it. That would avoid wasted dollars, and buy a lot of goodwill.

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It’s quite obvious that everyone is missing the point about MonopolySoft removing DVD playback in Win 8 (now officially called Windows ME3).

ME3 was and is being written for tablet and phone use only. How may tablets or cell phones have built in DVD players?

MonoploySoft is trying to rid the world of power users and put everyone on the same level.

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there are lots of apps that are not installed as a default item when installing windows, why not just make WMP be one of those not installed by default options. then businesses wont have it installed and users can install it if they want it…

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When searching for 3rd party media players, like for windows 8, BE CAREFUL! Be VERY CAREFUL!!

While on Win-8, I went looking for a media player and found an ad for VLC Media Player. I clicked on
that link and before I knew it, I was deluged with Spyware. The one I recognized was “Weather Bug”
which comes with “My Web Search” a spyware well known to computer tech’s the world over.

I had to do a System Restore, to clear the registry and then a lot of file and folder deleting to get rid
of the files. Whew! That was a close call !

So when you go looking for just ONE THING, be careful you don’t get something you don’t want.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor

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When searching for 3rd party media players, like for windows 8, BE CAREFUL! Be VERY CAREFUL!!

While on Win-8, I went looking for a media player and found an ad for VLC Media Player. I clicked on
that link and before I knew it, I was deluged with Spyware. The one I recognized was “Weather Bug”
which comes with “My Web Search” a spyware well known to computer tech’s the world over.

I had to do a System Restore, to clear the registry and then a lot of file and folder deleting to get rid
of the files. Whew! That was a close call !

So when you go looking for just ONE THING, be careful you don’t get something you don’t want.

Cheers Mates!
The Doctor

To the best of my knowledge and experience, going to VideoLAN, NOT the Google paid ad sites above it in the Search Results, has always given me a clean, no-piggybacks installation or upgrade of VLC Player every time. Still, I watch all freeware installers like a hawk, as there are opt-outs which need to be checked or unchecked in nearly all installers these days. CDBurnerXP even has a hidden download version (their minimal installer) to avoid the notorious OpenCandy adware. Caveat Emptor, but VideoLAN is relatively benign in this regard.

I actually use and like the Weather Bug desktop sidebar gadget, but I would not want it to be automatically installed with VLC Player. Never happens to me with the direct download from VideoLAN.

-- rc primak

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MonoploySoft is trying to rid the world of power users and put everyone on the same level.

Well, duh! Isn’t doing that at the top of the New World Order agenda? Go ahead and insert another Blu-Ray disk, buy a bigger LCD flat-screen TV, sit back and ignore how the world is changing around you. Frogs never notice the pot of water is approaching boiling temperature until it is too late to jump out.

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Alan, Win 8 will still be able to handle your CD’s. What is being removed is DVD playback from media player. Media Center will be a paid add on app.

Craig, you obviously do not have a clue what you are talking about. Have you even looked at Win 8. I am using Win 8 CP right now on a laptop PC using the Desktop UI (as I am almost 100% of the time). I do not have a tablet or Windows phone, nor do I intend to acquire either, but I may very well buy Win 8 when it is released in the final version. The Desktop UI works very well in Win 8 CP. If fact it works better than Win 7 in some ways. I know many others that are using Win 8 CP on a desktop PC using the Desktop UI almost exclusively as well. Win 8 CP works equally as well whether you have a tablet, phone or conventional PC. Please get you facts correct before bad mouthing what appears to be an excellent offering from Microsoft. If you wish to use a product from someone else, by all means do so and go to their forums. I’m sure they would be glad to listen to your bad mouthing Windows as much as you like.

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Microsoft did something like this in the past; I don’t remember when. Windows Media Player was included but without the capability of playing DVDs. You had to pay extra to provide that facility to your Windows Media Player. As you can imagine, this move was not welcomed by the PC Community so in the next version of Windows Media Player the DVD facility was restored. Of course this time it is worse in that the entire player apparently will be removed from the more basic versions of Windows 8.

