Skip to main content

Windows Media Player 10 Final Released

The new player is designed to make it faster and easier for consumers to discover, download, play and transport their digital media, and includes the first built-in Digital Media Mall, which enablesconsumers to browse and acquire music and video from a broad number of online stores. The Digital Media Mall includes access in the United States to CinemaNow Inc., Musicmatch Inc., MusicNow LLC,Napster LLC, Wal-Mart Music Downloads and MSN® Music, a preview of which will be made available tomorrow. Windows Media Player 10 also enables consumers to transfer their music to more than 70portable devices and automatically sync their entire media library — music, video, recorded TV and pictures — to new Windows Mobile (TM) -based Portable Media Centers, which Microsoft announcedwill be available tomorrow at retail.

“Windows Media Player 10 gives users the power of more music and choice, and for the first time makes it possible to sync high-quality music, video and photos to the latest portable devices,” said Will Poole, senior vice president of the Windows Client Division at Microsoft. “Windows Media Player 10 is a key element of Microsoft’s strategy to enable digital media everywhere, with even more to come later this year: more music and video, and more amazing devices for use in the home and on the go.”

“Creative’s customers can see a variety of enhancements to their digital entertainment experiences, both on the go and throughout the home, with Windows Media Player 10,” said Craig McHugh, president of Creative Labs Inc. “With the addition of Windows Media DRM 10 and the new Media Transfer Protocol, moving songs, videos and pictures to devices will be easier for consumers and more secure for content owners than ever before.”

“The improvements in Windows Media Player 10 are enabling customers to easily take content with them on the go, and to enjoy compatibility between their PCs, music players and a variety of popular download services,” said Gretchen Miller, co-director of marketing for the Consumer and Small Business Product Marketing Group at Dell Inc. “With Windows Media Player 10, we have the ability to enhance the capabilities of the Dell DJ and other devices, opening up more experiences, better ease of use and overall value for customers.”

New Features Make Digital Media a Breeze

Windows Media Player 10 offers a host of new and improved features:

  • New design. Windows Media Player 10 has a significantly updated look, making it quicker and more intuitive for users to perform common digital media activities. The player includes new ways to manage and enjoy a broader range of digital media — music, video, and now also recorded TV and more — and makes it easier than ever for consumers to create their own music CDs.
  • Choice of online stores. Windows Media Player 10 includes the first built-in Digital Media Mall, where users can easily discover, sample, and download music and video from a myriad of leading online stores and services, including MSN Music preview, Napster, Musicmatch, MusicNow, Wal-Mart Music Downloads and CinemaNow in the United States, with more stores and services to come later this year.
  • Enhanced device support. Windows Media Player 10 works with more than 70 portable devices, making it easy for consumers to take more digital music with them on the widest range of devices. The player also supports Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10, enabling consumers to transfer and play subscription and promotional content on portable devices, from Portable Media Centers available tomorrow to a range of new devices hitting the market this fall, including those connected via home networks. The new Auto Sync feature in Windows Media Player 10 will also work with certain existing and new devices, enabling users to automatically sync their music, video, pictures and recorded TV to portable devices.
  • Smart Jukebox features. Windows Media Player 10 includes features to help users find and play exactly the digital media they want, quickly and easily. Users also can rip their favorite CDs in their choice of the most popular formats; high-quality Windows Media Audio (WMA) and now high-bit-rate MP3 ripping capability are built in.

Windows Media Player 10 is the only media player to provide a solution for discovering and downloading music and video from a broad range of online stores and services, managing and playing media, and taking digital media anywhere on a wide range of devices. Whether consumers want to enjoy music while sitting at their desk, watch a video on the laptop at the cafe, take their favorite TV shows on a business trip with a Portable Media Center, or quickly transfer a playlist of songs to a device on the way out the door, Windows Media Player 10 delivers more choices than ever before.

Availability

Windows Media Player 10 for Windows® XP is available tomorrow, Sept. 2, in English, French and Korean. Other language versions are scheduled to become available in fall 2004. The player will be available for download from the Web at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/mp10/default.aspx .

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ian Bell
I work with the best people in the world and get paid to play with gadgets. What's not to like?
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

Read more
The best MacBook to buy in 2024
Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

Now that Apple has started outfitting its laptops with its M3 generation of chips, it's time to take another look at which is the best MacBook to buy in 2024. That’s not always easy, though, as buying the newest MacBook isn’t always the right decision. Apple has several tiers of performance, as well as various sizes, which can further complicate the matter.

What’s more, you can also still get M1 and M2 MacBooks, some from Apple’s own website and some from third-party retailers. But are they still worth your money? Our guide should help you decide.

Read more
9 best laptops of 2024: tested and reviewed
The MacBook Air on a white table.

To earn the crown as the best laptop in 2024, a device needs to have it all: gorgeous design, killer performance, a productive keyboard, long-lasting battery life, and much more.

Each of the laptops below has been vetted thoroughly by Digital Trends. Whether it's an affordable Chromebook or a top-of-the-line gaming laptop, they've all been subjected to real-world testing, as well as benchmark and battery tests, to collect enough data to objectively pit them against each other.

Read more