Microsoft to stop eating their Partner's lunch and charge for Windows Media Center

[caveman-jim]

Windows 8 will come without native DVD playback capability, a Microsoft blog has disclosed. The new version of Windows Media Player won't include the ability to natively play DVD's. If you want that functionality, plus the ability to play Blu-Ray's, you'll need to but Windows Media Center through the Microsoft Store using functionality previously known as Windows anytime upgrade.

Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance of a straight forward edition plan, we’ve decided to make Windows Media Center available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade). This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it. Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.

Clearly, this is a cost-based decision; the cost for licensing DVD and BluRay proprietary technology (and it's associated DRM) as well as recording broadcast television just came home to roost. In real terms, this will affect small system builders/value added resellers and home brewers the most, as typically new OEM PC's have shipped with DVD/BR playback and DVR software (if tuner equipped) from Arcsoft, Corel, Cyberlink or Sony for the last decade anyway.

Now you guys building your own HTPC's need to decide on if you're buying WMC/Corel/Sony/Arcsoft/Cyberlink and Hauppauge packages, or are going to open source it. So, no change there, really. You do get Dolby Digital + from streaming sources/local hard drive for free, though. Pay the same for windows and get less, hooray!

Read the full blog post here.

[Hatecrime69]

well if the crummy metro ui wasn't reason enough to upgrade, this certainly makes it a solid decision to not upgrade

[guest]

How will this affect technet subscribers?

Edit: If I read that correctly Windows 8 Pro has all that and doesn't require anything.

[Spyder]

Originally Posted by guest

Edit: If I read that correctly Windows 8 Pro has all that and doesn't require anything.

It looks like Windows 8 Pro will require the Windows 8 Media Center Pack which then makes it "Windows 8 Pro with Media Center"

[guest]

Originally Posted by Spyder

It looks like Windows 8 Pro will require the Windows 8 Media Center Pack which then makes it "Windows 8 Pro with Media Center"

So if you have basic windows 8 and get the Pro Pack you will have Pro with media center.

If you have Pro then you have to get the Media Center add-on. Madness!

[caveman-jim]

Yes, you have to buy Pro as an extra. I wonder if Technet subs will get a Pro activation code?

[badsykes]

Windows Media player clasic is my love for a long time anyway..........Also vlc is another alternative..
Windows media player 10 and above is bloated

[dawdler]

DLC for Windows 8.

Let me guess that buying WMC will cost more than a physical DVD player

Windows 9 will probably be subscription based.

[noko]

no wonder I couldn't get BluRays to play on any player (WinDVD 10 & 11, Power DVD 8,9,12) only Media Center will allow it which isn't available yet . Currently if I go full screen with a DVD using Movie Player it corrupts.

[gamekill]

I think MS is trying to hasten Bluray's death really, to shove their own compressed streaming services down everyone's throat asap.
These kinds of bundle decisions have a huge impact on people's behavior in general.
Yay for pristine audio-video quality obliterated into space.
We don't need that, we need more newer virtual rented blockbusters mooooar right?

[WimpMiester]

The amount MS over charges for everything they do more than makes up for DVD licensing. Besides we don't need Media Center, just the plug-in.

[Jokerzwild]

I haven't had a physical media player in my pc for over a year, so I could care less about this. Everything I watch and install comes through the intertubes or a usb stick.

[lemonhead]

Originally Posted by caveman-jim

Windows 8 will come without native DVD playback capability, a Microsoft blog has disclosed. The new version of Windows Media Player won't include the ability to natively play DVD's. If you want that functionality, plus the ability to play Blu-Ray's, you'll need to but Windows Media Center through the Microsoft Store using functionality previously known as Windows anytime upgrade.

Windows Media Center will not play blu-rays. If it had the capability, I would gladly pay extra to get it just because how well WMC works with an MPC remote.

That's the disappointing part. WMC will work almost exactly the same as the one in Windows 7 Home Edition, except that you'll have to pay extra, not just to get WMC, but to get Win8 pro features that come bundled with it.

I'll continue to use PowerDVD that came with my blu-ray drive for the blu-ray movies, and WMC / XBMC for everything else. I doubt I'll be upgrading to Windows 8 now on my gaming HTPC, until good third party metro apps show up that can do DVD/Blu-ray playback and media streaming through UPnP, with perfect MPC remote integration.

[xxJACKxx]

Originally Posted by Hatecrime69

well if the crummy metro ui wasn't reason enough to upgrade, this certainly makes it a solid decision to not upgrade

I'm starting to feel the same way. Is Microsoft trying to fail?

[Hatecrime69]

Originally Posted by xxJACKxx

I'm starting to feel the same way. Is Microsoft trying to fail?

Considering it's ballmer leading the show, that could very well be the case

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

[moshpit]

This is the first time ever since Windows 2000 that I've blown off beta testing all together and out right refuse to participate in a new consumer level Windows version's release. WMC just adds to my reasons to hate Windows 8.

[Hidavi]

This makes sense.

Only 2% of all Windows users even use WMC so MS feels its a waste to pay licensing for every OS if almost no one uses it.

That being said, I'm not seeing a good reason to upgrade my htpc to win8 at all...