iTechtalk

Freelancer · 11-25-2008, 10:32 AM

Playing media in Windows Media Player 11

The reason for using Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11) is not for nice colors or cool visualizations; it is so you can listen to music CDs or watch your favourite DVDs.

The basics in WMP11 haven’t changed. Simply put your musical CD in your CD-ROM and Windows 7 automatically loads the CD; an AutoPlay window may appear if activated, asking you to select an option. You can use either Windows Media Player 11 or the Windows Media Center. If you choose the former, WMP launches and loads your musical CD.

After Windows Media Player recognizes your CD, and assuming your computer is connected to the Internet, it populates the List pane, as shown in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1: If your computer is connected to the Internet, Windows Media Player automatically populates the List pane.

If you are simply looking to play your CD without using any of the other features available in Windows Media Player 11, you will most likely work only within the Now Playing tab of the toolbar. By right-clicking within the Center View of the WMP, you can perform a number of tasks, such as:

1) Set the Info Center View
2) Select a visualization
3) Opt for no visualization
4) Display full-screen view

Watching a DVD is just as easy as playing a CD. Windows Media Player 11 can play back your DVDs with all the standard features of your typical DVD player. When you put in a DVD, it loads in the WMP, and into the List pane.

You can use the remote-like toolbar at the bottom of the Windows Media Player to handle DVD management. You can hold down the fast forward or rewind buttons to use these common DVD functions. If you hold down on the DVD button, you can access more advanced DVD features, including:

1) Audio and language options
2) Captions and subtitle options
3) Root and Title menus
4) Camera angles
5) Capture image

Note: Windows Media Player 11 offers a solid option for DVD playback for Windows Vista Ultimate or Windows 7 Ultimate, especially if you are a laptop user or have great multimedia hardware.