I imagine that since most people probably watch DVDs at home on DVD players, Microsoft feels that they don’t he DVD capability. However I find it more convenient to play DVDs on a computer and stream them to the TV, and for this purpose I found Windows Media Player to be the most convenient player. This way I have one less machine to worry about and to take up scarce space on my shelves. Fortunately I do not anticipate using Windows 8 any time soon.

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A Word for Media Center

I use my Windows 7 as a TV and a DVR with an attached dual tuner with cable card ($2/month from TW). It was a great day when I found this wonderful FREE application. When I tire of Google, browsing, working in Office, email and so forth, there is my wonderful TV. And oh yes the wife often has the ‘big TV’ monopolized. In short I would sure miss Media Center. My tuner manufacturer has designed the product specifically to work with Media Center. Hauppauge DCR-2650.

ron

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A Word for Media Center

I use my Windows 7 as a TV and a DVR with an attached dual tuner with cable card ($2/month from TW). It was a great day when I found this wonderful FREE application. When I tire of Google, browsing, working in Office, email and so forth, there is my wonderful TV. And oh yes the wife often has the ‘big TV’ monopolized. In short I would sure miss Media Center. My tuner manufacturer has designed the product specifically to work with Media Center. Hauppauge DCR-2650.

ron

You are exactly the customer Microsoft wants to start charging fees, subscriptions, and upgrades to continue your current level of enjoyment. You have a legitimate right to complain when Windows 8 takes away these (til now) free features.

By the way, reports are circulating that Windows Media Player in Windows 8 will not be included for free in any version. And it may not be a player anymore, but only a music and video store app. Look HERE : (My apologies for the site’s overlay ad.)

“My main beef with Windows 8 with regard to playing videos is that in previous versions of Windows you could click a video and it would play. The new media player presents you with a couple of nag screens before your video starts playing. Even then, the media player interface is very minimal. It doesn’t even have a volume control. I am really hoping that this is something that Microsoft addresses prior to the final release.”

As I previously posted, most tablets do not have optical drives, so DVD playback in Windows 8 RT is irrelevant.

Finally, I disagree that Windows 8 can be made to work exactly like Windows 7. It can however (in the Pro Version) be made to work better than Windows 7.

-- rc primak

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I have no doubt that even for Windows 8 Metro, VLC Player will be developed as an App. This should allow playback of most video formats.

Tablets do not have optical drives, so Media Center beyond streams, downloads and Libraries would be a complete non-issue for these devices.

On a laptop, Ultrabook, or Desktop PC, where full x86/x64 programs can be run, VLC Player does the playback for all types of media, with DVD codecs available, while CDBurnerXP (More Options Link for an adware-free installer) will burn almost anything to a CD or DVD. While Windows 8 versions of VLC Player and CDBurnerXP have yet to be announced, I am confident they will be developed. Only the most casual “computer as appliance” users would have difficulty downloading, installing and using these two programs. Organizing music and video Libraries will still be available as native Windows Libraries in Wndows 8, all versions (possibly except the tablet-only RT version).

What Sinofsky and Company seem to want to do is entice RT users to pay $50.00 per year (for App Store access), plus an additional per-App fee, to get the Media Center features which Pro users can add for a single fee. Either way, there is a cashflow motive. Media downloads and streaming content will cost extra for nearly everyone who wants commercial content.

Personally, I think a full dual-boot installation of Windows 8 Pro without MS Media Center might be in my future — someday. I would use it as a desktop OS, with VLC Player and either an updated Toshiba media burning utility, or else something like the Minimal Installation of CDBurnerXP. Even as Windows 7 Legacy Apps, these are good programs and work well in Windows 8 CP. As I said, Libraries and organization utilities are either built-in or free to obtain. If a utility organizes your media files under Windows 7, it will work in Windows 8 Pro, generally.

And when it comes to transferring media files or whole Libraries between storage devices, Windows 8 has built-in tools and a visual presentation which run circles around Windows 7, in my experience.

-- rc primak

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Bob, It seems recently we have had an influx of Windows trashers. There were several posts in the Windows Columns Forum that the whole content was bad mouthing Windows while praising MAC. Personally I have never used a MAC and have no desire to do so. But you know what, neither do I go to the MAC forums and bad mouth the MAC.

