Microsoft tests CD ripping for Media Player in Windows 11
- Reference: 1657801814
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/07/14/insider_build/
- Source link:
As part of [1]Build 25158 that arrived in the Windows Insider Dev Channel last night, Microsoft added more dynamic examples of Widgets to the taskbars of the chosen dev channel users, and rolled out the usual raft of fixes.
The changes to search on the taskbar were eyecatching, and some Windows Insiders will see a quite different search experience. As well as a straightforward search icon, a search bar into which the user can type might also be present (with two sizes potentially on offer.) It's all very reminiscent of Windows 10.
[2]
Windows 11 search button variants
There is no guarantee that the functionality will ever make it past the Dev Channel (and Microsoft has decided to pull [3]the interactive desktop content it floated earlier this year ) but some might say it shows the company is paying attention to the complaints of users that are less than keen on changes made in the Windows 11 user interface.
[4]Microsoft teases Outlook Lite for Android
[5]Next major update of Windows 11 prepares for launch
[6]Microsoft patches the patch that broke Windows authentication
[7]Microsoft tests 'Suggested Actions' in Windows 11. Insiders: Can we turn it off?
Also a bit of throwback to the past was [8]an update to Microsoft's Media Player for Dev Channel Insiders . While Groove Music might have gone the way of the Dodo in the eyes of Microsoft, Windows users need their tunes. CD playback was therefore included in March and last night… CD ripping was added (with support for formats including AAC, WMA, FLAC and ALAC).
Media Player, which has languished a little in recent versions of Windows, is now front and centre in Microsoft's multimedia plans. It will also now use the file type associations from Movies & TV.
[9]
It will be interesting to see if Microsoft's retro theme continues. It has, after all, recently launched a [10]range of clothing aimed at recreating the glory days of, among others, Windows XP.
[11]
Perhaps a future Windows 11 update might feature Space Cadet Pinball once again or maybe, just maybe, the stability of the days when Windows was suffixed with NT. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2022/07/13/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-25158/
[2] https://regmedia.co.uk/2022/07/14/search-button-taskbar-variants.jpg
[3] https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2022/05/18/announcing-windows-11-insider-preview-build-25120/
[4] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/04/outlook_android_lite/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/08/windows_11_22h2_release_preview/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/20/microsoft_authentication_fix/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/12/windows_suggested_actions/
[8] https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2022/07/13/camera-app-refresh-and-media-player-update-for-windows-insiders/
[9] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YtA9qEFE5PJmvK4853TsxQAAABA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2022/07/13/hardwear/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/oses&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YtA9qEFE5PJmvK4853TsxQAAABA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Innovative
The innovation is passing the CD title back to their server as part of your surveillance history.
Centred start
I don't understand the centred start button. Why not leave it stuck right in the middle instead of shifting it across as you open more applications?
Re: Centred start
Because they seemingly want to copy Apple, they're just not very good at it.
Re: Centred start
Apple did always joke, 'Redmond start your photocopiers' . You don't have to look far to find endless counts Microsoft copying Apple.
Apple : MacOS we're now giving it for away for free. Microsoft : we will make Windows 10 free .
Apple : Spotlight introduced Microsoft : badly copy it, make it slow and buggy and add to Vista
Re: Centred start
Because they want it to look like a poorly executed clone of MacOS.
Re: Centred start
Apple had the Apple menu button centered in the menu bar in the OS X Public Beta. The screaming was loud. The Apple menu button went back to its traditional location and has stayed there ever since.
The OS X Public Beta was over two decades ago. MS can’t learn from the mistakes of others.
with support for formats including AAC, WMA, FLAC and ALAC
...and MP3, perchance? FLAC is useful, but there's no real reason for ALAC to exist (other than Apple refusing to support FLAC); AAC is fine but suffers from non-universality, and WMA is undeniably the spawn of Satan. In any case, you wouldn't catch me using WMP to rip CDs since I discovered [1]Exact Audio Copy and [2]LAME .
[1] https://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
[2] https://lame.sourceforge.io/index.php
mp3?
Na you want OGG. Where is the ogg support eh? (vorbis)
And do you prefer goose or swan feather for your quill?
Eagle. Or maybe vulture.
Media Player? That makes my eye twitch... more Korean antitrust lawsuits, anyone?
Audio CDs?
Oh Yes, I remember those from about 20 years ago. I don't think my kids have ever seen or heard one though.
If microsoft are feeling nostalgic, they might as well add ripping for 78rpm vinyl and 1/4 inch reel-to-reel tapes.
I'm glad to see that you are bringing your kids up to never own anything outright, and to be happy paying a subscription for everything they consume. Carry on doing a fine job as the new world economy depends on chump-milking.
78rpm is easy to rip using Audacity, so MS really don't need to add that sort of thing to the OS. 1/4 Inch tape is more of a faff, although I prefer to play them on my Akai 4000D through big speakers anyway.
Now get orf my laaand!
> 78rpm is easy to rip using Audacity
Although I just found out that in many cases it is dead easy to mod most players to spin at 78rpm, even direct drive models!
So forget Audacity, take a stab at a fun project too!
it is dead easy to mod most players to spin at 78rpm
That's only one of [1]several considerations .
[1] https://charm.rhul.ac.uk/history/p20_4_6.html
bringing your kids up to never own anything outright, and to be happy paying a subscription for everything they consume
You can actually still [1]buy DRM-free digital music , you know.
[1] https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08Z37ZSDV
I see what you did there. Very good.
However, despite my advancing years, I can still tell the difference between FLAC and MP3 (although only on my proper system) so will always buy lossless. [1] Bandcamp is my first port of call.
[1] https://bandcamp.com/
I intend no personal offence, but I don't really believe you. Have you ever done a truly blind listening test? At 320kbps (and even 256kbps), [1]even professional sound engineers tend to do no better than chance on A/B tests (see Figs. 1 and 4 in particular). Having said that, I'll still buy FLAC by preference, as I feel like something has been theoretically stolen from me otherwise.
[1] https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Subjective+Evaluation+of+MP3+Compression+for+Different+Musical+Genres
> If microsoft are feeling nostalgic, they might as well add ripping for 78rpm vinyl and 1/4 inch reel-to-reel tapes.
Being pedantic: They already have such support. Audio input + record button ;)
Innovative
In a time, when you are hard pressed to find a laptop with an optical drive,
adding the ability to rip CDs is pretty innovative