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New Windows Media Player Review

ThatM1key

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This is my review for the new "Windows Media Player" that was included in a Windows 11 update. I discovered that I had it installed via the Microsoft Store. I'll mainly be comparing against it to Windows Media Player 12. This review focuses on the Music aspects not the Video ones.

Before I start the review lets just have a quick look at what were dealing with:

Windows Media Player 12:
WMP12.jpg


New Windows Media Player:
WMP13.jpg


Customization:

The New WMP offers a few color settings, Dark/Light Theme and Accent Color.
Color.jpg


Although WMP12 doesn't offer color options, it does offer custom Skins and custom visualizations, which will be talking about later.
Skin.jpg


If you want some skins, Skin Factory re-released there skins: https://www.theskinsfactory.com/wmpdesign

Graphic Equalizer:

New WMP's Graphic Equalizer features 9-band sliders and an option to move sliders together.
Equalizer.jpg


WMP12's Graphic Equalizer features 10-band sliders and 2 options on how to move the sliders together (Tight and Loose). WMP12 also features SRS WOW effects.
WMP12EQ.jpg

WMP12SRS.jpg


Mini Player:

New WMP offers a few Mini Player sizes but its glitchy at the moment
WMP131.jpg

WMP132.jpg


WMP12 offers a few mini player options including default skins
WMP12Mini.jpg

WMP12Mini1.png

WMP12Mini3.jpg


Eye Candy Virtualizations:

New WMP doesn't any have visualizations while WMP12 has a good amount of default ones and you are able to add even more.
WMP12V.jpg


Ripping:

Although ripping a CD with any WMP is a sin for perfectionist audio lovers, WMP was a good ripping tool for the average joe. New WMP does not offer any ripping option while WMP12 does
WMP12Rip.jpg


Formats:
WMP12 can play a good amount of common formats like FLAC. New WMP supports more formats like OGG. You can make WMP12 play OGG files with Plug-ins and Codecs. There is no New WMP official format list.
Screenshot 2022-04-10 101404.jpg


File Properties:

New WMP is missing the "Composer" section.
NWMPProp.jpg


WMP12 Properties is missing the "Year" "Album Artist", and "Track Number".
WMP121 Properties.jpg

WMP12 Properties.jpg


Both are missing the "Bit Depth" and "Frequency" when comparing to other players.

Metadata Editing:

For whatever New WMP doesn't want to edit any Info. Even when you select a song directly, and click the "Edit Info", It just then deselects.
NWMPEdit.jpg


With WMP12, you are easily able to edit a good chunk of the metadata.
Screenshot 2022-04-10 152507.jpg


Metadata Lookup:

New WMP has an option to lookup missing info automatically but that's about it. It is turned on by default.
Screenshot 2022-04-11 133614.jpg



WMP12 has 3 options technically, Automatic Retrieval, "Find Album Info" and "Update Album Info".

"Find Album Info" let's you manually search for metadata.
Screenshot 2022-04-11 133721.jpg


"Automatic Retrieval" has 2 options itself. I'm fairly certain it is enabled by default on "Only Add Missing Information".
Screenshot 2022-04-11 134534.jpg


"Find Album Info" is a feature where you can force the player to lookup metadata automatically for your album.

Output Support:
Both WMP12 and New WMP do not have customizable output settings.


Simple Conclusion:
Although New WMP does fit Windows 11, WMP12 offers more features and does better overall. WMP12 is a viable option for any person that just wants to play there music with stability, features and customization.
 
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Berwhale

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I haven't used WMP for many years, i'd almost forgotten about it. It doesn't look like there's much reason to go back. Thanks for the review.
 

Saidera

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I use WMP only for compatibility with SonicStage Mastering Studio Audio Filter (the only way I have found so far to use VST effects for casual listening not in a DAW). This is the way I got to use a good EQ on MDR-ZX110 because bad quality EQs didn't make ZX110 sound quite as good. I suspect that is why ZX110 users didn't universally favour amirm's EQ settings.
 