I have been using Win 8 CP almost 100% of the time since it’s release, and it is working exceptionally well. I use the Desktop UI exclusively, sometimes going to Metro to run a search or look for an answer to a question. That’s it.

DrWho was able to use the 32 Bit Win 8 CP to run old 16 Bit games.

I do not believe this is just another flash in the pan. This will be a great OS for both Desktop and tablet users. Those that simply bad mouth the OS simply because it comes from Redmond should find something more constructive to do.

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I think MS decision to not include DVD playback is strictly businse$$, IMHO. A lot of people will now pay the extra $$ for the Pro version just to get the convenience of DVD playback.

I haven’t used Win 8, have been reading about it just to stay informed. I am very happy with Win 7 Pro, so I will probably not be “upgrading” to Win 8 or Win 8 Pro. It seems MS comes out with good OS’s every other attempt. To get it right 2 times in a row will be a first IMHO.

There are negatives to Win 8. I do not use IE, well ONLY when MS FORCES me to do so (always on a MS web site), i.e. to get the download for XP Mode on my system I had to use Active X and Firefox wasn’t doing it correctly, I geuss. When I used IE it worked. MS is now integrating IE even more into the Windows RT, giving them an advantage. Just one reason I don’t care for IE and MS heavy handedness.

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I think MS decision to not include DVD playback is strictly businse$$, IMHO. A lot of people will now pay the extra $$ for the Pro version just to get the convenience of DVD playback.

I haven’t used Win 8, have been reading about it just to stay informed. I am very happy with Win 7 Pro, so I will probably not be “upgrading” to Win 8 or Win 8 Pro. It seems MS comes out with good OS’s every other attempt. To get it right 2 times in a row will be a first IMHO.

There are negatives to Win 8. I do not use IE, well ONLY when MS FORCES me to do so (always on a MS web site), i.e. to get the download for XP Mode on my system I had to use Active X and Firefox wasn’t doing it correctly, I geuss. When I used IE it worked. MS is now integrating IE even more into the Windows RT, giving them an advantage. Just one reason I don’t care for IE and MS heavy handedness.

Microsoft is not preventing any other browser vendor from creating a WinRT browser. Mozilla has already announced they are developing a WinRT Metro style browser. Others will too.

Joe

--Joe

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But Microsoft is not allowing alternative browser development on the desktop in RT unlike IE which gives IE a leg up. See:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/255372/microsofts_purported_windows_rt_firefox_ban_a_quick_explainer.html#tk.hp_pop

Jerry

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I haven’t yet tried out Win8 and some of the comments here suggest to me that it may well not be worth the bother (just as Vista wasn’t) – hence I’ve found them useful. By the way, suggesting that people who are critical of Win8 should take their comments elsewhere strikes me (to put it bluntly) as a real **** move.

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I haven’t yet tried out Win8 and some of the comments here suggest to me that it may well not be worth the bother (just as Vista wasn’t) – hence I’ve found them useful. By the way, suggesting that people who are critical of Win8 should take their comments elsewhere strikes me (to put it bluntly) as a real **** move.

The objection(s) to the posts such as #5, #7, #9, #11, & #12 appear to me that those posts are nothing but opinions with a shred of information about actually having used Windows 8. This is not a forum to just come and complain about what Microsoft is or is not doing just to be complaining. We actually try to engage in mostly civil discourse about problem solving. Differences of opinion and disagreements are perfectly fine. Opinion just start or enlarge a flame war are not welcome. Unwarranted and unsubstantiated criticisms of a vendor are a violation of our rules #11 & #23. See Lounge Rules.

Joe

--Joe

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I appreciate your response, JoeP, but it doesn’t stand up to real scrutiny:

1. Claiming that someone is ‘complaining just to be complaining’ rather than registering an opinion to be counted in the universe of opinions being offered (starting with post #2, which covered the ground so well that not much additional detail seemed to me to be necessary) should require actual evidence, not just an ‘appear to me’ first impression. If you’ve got posting histories to back up that claim that’s one thing; if not, please try to accumulate some before making such assessments public (it’s one thing for a random poster to offer up such an assessment – and for another to criticize him for inviting other posters to leave based upon it – but quite another for a moderator to do so).

