Windows Media Player is the integrated multimedia viewing player that comes shipped with all Microsoft Windows operating systems. It is therefore one of the most popular media players on the market and will remain so for as long as Windows includes it as the default digital player on its operating system platform.
The Windows Media Player can be used to play just about any kind of mainstream media file. From MP3 support, to the ability to play complex MPEG and AVI files. Windows Media Player is configured to search and download codecs that extend functionality to play other file formats if it encounters one that it doesn't recognize, and this makes the Windows Media Player quite a popular choice.
Microsoft has also provided support for device to device synchronization using Windows Media Player. This means you can share your computer data with any portable devices that you might have - and even games consoles.
You don't have to have the files downloaded before playing them with Windows Media Player. One of the best improvements from yesteryear was the ability to stream content directly with progressive downloads and instant playback. When this ability was introduced, people were able to stream events directly in their media player. And as you can imagine, this is brilliant for watching sports events as they happen in real time.
Windows Media Player organizes all of the multimedia on the local hard drive with the help of its multimedia library. Instead of searching out files in the labyrinth of folders that can be expected of Microsoft Windows, you need only access the Windows Media Player library and locate the file in a library list which pulls together all playable music and videos on that particular system.
It's natural that when you're downloading music from the Internet, you may wish to burn some of those songs to disk for playability with other devices. Windows Media Player integrates a ripping function which allows you to build your own CDs and burn them at one of many different rates. The standard format is WMA, while the rates differ from 48, 64, 96, 128 all the way up to 192. Alternatively, you can use Windows Media Player to burn MP3 quality tracks. Using this popular format, it's possible to record up to 320 kbit/s, which is a preferred industry standard.
Since the boom of digital music sales, Microsoft has also implemented access to several music selling stores. It's now possible to connect online via Windows Media Player and download music directly to your computer. This is designed to counter the iTunes appeal, but the war rages on for dominance in the market.
Windows Media Player is currently at build version 11, but Windows Media Player 12 is likely to arrive soon. The last version was released on February 4th 2008, though some people downloaded it before in Beta form. The next versions are expected to favour Microsoft Vista heavily. Versions of Windows Media Player have previously been released for the Mac and Solaris, but these are no longer actively produced. You can download the latest version of Windows Media Player from the Microsoft website free of charge.
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