Enhancements to Windows Media Player 9 Series

Windows Media Player has a new object model that provides full support for Fast Streaming, multichannel audio, RTSP, and the latest codecs. Windows Media Player 9 Series is available for download from the Windows Media page of the Microsoft Web site (http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmedia).

In addition to its new object model, Windows Media Player has many new features that provide you greater control over the playback of your audio and video content. Some of these new features, such as Fast Streaming, were mentioned in earlier chapters, but are revisited here to help you understand them from the Player perspective. Other new features are described below.

Fast Streaming

Fast Streaming is a collection of features that enable the server and Player to work together to deliver an uninterrupted viewing experience. They do this by delivering content through a combination of streaming, downloading, and caching using these four components:

• Fast Start. The Player receives the beginning portion of the content at a bit rate that is faster than the requested bit rate given the maximum bandwidth available. Delivering the content in this way reduces the amount of time required to fill the buffer and the amount of time the user has to wait before playing content.

• Fast Cache. As the stream continues, the server makes use of any additional available bandwidth to send data to the Player buffer, which allows the Player to better withstand network bandwidth fluctuations.

• Fast Recovery. The server uses forward error correction to reduce packet corruption and interruption when delivering content to clients over wireless and satellite networks.

• Fast Reconnect. Enables the Player to reconnect to the server automatically when a connection is lost because of adverse network conditions.

Fast Streaming can be enabled and configured on the Windows Media server and through playlist and announcement files that are accessed by the Player. For example, when using Fast Reconnect, a server administrator might specify in an announcement file that the Player should attempt to reconnect to the server three times if a connection is lost. The code would look like this:

<asx version = "3.0">     <entry>         <ref href = mms://media_server_01/Execs?wmreconnect=3"/>

The Player would receive these instructions when accessing the announcement file and carry them out if a connection is lost.

No Fast Streaming configuration is necessary on the Player side. If you are using Windows Media Player 9 Series, then you can take advantage of the features automatically. Windows Media Player for Windows XP has limited support; earlier versions of the Player do not support Fast Streaming.

Adjusting the Playback Speed

Windows Media Player 9 Series enables you to adjust the playback speed of your content. Adjusting the speed can be useful when you need to slow the content down in order to understand a difficult concept, or if are having trouble deciphering the lyrics of a song. It can also be useful when you want to watch a video, but can’t spend the full playback time to do it. Changing the playback speed has no effect on the audio pitch.

This feature is available from the View menu. Click Enhancements, click Play Speed Settings, and then click Slow, Normal, or Fast.

Controlling the Audio Dynamic Range

Used in conjunction with the Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless or Windows Media Audio 9 Professional codecs, Quiet Mode enables you to control the difference between the loudest and softest sounds in your audio in order to avoid wide volume swings. This is useful in a movie, for example, that has quiet conversation followed by loud action scenes.

You can turn on Quiet Mode from the View menu by clicking Enhancements, clicking Quiet Mode, and then selecting your Quiet Mode options.

Smart Jukebox

Smart Jukebox is a collection of features that enable you to easily manage your digital audio collection. These features include Audio CD Burning with Volume Leveling, Auto Folder Monitoring, Auto Find, Auto Ratings, Auto Info, and the Advanced Tag Editor.

Audio CD Burning with Volume Leveling

Volume leveling, also known as normalization, is the process of automatically increasing or decreasing the average volume of a file to a specified level when it is played back. The goal of volume leveling is to make all files play at roughly the same volume level so you do not have to adjust the volume level manually for each file. The Player adds volume leveling values to Windows Media files or MP3 files when you copy tracks from an audio CD to Media Library, copy files from Media Library to an audio CD, play a file on your computer from start to finish without interruption (for example, without pausing, fast-forwarding, rewinding, or seeking), or add files to Media Library by searching your computer.

In Windows 2000 and Windows XP, the Media Library database is associated with individual users, so any volume leveling you perform will only affect your files. The exception is when you or another user selects the By searching computer option to locate media files. Then all writeable media files, regardless of the user who created them, will have the volume leveling applied. Read-only files will not be affected.

Auto Folder Monitoring

Specify which folders you want Windows Media Player to monitor. Any time the Player detects a change to the digital media in that folder, it will update Media Library accordingly. For example, if new media is added to a folder, it will be added to Media Library. If a media file is deleted, it will be removed from Media Library. And if a media file changes, it will be updated in Media Library. All of this is automatic.

Auto Find

Locate all digital media files on your computer so they can be included in Media Library. Once links to the files are included in Media Library, you can add them to playlists, edit their metadata, rate them, and perform other functions from one convenient location.

Auto Ratings

All of the content in Media Library is assigned a rating of three stars. Content that is played more often is assigned additional stars. You can use this information as criteria for setting up auto playlists. You can also assign your own ratings to all content.

Auto Info

Automatically correct or add album details (tags) to your MP3 and WMA files, including information such as artist or album name, year, composer, or track number. The Player attempts to update any missing media information in your music files by sending data about the files to a database operated by WindowsMedia.com.

Advanced Tag Editor

Add album, artist, track, genre, language, and other information to a media file. This information is displayed when you play back the content. You can also add synchronized lyrics by specifying the time at which they should be displayed. Advanced Tag Editor is accessible by right-clicking a media file in Media Library and then clicking Advanced Tag Editor.

Auto Playlists

While an ordinary playlist specifies one or more media items to be played in a sequence, an auto playlist specifies rules that are executed each time the playlist is played. Because the playlist does not contain specific items, the music or video that is played can be different with every execution of the playlist. For example, one of your rules might be to play five songs from a particular genre. Or you might set up your auto playlist to play only those songs or videos that you haven’t played in the last month. You can also use other criteria when creating your playlist rules, such as album title, artist, encoding date, bit rate, or rating.

All of the songs or videos referenced in your auto playlist must reside in Media Library. You may also set limits on the number of items played, the duration of the playlist, or the playlist size.

Windows Media Player 9 Series includes sample auto playlists, which are located in the \My Documents\My Music\Sample Playlists directory. All auto playlist files are plain-text XML files with a .wpl file name extension. To create an auto playlist, click Media Library, click Playlists, and then click New Auto Playlist.