Where Is Windows Media Player In Windows 7

Media player and media library application by Microsoft

Windows Media Player

Windows Media Role player 12 running on Windows 8
Developer(s)	Microsoft

Stable release	12.0.22000.194 (October 4, 2021; 6 months ago (2021-10-04)) [±]
Preview release	12.0.22567.1 (March two, 2022; 47 days ago (2022-03-02)) [±]

Operating system	Windows NT 4.0 Mac OS 7 Mac OS X Solaris
Included with	Windows 3.0 MM and Windows 3.ane Windows 9x Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11 (still available)^[a] Windows CE and Windows Mobile Mac Bone eight and nine
Predecessor	ActiveMovie Command, CD Histrion, DVD Player (Win32 version)
Successor	Microsoft Movies & TV, Groove Music
Type	Media player
Website	windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/products/windows-media-player

Windows Media Player (WMP) is a media player and media library awarding developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices. Editions of Windows Media Player were also released for archetype Mac OS, Mac Bone X and Solaris but development of these has since been discontinued.

In improver to being a media player, Windows Media Player includes the ability to rip music from and re-create music to compact discs, burn down recordable discs in Audio CD format or as data discs with playlists such as an MP3 CD, synchronize content with a digital audio role player (MP3 player) or other mobile devices, and enable users to buy or hire music from a number of online music stores.

Windows Media Player 11 is available for Windows XP and included in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. The default file formats are Windows Media Video (WMV), Windows Media Sound (WMA), and Avant-garde Systems Format (ASF), and its own XML based playlist format called Windows Playlist (WPL). The actor is also able to use a digital rights management service in the form of Windows Media DRM.

Windows Media Thespian 12 is the most recent version of Windows Media Histrion prior to Windows 11. It was released on Oct 22, 2009, along with Windows 7^[b] and has not been made bachelor for previous versions of Windows nor has it been updated since for Windows 8, Windows 8.one, Windows 10, and Windows xi.^[2] ^[iii] Windows 8 and later instead use Groove Music (for audio) and Microsoft Movies & Tv (for video) every bit the default playback applications for nigh media; Every bit of October 2021, Windows Media Player is nevertheless included as a Windows component. Windows RT does not run Windows Media Thespian.

On November xvi, 2021, Microsoft appear that it would replace Groove Music with the new Media Player awarding, though the legacy Windows Media Histrion will proceed to be included with Windows eleven.^[four]

History [edit]

The kickoff version of Windows Media Histrion appeared in 1991, when Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions was released.^[five] Originally chosen Media Player, this component was included with "Multimedia PC"-compatible machines but not available for retail sale. It was capable of playing .mmm animation files, and could exist extended to support other formats.^[6] It used MCI to handle media files. Being a component of Windows, Media Player shows the aforementioned version number as that of the version Windows with which it was included.

Microsoft continually produced new programs to play media files. In November of the following yr, Video for Windows was introduced with the ability to play digital video files in an AVI container format,^[7] with codec support for RLE and Video1, and support for playing uncompressed files. Indeo 3.ii was added in a later release. Video for Windows was first available every bit a free improver to Windows 3.i, and afterward integrated into Windows 95 and Windows NT iv.0. In 1995, Microsoft released ActiveMovie with DirectX Media SDK. ActiveMovie incorporates a new way of dealing with media files, and adds support for streaming media (which the original Media Thespian could not handle). In 1996, ActiveMovie was renamed DirectShow.^[8] Yet, Media Role player continued to come with Windows until Windows XP, in which it was officially renamed Windows Media Histrion v5.i.^[9] ("v5.ane" is the version number of Windows XP.)

In 1999, Windows Media Player'southward versioning broke abroad from that of Windows itself. Windows Media Thespian 6.iv came as an out-of-band update for Windows 95-98 and Windows NT 4.0 that co-existed with Media Histrion and became a built-in component of Windows 2000, Windows ME and Windows XP with an mplayer2.exe stub allowing to use this built-in instead of newer versions.^[10] Windows Media Player 7.0 and its successors also came in the same manner, replacing each other but leaving Media Player and Windows Media Histrion 6.four intact. Windows XP is the only operating arrangement to have 3 dissimilar versions of Windows Media Player (v5.1, v6.4 and v8) side by side. All versions branded Windows Media Actor (instead of simply Media Player) support DirectShow codecs. Windows Media Player version 7 was a large revamp, with a new user interface, visualizations and increased functionality. Windows Vista, however, dropped older versions of Windows Media Histrion in favor of v11, which included the removal of the Windows Media Source Filter (DirectShow codec).

