This review is about a MEDIA PLAYER, not an Operating System, Radio Channel, Hardware, Windows (the real ones), etc. If in doubt, please M2M me!
I’m willing to wager all the MS points accumulated against my name (can’t think of any other way to redeem them otherwise) that WMP9 is the best Media Player ever unleashed and beats the latest versions of Real One Player and Winamp hands down.
My PC had just come back from its now-routine, bi-monthly health checkup and I felt this was the best opportunity to get into an experimenting mode. I installed and tried out WMP9 on Win 98 (SE), 2K and XP with varying results.
WMP9 was launched by MS in January 2003 and Bill Gates waxed eloquent on the occasion. Codenamed “Corona”, it was supposedly under development for the last 4 years at a cost of about 500 million dollars (!) I can’t vouch for those jaw-dropping figures but suffice to say that WMP9 is an experience like no other medial player.
Installation & Interface
The software can be easily downloaded from free download sites or even Microsoft’s site. The setup file weighs 9.7MB for WinXP and 13.3MB for other versions which is quite huge as compared to WMP7 (2.1MB). The setup screen is icy blue and quite refreshing from the drab versions earlier. The setup automatically detects the OS on which the installation is going to be done and from there, it’s a breeze.
On running for the first time, a small window appears asking if the user wants the copyright protection to be on or off. Since I rarely make copies of the songs on my PC, I opted to set it “On”. This option manifested itself when I ran it for the first time on Win98 and 2K but not on XP. The familiar screen of WMP8.x has been considerably changed and the screen is much sharper now and fits the corners of the screen more smugly when maximized.
The entire thing also appears more polished. The normal buttons or icons like play, pause, stop, etc. have been completely changed and look more aesthetic. The best part is that WMP9 takes a very short time to load, even lesser than WMP8.x or the latest Winamp 3.0.
There are 3 discreet buttons located at the bottom of the video display screen for maximising the video screen, viewing full screen and for changing the Playlist options. This is a welcome development because one need not search in the menu to change these options. Thankfully, the player can now be shrunk so as to make the controls appear only in the windows taskbar. This not only saves on precious RAM but also allows the user to change the settings without having to maximize the player screen.
Features & Utility
The opening screen automatically tries to connect to the Internet whenever its run and this contains useful links like “Getting Started” and “Demos” for handling various features. The “Media Guide” (needs Internet connection) contains links to trailers of movies and news snippets. I didn’t try to download any movies, (that would take me eons!) but yes, the trailers played fairly fast and the buffering time was barely detectable.
The “Media Library” still gives the customary “you appear to be running…” message but the mechanics of searching for and organizing media files have been vastly improved. It obviates the need for manual updation of missing information by automatically searching for the info on the net and updating it.
I was also happy to see that the “Radio Tuner” feature has been upgraded radically. It contains links to various radio stations that play specific kinds of music like Blues, Rock, Jazz, etc. Once selected, there’s also the option to visit the website of the radio station or to add it to “Favourite Stations” for future use.
A new feature is the “Premium Services” section. The four different options here offer access to more than 350 movies on demand, enable download, burning and transfer of music files, etc. Right now, these are available on a trial basis for a month but the user will have to shell out some dough to use it thereafter. There are 4 cool, pre-installed skins (Default, Compact, Corporate and Revert) and MS has been kind enough to shrink the size of the full screen to 1/3 of its original size while at the same time not sacrificing on the main options.
Drawbacks
1. Plug-ins – WMP plays MP3 files but doesn’t allow ripping/encoding them. To do that, the user needs to pay for a plug-in from a third party provider.
2. Some features are available only in XP – Features like Cross-fading and changing the colour scheme of the interface are available only in the XP version. Has Microsoft disowned the other versions?
3. Help File – The “Help” section is pathetic to the extent of being totally unhelpful and even the few tips given are more of “monologues”. A more detailed help section is available on the MS website but connecting to the Internet everytime one wants to use “Help” is a cumbersome process.
4. No Option to Uninstall – A major headache. Once installed, there’s no way to get rid of it, except by using the “System Restore” option available in all versions from Win2K onwards. To compound maters, if you’ve installed other software after WMP9 and then use the “System Restore” option, all of them go for a toss.
Thus Spake TiC
WMP9 is an out of this world experience and combines the best of audio and video capabilities. Everything about it is phenomenal – right from the interface to the features. Having tried out Winamp 3.0 recently, I can confidently assert that WMP is ahead of it by light years. For best results, install and run it on WinXP.
Some plug-ins, like those for Surround Sound 5.1 and SOS effects are worth downloading and trying out. These can be downloaded from MS’s website and greatly enhance the listening experience. The visualizations and skins are pretty cool and make for good eye candy but don’t take up too much system resources.
The quality of the video playback has been improved tremendously by using “Fast Stream” technology that substantially reduces the buffering time. With an eye on the future, MS has also included the playback of latest “DiVX” format of video files.
As the cyber world moves rapidly into an era of digital revolution, MS has taken abundant care to protect the copyrights of the original holders by enhancing the “Digital Rights Management” feature. In this, the user can copy a CD onto the hard disk but cannot share or make copies of the same. Though a bit hard on users, this is certainly a step in the right direction for artistes and music companies.
WMP9 is a totally new experience for faithful users in many ways and is set to revolutionalise the media player market in the new millennium. As things stand right now, MS has a winner on its hands.
I’m waiting…any takers for my wager?
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