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Windows Media Player for Windows XP Editor's Review

I was very suspicious about this Windows Media Player 11. Based on the impression I have made upon the other versions, I was anxious to see if this version can really change something. From version 6 I couldn't see anything special to this player.

At the first glance the player seems very commercially oriented, much more than the other versions. WMP 11 is based on a strong collaboration with URGE matchbox service. From the installation phase you can choose whether to install this service or not. Its installation gives the player another face. You can choose from thousand of songs, artists, albums, genres or radio services, by subscribing to their service. You must pay from 14.95$ per month to 149$ per year for a full access which grants you transfer service to compatible portable devices (iriver clix, Creative ZEN Vision:M, Samsung Z5), access to playlists based on styles, TV shows, music delivered direct from MTV, VH1, CMT and radio stations with high quality sound. Some of the radio stations are free, but most of them are asking for subscription at this service. Those times when you had access to free radio stations are almost gone.

The features included in the older versions were powerful but the interface was not so clear, so it was time for a change. Based on iTunes interactivity, the people from Microsoft realized a simple interface where all the important features are visible. Now the Library, Rip, Burn and Sync features are structured into tabs, each with its own options. Every tab has an extended menu from where you can choose all the advanced options for each feature.

The playlist panel is now an interactive tool. Based on drag&drop operations you can enter the files you want in this panel and then you can edit them, arrange, save or burn them on the disk. The panel has the ability to show how much free space still there is on the disk, and if you have too many files it can show you how many more disks you need. The same thing goes with the Sync option for portable devices.

The Library based on playlists, is the same as before. You can create your own playlists, or use the ones already present by default. But you will be able to do this only after you scan the PC for audio/video files. The new thing here is that every album, song, artist will be shown as thumbnails with its appropriate tags and original pictures from an online Media Player data base. If you are listening to a more underground music, WMP 11 is not able to show the correct genre, or the original album picture. They tried to enter a much more personalized feeling to the player, and they succeeded.

Not to get lost in options, the file tree is much more simpler than before and the command buttons are located in the lower middle side of the interface. The presence of 'back' and 'forward' buttons let you go back to the former operation of yours.

The quicksearch option is now similar to Winamp. Just enter a fragment of the song title or artist and you will get much faster the results. The more letters you enter, the better the search result is. It will show how many songs, albums and artists has found based on what you have written in a link manner.

Pluses: interactivity, more user friendly, personalized feeling, the quicksearch option.

Drawbacks / flaws: too commercial; the URGE service;

In conclusion: It seems that Microsoft has already begun to concentrate upon a more commercial way to implement its products. You get the software for free, but you have to pay for different services included in it.

version reviewed: 11