Everyone posting in this thread has been here well over a year, and most date back more than 2 (to the Great December 2009 Influx if not before). So it seems obvious that the posters here being critical of this change in Win8 did not join up specifically to trash Win8 but rather are (especially in the cases of those for whom this is their first or second post) sufficiently concerned about the direction in which Microsoft is taking it to express their opinion now.

Suggesting to such people that their opinions are not welcome here does not sit well with me at all: I’d like to think that Windows Secrets isn’t the kind of place where thought police (whether self-appointed or not) enforce a kind of ideological purity, and have no hesitation in commenting on any such behavior that seems to be occurring.

2. Post #5 does extend post #2’s (and post #4’s – which for some reason you didn’t include in your list – implicit) observation that many will be disgruntled by listing some of the options they have (Mac and linux, not to mention just sticking with Win7) other than the one that Microsoft would like them to take. Some people WILL exercise such options, so the question (raised in post #2) is whether the cost of including the features in desktop/laptop versions of Win8 really would exceed the non-zero but harder to quantify losses incurred by not doing so. Whether this (plus other perceived deficiencies) will make Win8 a ‘disaster’ (was Vista a ‘disaster’? I don’t know, but it certainly wasn’t a resounding success) remains to be seen, of course, and people with differing opinions will likely express them.

3. Post #7 compares the removal of the feature in Win8 with the user reaction to the removal of a (different) feature in another product. Such a response to the “Don’t worry – be happy!” tenor of post #6 is entirely pertinent. Post #8 (again for some reason absent in your list, though it certainly doesn’t demonstrate any experience with Win8) gives a specific example of why this could be considered user-unfriendly. Post #9 expresses something similar even if it’s a bit muddled (my impression is that WMP ships with Win8 even if the DVD codecs plus some other codecs and Media Center do not).

4. I don’t know enough about Win8 to assess the credibility of the claims in post #11, though my impression is that it certainly doesn’t go out of its way to be immediately approachable by users accustomed to the existing desktop interface (yes, they can get it back if they make the effort, but how many will?). Post #12 is a spot-on elaboration of post #5’s observation.

5. The wording in forum Rule 11 is clear, and nothing here violates it (expressing an opinion about the importance of a clearly-documented aspect of a product is not the same as making an assertion that a problem exists). There’s also nothing which obviously violates Rule 23: while some statements here do not reflect a high opinion of Microsoft’s business acuity and/or direction, they hardly rise to the level of being defamatory.

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I haven’t yet tried out Win8 and some of the comments here suggest to me that it may well not be worth the bother (just as Vista wasn’t) – hence I’ve found them useful. By the way, suggesting that people who are critical of Win8 should take their comments elsewhere strikes me (to put it bluntly) as a real **** move.

I never said that someone critical of Win 8 should take their comments elsewhere. What I said was that flaming (bad mouthing) MS and Windows (Not just Win 8 by the way) for the sake of complaining about MS is not wanted here. These comments were simply complaints about MS and/or Windows without complaining about a certain feature that has been tested and found wanting or some other thing about Win 8 CP. In fact several of the posts do not even mention Win 8 CP at all. They just flame MS. As if MS is the only company trying to make a buck.

If someone what’s to criticize a feature of Win 8 CP, I might even agree because there are some things I do not like about Win 8 CP. I do not particularly care for the Metro UI, but then again I do not have a tablet. I actually hated the Metro IE 10 and set mine to always use the Desktop IE 10 which I really like.

So please at least test Win 8 CP, and soon Win 8 RP prior to bashing it. You might actually find you like it. I still haven’t made up my mind, but it is open to the possibility that Win 8 will be my new OS.