In 2004 Microsoft launched digital music store MSN Music for new Windows Media Actor ten to compete with Apple iTunes.^[eleven] ^[12] Nonetheless, MSN Music was discontinued already in 2006 with the launch of Zune music players.^[13]

Start with Windows Vista, Windows Media Histrion supports the Media Foundation framework besides DirectShow; as such information technology plays certain types of media using Media Foundation every bit well as some types of media using DirectShow.^[14] Windows Media Player 12 was released with Windows seven. Information technology included back up for more than media formats and added new features. With Windows 8, however, the thespian did not receive an upgrade.

On April xvi, 2012, Microsoft announced that Windows Media Role player would not be included in Windows RT, the line of Windows designed to run on ARM-based devices.^[xv]

Windows 11 [edit]

Media Actor is the successor to Groove Music for Windows 10 (previously Xbox Music) and Windows Media Player. It started to be offered to all Windows 11 users on Feb 15, 2022. ^[16]

The new Media Player can also play video, as part of Groove's rebranding from a music streaming service to a media role player.^[17] Other changes include the album cover view being in fullscreen, and a refresh to the mini player.^[xviii] Accessibility has also been optimized, with some improved keyboard shortcuts and hotkey back up for keyboard users and with other assistive technologies.^[xix]

Features [edit]

Core playback and library functions [edit]

Windows Media Role player supports playback of sound, video and pictures, along with fast forrad, reverse, file markers (if present) and variable playback speed (seek & time compression/dilation introduced in WMP 9 Series). It supports local playback, streaming playback with multicast streams and progressive downloads. Items in a playlist tin can be skipped over temporarily at playback time without removing them from the playlist. Full keyboard-based operation is possible in the player.

Windows Media Player supports full media management, via the integrated media library introduced first in version 7, which offers cataloguing and searching of media and viewing media metadata. Media can exist arranged according to album, artist, genre, appointment et al. Windows Media Player 9 Serial introduced Quick Access Console to browse and navigate the entire library through a menu. The Quick Admission Panel was also added to the mini style in version 10 but was entirely removed in version eleven. WMP 9 Serial as well introduced ratings and Car Ratings. Windows Media Actor 10 introduced back up for aggregating pictures, Recorded Telly shows, and other media into the library. A fully featured tag editor was featured in versions 9-11 of WMP, called the Advanced Tag Editor. However, the feature was removed in Windows Media Player 12. Since WMP 9 Series, the player features dynamically updated Car Playlists based on criteria. Auto Playlists are updated every time users open them. WMP nine Series and subsequently also supports Auto Ratings which automatically assigns ratings based on the number of times a vocal is played. Pre-populated motorcar playlists are included in Windows Media Player 9 Serial. Custom Motorcar Playlists can be created just on Windows XP and subsequently.

In Windows Media Histrion 11, the Quick Access Panel was removed and replaced with an Explorer-style navigation pane on the left which tin can be customized for each library to prove the user selected media or metadata categories, with contents appearing on the right, in a graphical style with thumbnails featuring anthology fine art or other art depicting the item. Missing album fine art tin can be added straight to the placeholders in the Library itself (though the program re-renders all album art imported this way into 1x1 pixel ratio, 200x200 resolution jpegs). At that place are separate Tiles, Icons, Details or Extended Tiles views for Music, Pictures, Video and Recorded TV which tin can be set individually from the navigation bar. Entries for Pictures and Video bear witness their thumbnails. Version 11 too introduced the power to search and brandish results on-the-wing as characters are being entered, without waiting for Enter key to be hit. Incremental search results are refined based on farther characters that are typed. Stacking allows graphical representations of how many albums in that location are in a specific category or folder. The pile appears larger as the category contains more albums. The Listing pane includes an choice to prompt the user to remove items skipped in a playlist upon relieve or skip them but during playback.

