[Yahoo News] Windows 8 dropping the ability to play DVDs

[mrpeavey]

Link

I know that there's VLC Media Player, etc. Still, this seems telling.

[SethDLH]

Originally Posted by mrpeavey

Link

I know that there's VLC Media Player, etc. Still, this seems really, really stupid.

Fixed.

[mrpeavey]

Originally Posted by SethDLH

Fixed.

[PatD]

They admitted in the article that its about the bottom line. All this crowing about DVD no longer being viable is because companies are taking active steps to *make it* no longer viable as a format so they can push for the the Next Big Thing [TM]. This is not the same phenomenon as VHS vs DVD 15 years ago.
If anything, it sounds like DVD is actually *too* viable--and the big companies painted themselves into a corner.

[Xiroteus]

Too many are trying to make something that is still current obsolete, some people think it is obsolete right now just because they do not use it.

[joltman]

It has nothing to do with trying to make it obsolete, considering the same applies for playing Blu-rays.

[Mister Peepers]

Originally Posted by joltman

It has nothing to do with trying to make it obsolete, considering the same applies for playing Blu-rays.

I don't think those 3 people are an issue.

[Xiroteus]

For about three years I used a PC for playing blu-rays and dvds (vlc is great for dvds anyway) it was just easier to have a stand alone blu-ray player.

[SethDLH]

Having a computer that can play discs, for me, is crucial. How else am I supposed to get screenshots of discs I have to review... pause the tv and take a pic with a digital camera? Windows 8 is stupid.

[PhantomStranger]

Microsoft's business interests incline them to do everything possible to move us toward a future where the data cloud is the only thing that exists. Apple and Microsoft do not want consumers buying DVDs when they can profit themselves off a download or stream.

[Xiroteus]

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger

Microsoft's business interests incline them to do everything possible to move us toward a future where the data cloud is the only thing that exists. Apple and Microsoft do not want consumers buying DVDs when they can profit themselves off a download or stream.

Never will there be a day I will pay twice as much for half the quality, if I want to own something I want it with me, netflix is fine for just watching though. More then enough people will be using dvds and blu-rays for quite some time.

[The Bus]

Originally Posted by Xiroteus

Never will there be a day I will pay twice as much for half the quality, if I want to own something I want it with me, netflix is fine for just watching though. More then enough people will be using dvds and blu-rays for quite some time.

I have no issue with streaming. There are films I like to keep physical copies of. There are others I may want to see a few times a year even, but will not be fussy about.

[Mister Peepers]

Originally Posted by SethDLH

Having a computer that can play discs, for me, is crucial. How else am I supposed to get screenshots of discs I have to review... pause the tv and take a pic with a digital camera? Windows 8 is stupid.

Use VLC or any other DVD playing software.

Why is anyone planning on upgrading their desktop to Windows 8? Is it so we have a list of undesirables?

If anyone has a spare PC or wants to try a dual boot, you can download it from Microsoft and try it out. It's going to be the first MS desktop OS I skip entirely. For a tablet OS, it's fine(but still won't replace Android or iOS) but as a desktop OS it sucks balls.

[thetao]

I am often the first to disparage Microsoft (99% of the time, rightly so), but my recollection is that Media Player originally shipped this way, well into the XP years. Many users acquire a Windows OS with a new PC, and those OEM's would be foolish to leave out the DVD/Blu-Ray support and potentially damage customer experience. Those customers shouldn't see a difference. In a way it's a shame, because as the largest software company in the world, I'm sure MS are able to negotiate really killer licensing rates. On the other hand, third party software vendors must welcome the increased market share, and this time it happened without a DOJ lawsuit.

If a few people finally perceive MS as the manipulative bastards they are and give Linux (etc.) a try, them some good will have come from this.

[BobO'Link]

Originally Posted by Mister Peepers

Use VLC or any other DVD playing software.

Why is anyone planning on upgrading their desktop to Windows 8? Is it so we have a list of undesirables?

If anyone has a spare PC or wants to try a dual boot, you can download it from Microsoft and try it out. It's going to be the first MS desktop OS I skip entirely. For a tablet OS, it's fine(but still won't replace Android or iOS) but as a desktop OS it sucks balls.

Exactly. I loaded it on a system at work. It's *horrible* as a desktop OS. A touchscreen monitor helps *some* but it's still like putting a giant tablet on the desk. I know tablets are "hot" right now but totally ignoring the still large desktop contigent is just stupid - and not just on MS part.

Are people forgetting that Vista was the first MS OS which didn't force the user to dl a codec to enable DVD playback?

[Nebiroth]

I shan't be moving to Win8 - not least because of the ghastly Metro being foisted upon us. If they discontinue support for 7, I'll be moving to Linux. Fast and gets me from under the MS (or Apple) jackboot too.

I agree that this is all part of a move to force users towards streaming. The studios have always hated the idea of consumers having permanent ownership of a film or TV series.