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But Microsoft is not allowing alternative browser development on the desktop in RT unlike IE which gives IE a leg up. See:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/255372/microsofts_purported_windows_rt_firefox_ban_a_quick_explainer.html#tk.hp_pop

Jerry

Do you realize that the desktop in RT is only for the four included Ofiice apps, IE functions that don’t run in WinRT, & possibly some Windows utility programs that don’t run in WinRT? You can’t install applications in the WinRT desktop.

Joe

--Joe

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You know Bill, just because a person has been a registered member of the Lounge since Dec. 2009 does not mean that person has been active in the Lounge since then, or even has been visiting regularly since then. If a person has been a regular visitor since Dec. 2009 I would have to believe they would have found a few threads to have posted some kind of response to. Most of these members have not posted at all until now. I find this odd, in the extreme, don’t you.

Do you really think this:

“It’s quite obvious that everyone is missing the point about MonopolySoft removing DVD playback in Win 8 (now officially called Windows ME3).

ME3 was and is being written for tablet and phone use only. How may tablets or cell phones have built in DVD players?

MonoploySoft is trying to rid the world of power users and put everyone on the same level. ”

is any more than a complaint about MS itself.

or this:

“More ammo to the ” I am a pc” vs “I am a Mac” debate. Imagine a version of MAC that will not include DVD playback! Only MS knows how to screw up a good thing! ”

These posts are from “members with a total of 2 and 1 post each. Come on, to me these are simply bashes against MS or posts for Macs. I would be surprised if either of these members have actually tested Win 8 CP. At least you have said you have not tried it.

One of the problems I have with these type posts is the affect they have on members like you. You have not tried Win 8 CP, and “I haven’t yet tried out Win8 and some of the comments here suggest to me that it may well not be worth the bother (just as Vista wasn’t) – hence I’ve found them useful.” Hence these flammers have convinced you that Win 8 CP or Win 8 RP or even Win 8 is not worth even trying.

Please take the time to read through the many threads with numerous positive comments on Win 8 CP you will see here before making this decision.

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You just don’t get it, Ted. It’s really not your business to try to censor opinions that don’t happen to match your own, let alone to claim to be doing so for the ‘benefit’ of people who might otherwise be influenced by them. I don’t WANT that ‘benefit’, thank you: I’m perfectly capable of deciding on my own what to take away from such posts (just as I’m perfectly capable of deciding what to take away from yours).

My point in noting that these people had been around here for 1+ to 2+ years was clear, had you read it more carefully: they obviously didn’t join up to rag on Win8 because there was nothing to say about it back when they joined. The fact that they haven’t posted much until now does not seem ‘odd’ to me at all: a lot of members are more inclined to read than to write, and keeping quiet rather than babbling away when you have nothing particular you wish to contribute is a virtue, at least in my book. Rather, the fact that they have now been motivated to post seems an indication of the level of their personal dissatisfaction with the direction Microsoft is taking with what they might otherwise be inclined to use for their next system purchase, and making it public (especially to Microsoft, if anyone from there ever drops in here to listen) that such dissatisfaction exists is if anything a public service.

I don’t care that these people don’t appreciate Win8 any more than I care that you like it: people look for different things from operating systems and environments, and the fact that you may find a bunch of OTHER Win8 features compelling really has nothing to do with the subject of THIS thread (which is the specific removal of some Win7 features that some people obviously don’t consider as unimportant as you do). The comment that “Imagine a version of MAC that will not include DVD playback! Only MS knows how to screw up a good thing! ” is, as I noted before, spot-on in terms of such relevance: as Tinto Tech observed back at the start of the thread and several others expanded upon later, this is the kind of ‘own goal’ that Microsoft could have easily avoided – and so obvious a one that speculation about how this happened is hardly inappropriate.

I didn’t think WIn8 sounded like a system I’d be interested in before this thread, and I think so even less now. It takes at least SOME time to download, install, become familiar with, and check out a new user environment (NT-based though it still may be), so since there’s nothing in Win8 that I know of to make spending that time worthwhile for me my main reason for doing so would simply be curiosity – and the less likely Win8 seems to be something I might NEED to become familiar with, the less curious I get. I had the same reaction to Vista and waited until Win7 to get familiar with Microsoft’s post-XP take on things (not that I find all of Vista/Win7’s ‘innovations’ useful either, but at least in Win7 they’re reasonably well-integrated). Win7 was sufficiently acceptable (along with over 2 decades of immersion in the Windows and before that DOS infrastructure) to keep me from moving to linux, but Win8 is making investigating that option look more interesting again.