Visualizations [edit]

Windows Media Player 11 running in mini fashion (in Windows XP MCE) showing the "Bars and Waves" visualization

While playing music, Windows Media Role player can testify visualizations. The current three visualizations are Alchemy, which was first introduced in version 9, Bars and Waves, which has been used since version 7, and Battery, introduced version 8. "Musical Colors" was removed starting with version 9, only is retained if Windows Media Player was upgraded from version seven or 8. Version 11 and above refrains from having the former "Ambience", "Particle", "Plenoptic", and "Spikes" visualizations. The "Bombardment" visualization was similarly removed in afterwards editions of version 12. The reason for their removal was that the visualizations do not support total screen controls (either the visualization gets shifted to the left while there is a thick black bar to the right side of the screen, that there are no total screen controls, or that the visualization have DXE Problems). More visualizations such as "BlazingColors", "ColorCubes", "Softie the Snowman," and "Yule Log" used to be downloadable however, the downloads from Microsoft's website have by and large been taken down and it's available on the WMP Goodies site.

Format support [edit]

The player includes intrinsic support for Windows Media codecs and besides WAV and MP3 media formats. On Windows XP and above with WMP 9 Series and afterward, the Windows Media Sound Professional codec is included which supports multichannel sound at up to 24-bit 192 kHz resolution. Windows Media Actor 11 includes the Windows Media Format xi runtime which adds low bitrate support (below 128 kbit/s for WMA Pro), support for ripping music to WMA Pro 10 and updates the original WMA to version ix.ii.^{[ citation needed ]}

Support for whatever media codec and container format can be added using specific DirectShow filters or Media Foundation codecs (Media Foundation codecs only in Windows Vista and later). The player volition not play MP3 files that contain compressed ID3 headers ("tags"); trying to do so results in a "The input media file is invalid" error bulletin. MP3 playback support was built-in offset with version 6.1 and audio CD playback was natively supported with version seven.^{[ citation needed ]}

DVD playback features minus the necessary decoders were integrated into Windows Media Actor viii for Windows XP. The player activates DVD and Blu-ray playback functionality with support for menus, titles and chapters, parental controls and audio track language pick if compatible decoders are installed. MPEG-2 and Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoders were included beginning with Windows Media Role player 11 on Windows Vista (Domicile Premium and Ultimate editions only).^{[ citation needed ]}

Windows Media Role player 12 adds native support for H.264 and MPEG-4 Role two video formats, ALAC, AAC sound^[twenty] and 3GP^{[ description needed got no codec available for 3GP]}, MP4 and MOV container formats.^[21] Windows Media Actor 12 is likewise able to play AVCHD formats (.M2TS and .mts).^[22]

As of Windows 10, Windows Media Actor 12 can play FLAC, HEVC, and SubRip subtitle, and Matroska container formats.^{[ citation needed ]}

Although the WebM file type is non associated with Windows Media Player 12 officially (the default player is Microsoft Movies & TV), playback of VP9 video in WebM container on Windows Media Player is possible on Windows 10 version 1809 and later on.^{[ citation needed ]}

Windows Media Player Mobile [edit]

Windows Media Player Mobile 10 on Windows Mobile 6.five supports MP3, ASF, WMA and WMV using WMV or MPEG-four codecs.^[23]

Disc called-for, ripping, and playback [edit]

Windows Media Thespian features integrated Audio CD-burning back up since version 7 as well as information CD burning support since Windows Media Actor 9 Series on Windows XP and subsequently. Data CDs can have any of the media formats supported past the actor. While burning Data CDs, the media can, optionally, be transcoded into WMA format and playlists tin be added to the CD too. Starting with WMP 9 Series, sound CDs can be burnt with volume leveling.

