Microsoft starts rolling out a new Movies & TV app to Windows Insiders

By Brad Jones Published March 8, 2017

windows new movies tv app — Aaron Hall

Microsoft has started rolling out an update to its Movies & TV app for Windows 10, which is also known as Films & TV in some regions. Members of the Windows Insider program that have opted into the Fast Ring should see these changes take effect imminently.

The app’s user interface is subject to the biggest changes made as part of this overhaul. Its familiar vertical menu has been abandoned in favor of a horizontal, tabbed interface that is more in line with Microsoft’s Photos and People apps, according to a report from MS Power User.

Recommended Videos

The new version of Movies & TV also introduces an Explore section, where users can browse movies and television series that are available for purchase and watch trailers for upcoming releases. This is a way for Microsoft to sell more digital content but it will be useful for anyone who uses the Microsoft Store to keep their video library well stocked.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The update also gives users a more convenient way of looking at all the video content that they currently have access to. The new combined library view brings together all purchased movies and television shows, rather than separating them off into two distinct categories.

This new version of the Movies & TV app is still being rolled out to Insiders, so a full changelog isn’t currently available. There is currently no indication of how long it will take for all Windows 10 users to receive the update.

However, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see the new Movies & TV app make its official debut as part of the Windows 10 Creators Update. That is set to drop in April and Microsoft will no doubt be looking to include as many new and updated features as possible to encourage users to upgrade.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…

Computing

Is Windows 11 acting up for you? This might be why

The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

This year's big Windows 11 update, 24H2, started a phased rollout in October and just became available to more PCs yesterday, December 4, as spotted by Windows Latest. To check if your PC is ready for it, just head to the settings page and check for updates -- if an update is not there for download yet, you'll have to wait until later in the rollout process.

Getting new things first isn't always a good thing when it comes to software, however. It can take quite a while for a new Windows build to be announced as "stable," and 24H2 is far from earning that title at the moment.

Computing

Microsoft won’t back down on Windows 11’s biggest hurdle

The Surface Pro 11 on a white table in front of a window.

Microsoft has reaffirmed that it will not lower the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, solidifying the need for a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and a compatible CPU. This decision leaves many older PCs ineligible for the upgrade. Microsoft emphasizes that these standards are vital for improved security and performance.

As per a recent blog post titled “TPM 2.0 – a necessity for a secure and future-proof Windows 11,” Microsoft reaffirmed its decision not to relax Windows 11’s strict hardware requirements. TPM 2.0 is a hardware-based security feature that protects sensitive data and ensures secure boot processes. Microsoft argues that such measures are nonnegotiable as the company continues to address rising cybersecurity threats. The minimum requirements include a list of approved CPUs, starting from AMD Ryzen 2000 and Intel 8th Gen processors, that offer advanced security features and better performance efficiency.

Computing

Windows 11 Recall finally arrives, but with one new problem

Recall screenshot.

The Windows 11 Recall feature has been troublesome since its announcement. Now that the feature is available in a testing capacity, it is still causing users some issues.

Tech reviewers testing the feature have observed that Recall will now fail to save the snapshots that allow the function to work. CNBC noted that it may take “several minutes” for a snapshot to save, which may leave delays in the AI processing. Tom Warren of The Verge, noted on Bluesky that snapshots were not saving at all in his experience.