Once enough people get suckered into streaming, just watch it turn into a horror story of pay-per-view and forced advertising.

[The Cow]

Do people actually use Windows Media Player to play DVDs anyway??

[PatD]

Once upon a time before one had the ability to rent and purchase physical media with prerecorded materials such as VHS/DVD/Bluray--it was just TV and cable TV. The networks and studios decided what and when you watched a tv show or movie most likely with lots of commercial interruptions.

And now with streaming being pushed down our throats, it's their way of trying to grab that power again. But instead of bunny ears or an analog cable its just an internet connection to take us back to the same era of studio/network tyranny. An era with limited selection of tv/movie offerings, endless commercials, substandard picture resolution, and probably wrong aspect ratios?

Fuck that.

[Josh-da-man]

Originally Posted by The Cow

Do people actually use Windows Media Player to play DVDs anyway??

I don't use WMP for anything. I play music with WinAmp and use VLC to play videos.

[Josh-da-man]

Originally Posted by BobO'Link

Exactly. I loaded it on a system at work. It's *horrible* as a desktop OS. A touchscreen monitor helps *some* but it's still like putting a giant tablet on the desk. I know tablets are "hot" right now but totally ignoring the still large desktop contigent is just stupid - and not just on MS part.

Will new PCs be shipping with Windows 8 installed? Or will 8 only be included on tablets?

Because I think 7 is a near-perfect operating system, and I hate to see them do away with it.

[utopianz14]

MS is unbundling Windows Media Center from Windows 8. If you purchase the WMC add-on, then you'll get native DVD playback.

This seems to make sense business-wise, as I know very few people who actually use WMC, but as a heavy WMC user with a self-built HTPC, I don't see any reason for me to upgrade to Windows 8 at this point, especially when I'd have to pay extra for a WMC that isn't a much of an upgrade to the existing version.

[BobO'Link]

Originally Posted by Josh-da-man

Will new PCs be shipping with Windows 8 installed?

Yes, and in typical fashion it will be the "default" OS offered. But I'm sure most, if not all, system builders will offer a "downgrade" to Windows 7 at least for the first 9-12 months.

I truly can't believe the arrogance of MS in keeping/forcing the Metro interface on the desktop user in light of the many, many, many complaints from the people who've tried the OS. In light of the volume of other "problems" with this OS I doubt many people will notice WMP is MIA. I also expect the "Joe 6-Pack" crowd to just purchase it because "someone told them it was left out and they need it". The rest of us will continue to use VLC or another free, non DRM crippled, application.

[Xiroteus]

Originally Posted by The Bus

I have no issue with streaming. There are films I like to keep physical copies of. There are others I may want to see a few times a year even, but will not be fussy about.

Same here, netflix streaming or the library is great for series or a movie I do not care about owning. Not something I or appears you want for your favorites, not going to depend on them having what I want, where I want it and in the correct quality.

Originally Posted by Nebiroth

I agree that this is all part of a move to force users towards streaming. The studios have always hated the idea of consumers having permanent ownership of a film or TV series.

Once enough people get suckered into streaming, just watch it turn into a horror story of pay-per-view and forced advertising.

They really want everyone to have all their favorites or even content they PAID for to be on servers, no thank you. Like with digital comics, if I went to read them on my computer I have to log in, uh, no thank you, I paid for it I want to download it along with having it in the file type I want.

Originally Posted by The Cow

Do people actually use Windows Media Player to play DVDs anyway??

I do not even have it installed, VLC works perfectly.

Originally Posted by PatD

Once upon a time before one had the ability to rent and purchase physical media with prerecorded materials such as VHS/DVD/Bluray--it was just TV and cable TV. The networks and studios decided what and when you watched a tv show or movie most likely with lots of commercial interruptions.

The fun days that if your power went out and you missed something, months of waiting.

And now with streaming being pushed down our throats, it's their way of trying to grab that power again. But instead of bunny ears or an analog cable its just an internet connection to take us back to the same era of studio/network tyranny. An era with limited selection of tv/movie offerings, endless commercials, substandard picture resolution, and probably wrong aspect ratios?

Not how I will have my collection.

Fuck that.

Agreed.

[GoldenWheels]

Originally Posted by Nebiroth

I agree that this is all part of a move to force users towards streaming. The studios have always hated the idea of consumers having permanent ownership of a film or TV series.

Once enough people get suckered into streaming, just watch it turn into a horror story of pay-per-view and forced advertising.

Allow me to second or third that, however many agreements we are at now.

[big e]

I think a few of you are blowing this way out of proportion. I agree, it's a stupid move (even though I haven't used media player for years), but just because Microsoft isn't shipping Windows 8 with Media Player doesn't mean you will no longer be able to play DVDs on your computer. You could purchase Windows Media Center or use a free 3rd party application.

I don't see how Microsoft is forcing you to stream movies by removing WMP. I did not notice anything in the article that mentioned streaming.