Audio CDs tin can be ripped as WMA or WMA 10 Pro (WMA ten Pro in WMP xi and later) at 48, 64, 96, 128, 160 and 192 kbit/due south, WMA lossless (470 to 940 kbit/s) (9 Series on XP and later), WMA variable bitrate (from 40 to 75 kbit/s up to 240-355 kbit/s), MP3 at 128, 192, 256 and 320 kbit/s, or uncompressed WAV (WAV ripping in WMP eleven and later). Since WMP 9 Series, 20 fleck high-resolution CDs (HDCDs) are also supported, if capable audio hardware is present. Sound can be ripped using error correction and ripped audio tin be protected with Windows Media DRM. Ripping to MP3 is supported only in Windows Media Player 8 for Windows XP and afterwards if a compatible MP3 encoder is installed. Windows Media Actor 10 included the Fraunhofer MP3 Professional encoder. Information on CDs such as album proper name, creative person and track listings can optionally be automatically downloaded from the online Windows Media database when the CD is inserted. Version 11 added back up for ripping audio CDs to WAV and WMA 10 Pro formats. With their 2015 implementation in Windows x, Version 12 also added lossless FLAC and ALAC formats for ripping and playback. For burning, version eleven shows a graphical bar indicating how much space will be used on the disc and introduced Disc spanning which splits a burn list onto multiple discs in case the content does not fit on one disc.

Portable device sync [edit]

Windows Media Actor allows the user to connect, share and sync information with portable handheld devices and game consoles since version 7. Media can exist optionally transcoded to a format better suited for the target device, automatically, when synchronizing. When deleting playlists from devices, Windows Media Histrion tin automatically remove their contents. Devices can exist formatted using Windows Media Player 9 Series and subsequently. Version 10 and subsequently back up the Media Transfer Protocol and Automobile Sync. Machine Sync allows users to specify criteria such as recently added music or highest rated songs, by which media volition exist automatically synchronized with the portable device and other avant-garde features like setting the clock on the portable device automatically, communicating with the device to think the user's preferences. Windows Media Player 10 besides introduced the UMDF-based Windows Portable Devices API.

Version 11 has improved synchronization features for loading content onto PlaysForSure-compatible portable players. WMP 11 supports reverse-synchronization, by which media present on the portable device tin can be replicated back to the PC. Shuffle Sync can be used to randomize content synced with the portable device, Multi PC Sync to synchronize portable device content across multiple PCs and Invitee Sync to synchronize different content from multiple PCs with the portable device. Portable devices appear in the navigation pane of the library where their content tin can be browsed and searched.

Windows Media Player'due south 'Sync' office has options that allow it to be fix to automatically down-convert (transcode) high bit-charge per unit song files to a lower flake-charge per unit. This down-conversion function is switched on by default. This is useful for providing depression bit-rate files to those portable devices that need them, and to save infinite on portable devices with smaller storage capacities. For high bit-charge per unit capable devices with sufficient storage capabilities, the downward conversion process tin can be omitted.

In versions xi (2006) and 12 (2009), the Quality settings that the user has selected in the Windows Media Thespian settings for Sync, for that specific portable device, are used to control the quality (bit-rate) of files that are copied to the portable device. Leaving the Quality settings to Automatic will ofttimes event in 192kbs files being copied to the portable device. Manual settings tin can also be fabricated. 192kbs is the highest quality downwardly-conversion scrap-rate that tin be manually selected when the Sync function's down-conversion function is turned on. Lower bit-rates can likewise be selected.

For portable devices that can handle loftier bit-charge per unit files, the best quality files are obtained by leaving the down-conversion process switched off (unchecked) for that specific device. In Windows Media Player Version 11, switching off the down-conversion part is done in the Quality tab of the Advanced Options of the Sync settings for the device. In Windows Media Role player Version 12, switching off the down-conversion function is done in the Quality tab of the Properties for the device in the Select Settings for the device in the Sync Options menu.

When ready in such a way, Windows Media Player's 'Sync' function can be used to sync unchanged high bit-rate song files to suitable portable devices (i.eastward. those capable of using file formats such as WMA Lossless, mp3-360kbs, etc.). For example, some users have created big song libraries on their PCs containing .wma formatted vocal files using the high flake-rate WMA Lossless (WMA-LL) protocol, or using other high bit-charge per unit vocal file formats. The WMA-LL protocol is selectable in Windows Media Player equally an option when ripping songs from CDs. The resulting fleck-rates seen on ripped WMA-LL files are often 3 to 6 times higher than 192kbs, and can typically fall anywhere in the range of 600kbs to 1200kbs, depending on the quality of the source file that was present on the CD in the first place. The sound quality is much improved over the default rate, although the file size is larger.

