Windows media player is an audio and video player distributed with all recent versions of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft developed WMP to counter the growing popularity of the Real audio and video player by providing streaming audio and video services. Unlike MP3 files, which contain no copyright management features, WMP and its proprietary file format, .WMA, include features that will enable Microsoft to enable a Digital Rights Management (DRM) infrastructure for the distribution of commercial digital content via the Internet. Users will not be able to copy such content, or indeed to access the content, without payment and subsequent authorization. To discourage the use of MP3s, the latest versions of WMP contain only limited support for such files, and MP3 support may be eliminated in future versions of the program. See antitrust, Digital Rights Management (DRM), monopoly, MP3, trusted system, WMA.
Technipages Explains Windows Media Player (WMP)
Windows media player is a media player produced by Microsoft, and its primary function is that it allows its users to view pictures, and play both music and video files. It runs on all Microsoft based platforms like Microsoft Windows, Windows Mobile-based devices as well as on Pocket PC. A free copy of a Windows media player is available on any Windows device. Other functions are that it allows its users to rip CD tracks to MP3, burn MP3 tracks to CDs, stream online radio, and download content from online music stores.
Windows media format home format is .WMA file format, asides this, Windows media player can play almost all audio and video formats. Examples of compatible formats are MP3, WMV, AVI, WAV, MPEG-4, CDA, etc. While Windows media player allows for ripping of audio CDs, the same does not apply to DVDs owing to Copyright restrictions.
Windows media player’s first version was launched in 1991, and it was called Media Player at the time. It was meant to be pre-loaded on Windows 3.0. Ever since its inception, it has been packaged with every version of Windows since Windows 98 SE. Windows 7, 8 and 10 have version 12 of Windows media player bundled to them. Every other released version from version 7 has the feature for ripping and burning audio CDs.
Common Uses of Windows Media Player (WMP)
- WMA is the home format for files on the windows media player, other foreign formats can be used on the piece of software too.
- Windows media player was originally meant to be a default software on any Windows software, it’s still being done.
- Windows media player is a default software on all Microsoft platforms meant it was free to own all those platforms, non-windows users pay to use the windows media player.
Common Misuses of Windows Media Player (WMP)
- Windows media player does not come pre-installed on any platform, both Microsoft users and non-Microsoft users have to pay to use the software.
- A windows media player has no feature of being able to rip or burn audio files from audio CDs.
