Betanews.com reports that a beta of Windows Media Player 9 has been appearing on the web. The version has been leaked and it seems to offer options that will also be intresting for CD Freaks visitors.
Besides DVD copying and also filesharing will be a feature. The Windows Media Player 9 seems to be build this January. Official release seems to be planned in September 2002.
Version 9 appears almost identical to its predecessor on the outside, but adds DVD copying, improved encoders and better plug-in management. Cross-fade and normalization plug-ins have been included as standard offering in the new Windows Media Player. |
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To facilitate editing of Windows Media Metadata, Microsoft has included a new tool called Advanced Edit. For each song or video, users can input a massive amount of details such as mood, beats per minute, Web sites, multiple comments, pictures and even synchronized lyrics.
While in the past it has kept away from the issue, Microsoft has included support for file sharing from within the Windows Media Player 9 beta. A "Send to Friend" option allows users to send a song or video to others on MSN or Windows Messenger with a simple click of the mouse. Such a feature could spark immense controversy, as Microsoft may be one of the few companies with pockets big enough to fend off the Recording Industry Association of America.
For home users, a big addition to Windows Media Player 9 is the ability to copy DVD movies to disk. It is unclear whether version 9 will also be able to create DVD movies, however in early January Microsoft licensed DVD recording technology from Sonic and has begun pushing Windows Media-enabled DVD players with hardware partners.
Source: Betanews.com