At the time that Versions 11 and 12 were released, the capabilities and capacities of portable devices typically required down-conversion of the chip-rates of the files placed on the portable devices. Thus, Sync down-conversion was turned on by default. This was to ensure playability of the files and to ensure that the file sizes were small plenty to efficiently fit a reasonably big selection of songs on the portable device.

In recent years (circa 2012), portable devices became available that could natively play these Windows Media Histrion produced loftier scrap-rate WMA-LL files (and others), and that have storage capacities suitable for large collections of high bit-rate song files. This fabricated information technology much more than practicable and desirable to utilise software programs such as Windows Media Actor to synchronize previously PC-bound libraries of high scrap-charge per unit songs to these new portable devices.

Enhanced playback features [edit]

Windows Media Player features universal brightness, contrast, saturation and hue adjustments and pixel aspect ratio for supported video formats. It too includes a 10-ring graphic equalizer with presets and SRS WOW sound postal service-processing system. Windows Media Thespian tin as well accept attached audio and video DSP plug-ins which procedure the output sound or video data. Video Smoothing was introduced in WMP 9 Series (Windows XP and subsequently only) which upscales frame-rate past interpolating added frames, in effect giving a smoother playback on low-framerate videos. The thespian supports subtitles and closed-captioning for local media, video on demand streaming or live streaming scenarios. Typically Windows Media captions support the SAMI file format but can too carry embedded airtight caption data.

The thespian can apply video overlays or VMR (Video Mixing Renderer) surfaces, if the video carte supports them. In Windows XP, it uses VMR7 by default, just can also be made to use the more than advanced YUV mixing fashion past enabling the "Utilise high quality way" pick in Advanced Performance settings. This turns on deinterlacing, scaling and improved color accuracy.^[24] WMP 9 Serial introduced native playback for deinterlacing for Boob tube output. Version 9 introduced DXVA accelerated playback. Version eleven introduced improved back up for DirectX accelerated decoding of WMV video (DXVA decoding). Up to version 11, it supported static lyrics and "Synchronized Lyrics", by which dissimilar lines of lyrics can be time-stamped, so that they display but at those times. Synchronized Lyrics besides were accessible through the Advanced Tag Editor which was removed in version 12.

Since Windows Media Role player ix Serial, the thespian supports crossfading, audio dynamic range (Quiet Mode) for WMA Pro and WMA Lossless, and auto volume leveling for certain media which includes book level/proceeds information such as MP3 or Windows Media. The actor also supports all-encompassing configurable privacy and security settings.

Shell integration [edit]

The player has Windows Explorer beat out integration to add files and playlist to the Now Playing pane and other playlists can be controlled from the Windows Explorer shell itself, via correct-click card. The My Music folder also includes a separate My Playlists binder where playlists are maintained. When the role player is closed and reopened, merely clicking the play button restores the last playlist even if it was not saved. Starting with Windows Media Histrion 10, the playlist pane is too visible from the Library view. AutoPlay handlers in Windows expose various Windows Media Player tasks.

Windows Media Player 11 running in mini mode in Windows Vista and Windows XP respectively. Observe the deviation in the logo.

Upwards to version 11, it featured a taskbar-mounted Mini way in which the most common media control buttons are presented as a toolbar on the Windows taskbar. Flyout windows tin can display media information, the active visualization or the video being played back. Mini-manner was introduced every bit a shell player powertoy for Windows Media Player 8 in Windows XP and integrated later into WMP 9 Series. Mini-fashion has been removed in Windows Media Player 12 in favor of controls in the taskbar's interactive thumbnail preview which lacks book command, a progress bar and information displayed whenever a new song is played.

The user interface has been redesigned in Windows Media Player 12 such that the Now Playing view plays media in a separate minimalist window with floating playback controls, and also gives admission to the current playlist, visualizations, and enhancements.^[xx] Enhancements are housed in individual undocked windows. The library view includes the rest of the media management functions. It besides can preview songs from the library when users hover over the media file and click the Preview button.^[20] Windows Media Player 12 can play unprotected songs from the iTunes library. The taskbar-integrated Mini-actor has been replaced with controls in the taskbar's interactive thumbnail preview (called the Thumbnail Toolbar),^[25] admitting minus the volume control function, rail and album data shown whenever a new song is played and the progress bar. The taskbar icon likewise supports bound lists introduced in Windows 7.