D

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Yet another media player that tries to do way too much.
  • I can organize my own files
  • I don't need CD ripping (who does that anymore?)
  • I don't need silly skins or eye candy visualizations
  • I make my own playlists
  • I don't need album cover art cluttering up my drives
All I need a media player to do is... are you ready?... play my media files.

MPC-BE ... The black edition of Media Player Classic does this perfectly well and uses about 1/5 the space.
Available from Source Forge and the Microsoft Store ... for free.

mpcbe.JPG
 

Katji

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MPC-BE ... The black edition of Media Player Classic does this perfectly well and uses about 1/5 the space.
Also available from Source Forge

"13 is the final version and the program has been officially discontinued as of July 16, 2017, due to a shortage of active developers with C/C++ experience."

:-o Really? I didn't know that. It's hard to believe. I wonder where they went - C#, I suppose.


If I install it and point it to my Music folder, will it create files or something?
Does it uninstall properly or it needs seek & destroy missions in the Registry?
 
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D

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:-o Really? I didn't know that. It's hard to believe. I wonder where they went - C#, I suppose.
"13 is the final version and the program has been officially discontinued as of July 16, 2017, due to a shortage of active developers with C/C++ experience."

Where did you get that?

The older MPC-HC was abandoned. MPC-BE carries on as a fork from the original project and is still in active development.

From Source Forge ... "Last Update: 2022-01-30"
 
D

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MPC and MPC-BE are not the same thing. (There's also MPC-HC, which is also not the same thing.)

Exactly... The only thing they share is the "Classic" Windows Media player appearance.

For proper clarity here are the links again ....

MPC-BE ... The black edition of Media Player Classic does this perfectly well and uses about 1/5 the space.
Available from Source Forge and the Microsoft Store ... for free.

The MPC-BE program is still in active development.
 
D

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If I install it and point it to my Music folder, will it create files or something?
Does it uninstall properly or it needs seek & destroy missions in the Registry?

Seriously?

It's a media player ... you click on a song or movie file and it plays it.
 

Katji

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FYI: music/media players generally create some or other library files.
Second point: many programs do not uninstall properly - hence seek & destroy missions.
 

Vincent Kars

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Wonder it art work is still resized to 240x240.
It was one of the reasons I dropped WMP about a decade ago
 

Katji

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Wonder it art work is still resized to 240x240.
It was one of the reasons I dropped WMP about a decade ago
No...at least not in the full screen mode or the Now Playing view, but it does still create that Art Cache folder...and something I did a while ago caused it to always show the small resized version. The full size original image needs to be resized for the full screen / Now Playing view though, because [like the Soundcloud format used here] it only shows part of the image. Quite incompetent/silly not to resize it to actual size of the window.
 
D

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FYI: music/media players generally create some or other library files.
Second point: many programs do not uninstall properly - hence seek & destroy missions.

This one does not.

If you uninstall it you can also elect to remove your settings.
Or better still... just elect to save settings in the player's folder.

I don't know why this scares you so much ...
 

Katji

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This one does not.

If you uninstall it you can also elect to remove your settings.
Or better still... just elect to save settings in the player's folder.

I don't know why this scares you so much ...
User settings should be stored in C:\Users\user_name\AppData\Roaming
and 'scares' is not the right word there. But apparently you don't know.
...Let me spell it out to you: seek & destroy missions to clear shit out the Registry, even 20 minutes is too much, and programs are supposed to do it on uninstall.
 

anmpr1

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Thanks for the rundown. I really have to ask, "Why?" That is, why does MS do this? The obvious answer would be they are somehow thinking of monetizing it. How? They attempted that with their Groove music thing, but it didn't work out for them the way they planned. Are they running ads for MS 365 in their music player?

My guess is that anyone even half-way serious about organizing and playing their stored PC tunes isn't going to go for this half-way effort.

Why do I call it a half-way effort? I'm currently using the age-old Music Bee free software. In just one example, EQ options, you can judge which application is serious, and which is , "Let's just throw something out there and hope it sticks." I'd show the other 'settings' in MB Player, but it would take up too much space. The 'settings' in MS Player are the EQ, and that's pretty much it. LOL

God, I hate to come down so hard on MS. But they do it to themselves. It's like they can't help it.


musicbee.jpg
ms.jpg
 
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