In any event, my main point is that it’s not your (or anyone else’s) place to castigate people as ‘trashers’ and ‘flammers’ (sic), let alone tell them to take a hike when you don’t happen to appreciate what they’re saying. And that’s ESPECIALLY true for people who are jumping into the discussion here for the first time (some welcome, huh?). Just point out where you disagree and let the rest of the world decide for themselves whose observations they find more applicable – at least that’s what Joe’s response to me seemed to be saying was the desired behavior.

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I am going to make one final point in this thread and then I’m done here. It will most likely fall on deaf ears anyway.

MS is called Monopolysoft, they are sued and bashed because they provide an OS with all apps included. They even have to make a special version in Europe that does not include a browser because they are sued and forced to pull the browser out for Win 7.

They are now being threatened with lawsuits again because they are including an AV product in Win 8.

It seems they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. They can provide an OS with everything included and get sued and have to start removing parts. Or they can provide an OS that is somewhat stripped down and force users to seek out 3rd party alternatives (which are usually more full featured anyway) and are condemned by those very users. It seems they can’t win!

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While that’s a much more appropriate approach than attacking those who have a different view of things than you do, it’s still not particularly relevant to the subject of this thread (a specific change in features in Win8 from Win7 which, at least according to Microsoft’s explanatory link in post #1, had nothing to do with lawsuits). Being a Defender of the Faith (not that there’s anything wrong with that per se) can sometimes blind one to such finer distinctions.

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The fact remains that the great unwashed (those who just buy a PC and don’t understand the internals of what makes it tick) will be a bit miffed when they put their Avengers DVD in the drive and it doesn’t play. No matter whose “fault” it is, they will blame Microsoft and Windows 8 (“Well, it works in my mates Windows 7 machine and in his friends MAC”). It would have been better if they had included it in the consumer version and left it out of the Professional one (IMHO).

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Everyone has no idea yet how this is going to play out. Many OEM PCs already have third party players installed. That may continue. The DVD drive manufacturer may foot the bill or partner with a third party for a player.

Joe

--Joe

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I’d like to see a list of what you think works better andwhat the specific features and benefits are for desktop systems. Many people differ with your opinion, not just a few. I have invested many hours and a significant amount of money in Microsoft products and have suffered from lost time and money when they have without justification changed software design, ignored backwards compatibility or just regressed on features and benefits. I am also using 3 other systems that do not rely on Microsoft and they work very well and indicate that Microsoft still takes 3 efforts to get something right, but they still ignore serious conceptual shortcomings. I think you are the one that needs to open your eyes and see what the rest of the world has to offer for desktop systems. I see a less than Vista future for windows 8 based on the needs of corporations large and small. Individual users even less. It will beinteresting to see what monopoly power is applied to OEM system builders who also have to provide customer support, which has in many cases degenerated into the wild-eyed speculation of other frustrated forum users. There are a lot of experts out there that offer tremendous help, but finding them requires wading thru dozens of well meaning but useless solutions. This is not the issue, but why is software working so poorly and insecurely? One solution is Apple anda nother is Linux, but they also have similar, yet fewer issues? I find Microsoft to be the most user unfriendly of all. To me Win 8 has only changed superficial UI in a bad way for business reasons and found more ways to eliminate real features and benefits.

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I am one of the group that have been registered for a while, but not felt the urge to comment. I am also among the group that have tried to use Windows 8 with not great success. I am not a novice, but so far it is beyond me. I have been able to do nothing but surf the internet. It has taken hours and about 10 sessions to figure out how to get back to the start blocks. I have been unable to even get a cd to play. Ted seems to think it is a great OS so I have to tip my hat to him since he obviously is enjoying using it. I, on the other hand, am not. This may well be the tipping point to the world of Macs which are designed counter to my intuition, but from what my kids tell me, are blessed with many useful tools.