The thumbnail viewer of Windows Media Role player 12 in Windows 7 Dwelling house Premium

Extensibility [edit]

The player has had skinning support since Windows Media Histrion (WMP) 7 and includes a color chooser since the WMP 9 Series. Non all functions are usually exposed in peel mode. Windows Media Histrion 10 allows setting the video edge colour. Colour chooser has been removed in WMP 12. It supports visualizations and Info Center View (Info Eye View in WMP ix Serial and later) which displays media metadata fetched from the internet. Full screen visualizations are supported in WMP ix Series and later. Information technology supports Groundwork plug-ins, window plug-ins and Now Playing plug-ins to control media playback also DSP and renderer plug-ins. Plug-in back up was introduced in WMP 9 Series.

Online features [edit]

The player integrates web-browsing back up to browse online music stores, shop for music and tune to internet radio stations since version 7. It provides an embeddable ActiveX command for Internet Explorer then that developers tin play Windows Media on web pages. Windows Media Role player ten and subsequently feature integration with a big number of online music stores and selecting a music store switches the Info Center view, radio and other online features to apply services from that store. Purchased music from a particular store appears in a separate library node under the corresponding category.

Media streaming [edit]

Previously, Microsoft had released Windows Media Connect for Windows XP to stream media content with its built-in UPnP media server. With version xi of Windows Media Player, Media Sharing was integrated and allows content (Music, Pictures, Video) to be streamed to and from Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) AV enabled devices such equally the PS3, Xbox 360, and Roku SoundBridge. This includes DRM protected PlaysForSure content. WMP eleven on Windows Vista tin can also act as a customer to connect to remote media libraries using this feature; this is non available on the Windows XP version.

With version 12, media streaming was further improved. While previous versions streamed media to UPnP compliant devices (Digital Media Server role) and could play media by fetching it from a network share (Digital Media Player office),^[26] Windows Media Player 12 tin access media from the shared media libraries on the network or HomeGroup, stream media to DLNA 1.v compliant devices and allows itself (one time the remote control pick is turned on) to exist remotely controlled past Digital Media Controller devices which stream media (Digital Media Renderer function).^[26] Similarly, the Play To feature once enabled for remote PCs, by turning on remote control of the player, allows compliant devices and computers to exist discovered and controlled remotely from a calculator running Windows Media Player 12 (Digital Media Controller role).^[26] If the devices do non support the streamed format, Windows Media Player 12 transcodes the format on-the-fly. Media from a home network can as well exist streamed over the internet using an Online ID Provider service, which handles discovery of the estimator's IP address, authorization, security, connectivity and Quality of Service issues.^[26]

Skin Mode [edit]

Windows Media Actor also features skins. Currently, Windows Media Player has two default skins: "Corporate", which was first introduced in version viii, and "Revert", which first shipped with version 9. In versions vii and 8, at that place were many unusual skins such equally "Centre", "Headspace", "Canvas", "Goo", and "Atomic", which were removed starting with version 9, merely are retained if the player is upgraded, although some can even so be downloaded from an annal of the Microsoft website.^[27] In versions seven, 8, ix and 10 at that place were many usual skins such every bit "9SeriesDefault", "Atomic", "Bluesky", "Canvas", "Archetype", "Compact", "goo", "Headspace", "centre", "iconic", "Miniplayer", "Optic", "Pyrite", "QuickSilver", "Radio", "Roundlet", "Rusty", "splat", "Toothy", "Windows Classic", and "Windows XP", which were removed starting with version 11. This Corporate skin is non deletable.

Security problems [edit]

Microsoft Windows Media Runtime in Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows Server contained a bug that permitted "remote code execution if a user opened a specially crafted media file". Such a file would let the attacker to "then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights", if the account on which the file was played had administrator privileges.^[28] The problem was addressed in a critical update issued on September 8, 2009.^[29]

Other versions [edit]

Microsoft has also released versions of Windows Media Player for other platforms including Windows Mobile, classic Mac Os, Mac OS X, Palm-size PC, Handheld PC, and Solaris. Of these, only the Windows Mobile edition continues to be actively adult and supported by Microsoft. Version one of the Zune software was also based on Windows Media Player; later versions are not.

