Some interesting new details were announced on the “Building Windows 8 Blog. Starting with
Windows 8 the computer will NOT be able to play DVD movies. Microsoft stated that “that most of the videos play today on the PC and mobile devices come from online sources such as YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon and many other services and it continues to grow in a rapid pace; in the other hand DVDs and TV broadcast are “in sharp decline” even Blu-ray is losing momentum on the PC, which translate in to “a significant amount in royalties” to continue the support for these playback scenarios.”
As we blogged in our previous post “Windows 8 Name Official – and version details”, Microsoft announced that they will be selling Windows Media Center as a separate feature pack for Windows 8. The Media Center pack will include the ability to play DVD’s and Blu-ray movies.
On the surface this may seem like an extreme move till you consider the numbers form Microsoft’s point of view. This is actually a very smart move. Microsoft has to pay DVD player manufacturers to allow you to play DVDs. Here is the thing…. in the next 18 months you won’t see DVD players on most laptops.
Microsoft reasons that if it is included in the base Windows 8 operating system, Microsoft will have to pay that royalty on literally millions of Windows 8 installations that will never play a DVD because there is no physical DVD drive in the computer in which it is installed. The if you factor in all the tablets that are to be running Windows 8 RT and the number can quickly just to tens of millions of Royalties that Microsoft is paying out for nothing.
Microsoft says that Windows 8 will focus primarily on online and downloadable media, and it will support a variety of codecs right out of the box: H.264, VC-1, WMA, MP4, AVI, MPEG-2 TS, ASF, AAC, WAV, M4A, MP3, PCM and Dolby Digital Plus. “These decoders are optimized for system reliability, battery life, and performance, and cover all key playback scenarios for mainstream content” — the company says
So the bottom line is, if you want to play DVD’s or Blu-ray movies on Windows 8 you will have a choice to make:
You can go Microsoft route, you upgrade to the “Media Center pack” via the “Add Features to Windows 8″ from the Control Panel.
Or you can download one of the many free players out there. We at Advanced Network Consulting are really happy with VLC Media player. It is a great lightweight media player that will play just about any type of video or audio format that you throw at it.
Not sure what options are right for your company reps? Advanced Network Consulting offers a complimentary, no pressure, one hour technology assessment. We have provided IT solutions for a vast number of Southern California businesses for almost 20 years. Our business is based on client referrals and word of mouth testimonials. We consider ourselves a strategic partner in the growth of your company. Call or email today to schedule your complimentary meeting.
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