Here is an except from a CNET newsletter called Digital Dispatch. It talks about WMP 9.0 beta, but, at the end, the reviewer requests info about alternative jukebox apps. If you wish, you may want to post a message about your experiences with MJ.
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Dawn of a new media player
Microsoft came to town last week to show off the beta of Windows Media Player 9 (for Windows 98/2000/ME or XP), which was released Thursday, and I have to say I was impressed.
Microsoft’s latest entry into the competitive media player market offers way too many features to cover in this space, but here’s a little preview. The player’s interface offers some new configuration options. I particularly like the Mini-Mode option, which hides the player window and puts the controls in the taskbar for easy access. Microsoft decided not to include skin support (making the dubious claim that users aren't interested in skinning), but it does have an interesting control to rotate through different color schemes. The player supports plug-ins, letting you do things such as cross-fade from one song to the next or speed through video. New codecs include WMA 9 Professional, which offers full digital surround sound support. I was very pleased with the sound quality, especially when I ran it through a SoundBlaster Extigy. I could go into more detail on its features, but I'll save that for another time. And one caveat: This software is still in beta. I highly recommend you read about its known bugs before you try it out.
What media player and management software do you use? Let me know at edit@download.com.
mailto:edit@download.com?subject=Messing_with_mediaWayne Cunningham
Features Editor, CNET Download.com
Author
Topic: CNET overview of WMP 9.0 beta (Read 691 times)