Windows Mobile [edit]

Windows Media Player 10.3 Mobile on a Windows Mobile Professional device

Windows Media Role player for Pocket PC was beginning appear on January 6, 2000, and has been revised on a schedule roughly similar to that of the Windows version.^[xxx] Currently known as "Media Role player 10 Mobile", this edition (released in October 2004) closely resembles the capabilities of the Windows version of WMP ten, including playlist capabilities, a media library, album art, WMA Lossless playback, back up for DRM-protected media, video playback at 640×480 with stereo sound, and the aforementioned Energy Blue interface aesthetics as well seen in Windows XP Media Centre Edition 2005. It also supports synchronization with the desktop version of WMP 10, and additionally supports synchronizing and transcoding of recorded television shows from Media Center. Media Thespian 10 Mobile is non bachelor equally a download from Microsoft; distribution is washed solely through OEM partners, and is typically included on devices based on Windows Mobile.

Windows Mobile six includes a copy of Windows Media Histrion x Mobile, simply with a similar (just not quite identical) theme equally Windows Media Player 11.

Mac Os X [edit]

Version 9 was the final version of Windows Media Player to be released for Mac OS X earlier development was canceled past Microsoft. It was developed by the Windows Media team at Microsoft instead of the Macintosh Concern Unit and released in 2003. On release the application lacked many basic features that were found in other media players such every bit Apple tree's iTunes and QuickTime.^{[ citation needed ]} It also lacked support for many media formats that version nine of the Windows counterpart supported on release 10 months earlier.

The Mac version supported only Windows Media encoded media (up to version 9) enclosed in the ASF format, defective support for all other formats such as MP4, MPEG, and Microsoft's own AVI format. On the user interface front, it did not foreclose screensavers from running during playback, it did not back up file drag-and-driblet, nor did it back up playlists. While Windows Media Player 9 had added support for some files that use the WMV9 codec (also known as the WMV3 codec by the FourCC), in other aspects it was seen every bit having degraded in features from previous versions.

On January 12, 2006, Microsoft announced it had ceased development of Windows Media Player for Mac. Microsoft now distributes a third-political party plugin called WMV Player (produced and maintained by Flip4Mac) which allows some forms of Windows Media to be played within Apple's QuickTime Player and other QuickTime-aware applications.^[31]

European Committee case [edit]

In March 2004, the European Commission in the European Union Microsoft antitrust instance fined Microsoft €497 million and ordered the company to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player, claiming Microsoft "bankrupt European Wedlock competition police by leveraging its virtually monopoly in the market for PC operating systems onto the markets for work group server operating systems and for media players". The company has made bachelor a compliant version of its flagship operating system nether the negotiated name "Windows XP Northward", though the product has not been very successful. Windows Vista, Windows seven and Windows viii are also available in "Northward" editions. Yet, it is possible to either install Windows Media Player (XP/Vista)^[32] or the Media Restore Pack through Windows Update (Vista) to add together the media actor.

Release history [edit]

Prior to the release of Windows Media Player in Windows 98 Second Edition, dissever programs, CD Player, Deluxe CD Player, DVD Actor and Media Player, were included in quondam versions of Microsoft Windows for playback of media files.