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I guess I have to step in here once more even though I was not going to,

First, Welcome to all the posting members that have been Lurking for so long. I hope you all do participate more often from this point forward. If my comments have helped to convince you to come forward and post then I guess I have been successful in that endeavor. It was never my intention to alienate anyone. I wish everyone to express their opinions. I certainly do. Obviously people think my advice is pretty good most of the time.

Second, I have said several times in several different threads that I have NOT decided whether Win 8 will ultimately become my OS of choice when it is finally released sometime in October. I have said that at this stage of beta testing it is one of the most polished OS’s to date. Yes I do use it almost 100% of the time, but I use the Desktop UI, NOT the Metro UI. I have stated several times that I do not particularly like the Metro UI. I believe the Metro UI has been developed for Tablets and phones. I do not believe it works well with conventional laptop or desktop PC’s.

Third, anyone anticipating using Win 8 CP or Win 8 RP or Win 8 when it is released should read through all the excellent threads listed with numerous tips on how to customize this OS to make it work the way you want it to work. No, right out of the box, it does not work like Win 7 at all. I was in shock initially and thought as you all obviously do, NO *&$!*%ing way this will ever be on my desktop. Then I started testing this OS, and experimenting with this OS, and reading about this OS, and you know what, this OS can be set up so it works exactly like Win 7, if you so desire. You can even have a conventional Start Menu using Classic Shell.

Win 8 CP has better memory management than Win 7, it loads and shuts down faster. It includes IE 10 (which I think is a far superior browser to any other browser available for now). If you wish to use Metro, by all means, it even has that option. If you have touch screen capability, you can use screen gestures to accomplish things, there are Refresh and Reset options that are unavailable in Win 7.

So right out of the box, it does not work well with a conventional PC, but with a little customizing, it is a fine OS. Will it replace my Win 7 Ultimate? As I have stated many times, that may depend on pricing. I still really like my Win 7 as well.

Please take the time to read through the threads below before making any final decisions on Win 8 CP.

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Why do I have to upgrade to Windows 8 Pro to get Media Center?
Trends in Media Center usage show a decline in the number of customers that use it on a regular basis, starting from a relatively small base as we previously blogged about. When we look at actual usage, most customers using Media Center and playing DVDs used Windows Ultimate and XP Pro/Media Center. We believe those customers will also be interested in the additional features provided in the Windows 8 Pro edition, such as Boot from VHD, Client Hyper-V, etc., especially if they are using Media Center on a PC used for general tasks. Considering the audience and current usage, we conclude the vast majority of Media Center customers upgrading to Windows 8 will be to the Windows 8 Pro edition. In our efforts to keep the Windows 8 editions plan as simple as possible, Windows Media Center is only available on Windows 8 Pro. If you already have Windows 8 Pro and want to add Media Center, you just need to acquire the additional Media Center Pack as an in-place upgrade available via Add Windows Features (formerly Windows Anytime Upgrade).

Not a big deal, if I migrate to Windows 8, it will be a pro version anyway.
I need DVD playback, but I have little use for Media Center.
Having to pay for a DVD codec just to play a DVD is a joke anyway that’s not MS’s fault. Get the VLC player.

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Believe me, Windows 8 is a floor wax and a dessert topping.

I’ve been using Win8 ferociously for more than three months, and I’m still of two (or more) minds about it. One thing I know for sure: I can’t pass final judgment until I’ve used the real, live RTM copy of Windows 8 on a touch sensitive device that’ll do it justice.

Even then, I may waffle.

There are big surprises in store. We just found out a few hours ago that Flash will run on both the Legacy IE 10 and the Metro IE 10 – which is a stunning development. But there are “buts,” including the fact that Metro IE 10 (at least) has a white list of sites that will be permitted to run Flash.

The cards aren’t all down on the table yet, folks. Keep an open mind. And be civil to each other – nobody has all the answers. De gustibus and all that. Let’s see how this plays out…

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