Windows Media Player versions^[33]
Version	Original release	Included with	Bachelor for
Microsoft Windows
Media Histrion	February 15, 2022	Windows eleven	North/A
Windows Media Histrion 12	July 22, 2009	Windows seven Windows 8 Windows 8.1 Windows 10 Windows xi Windows Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2012 Windows Server 2012 R2 Windows Server 2016 Windows Server 2019 Windows Server 2022	Due north/A
Windows Media Player 11	October 18, 2006	Windows Vista Windows Server 2008	Windows XP (SP2+) Windows XP x64 Edition
Windows Media Player 10	August 25, 2004	Windows XP x64 Edition Windows XP Media Heart Edition 2005 Windows Server 2003 (SP1+)	Windows Server 2003 Windows XP^[34]
Windows Media Player 9 Series	Oct iii, 2002^[35]	Windows XP (SP2+) Windows Server 2003 (RTM)	Windows XP Windows ME Windows 2000 Windows 98 SE^[36]
Windows Media Thespian for Windows XP (version eight)	Baronial 24, 2001	Windows XP (RTM & SP1)	N/A
Windows Media Player seven.1	May 16, 2001	Due north/A	Windows ME Windows 2000 Windows 98^[36] ^[37]
Windows Media Histrion 7.0	June nineteen, 2000^[38]	Windows ME	Windows 2000 Windows 98 Windows 95
Windows Media Player half dozen.four ^[c]	April 29, 1999	Windows 2000 Windows ME (subconscious) Windows XP (hidden) Windows Server 2003 (hidden) Net Explorer five.01 Net Explorer v.5 Internet Explorer 6.0	Windows 98 Windows NT 4.0 Windows 95
Windows Media Actor six.ane	October 1997	Windows 98 SE Internet Explorer five.0	Windows 98 Windows NT 4.0 Windows 95
Microsoft Media Player 5.i	2001	Windows XP (hidden)	N/A
Media Player 5.0	1999	Windows 2000 (subconscious)	N/A
Media Thespian 4.9	2000	Windows ME (hidden)	N/A
Media Player 4.1	1998	Windows 98 Windows 98 SE (hidden)	N/A
Media Role player 4.0	1995	Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0	N/A
Media Role player 3.51	1995	Windows NT 3.51	N/A
Media Player 3.5	1994	Windows NT three.5	N/A
Media Player 3.15	1992	North/A	Windows 3.1 with Video for Windows
Media Histrion 3.1	1992	Windows 3.1 Windows NT 3.one	Due north/A
Media Player iii.0	1991	Northward/A	Windows three.0 with Multimedia Extension
Windows Mobile
Windows Media Player 10.3 Mobile	February 12, 2007 (Windows Mobile 6)	Windows Mobile half-dozen.one Windows Mobile 6	Windows Mobile 5.0
Windows Media Role player 10.ii Mobile	?	Windows Mobile 5.0	North/A
Windows Media Player ten.1 Mobile	May 10, 2005	Windows Mobile 5.0	N/A
Windows Media Player ten Mobile	Oct 12, 2004	Windows Mobile 2003 SE	N/A
Windows Media Player 9.0.1	March 24, 2004	Windows Mobile 2003 SE	N/A
Windows Media Player 9 Serial	June 23, 2003	Windows Mobile 2003	North/A
Windows Media Player 8.5	October xi, 2002	Pocket PC 2002	Due north/A
Windows Media Actor 8.01	July 2002	Pocket PC 2002	N/A
Windows Media Actor 8	October iv, 2001 (Pocket PC)	Pocket PC 2002 Smartphone 2002	N/A
Windows Media Player 7.ane	May 21, 2001	Pocket PC 2000	N/A
Windows Media Player seven	December 12, 2000	Pocket PC 2000	North/A
Windows Media Thespian 1.two	September vii, 2000	Handheld PC 2000	North/A
Windows Media Histrion i.1	?	Palm-size PC CE ii.xi	North/A
Windows Media Player	April 19, 2000	Pocket PC 2000	N/A
Mac
Windows Media Player ix Series	November vii, 2003	N/A	Mac Bone X
Windows Media Thespian 7	July 24, 2001	Mac OS nine	Mac OS viii.x
Windows Media Player 6.3	July 17, 2000	Mac OS 8	Mac OS seven.x
Solaris
Windows Media Player 6.iii	July 17, 2000	N/A	Solaris

Run into also [edit]

Comparison of media players
Comparing of video player software
Groove Music
Media Player Classic, a media histrion that mimics the appearance of Windows Media Player vi.iv
Media Transfer Protocol
Windows Media Encoder
Windows Media Services

Footnotes [edit]

^ Except for "N" and "KN" editions of Windows, as well as Windows RT
^ North and KN versions of Windows 7 practise not include Windows Media Role player past default.^[1]
^ Windows Media Player 6.iv was shipped side-by-side with later versions of WMP in Windows ME and Windows XP

References [edit]

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External links [edit]

Official website
The Vintage Windows Media Thespian
wmplugins.com - The place to find and share plug-ins, skins and visualizations.