Chapter fourteen. Using Windows Media Player

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding Digital Media Files 286

Introducing Windows Media Player 286

Configuring WMP 288

Playing Audio Files 294

Listening to Internet Radio 295

Watching DVDs 296

Organizing Your Media Files 298

Using Other Media Players 302

The Bottom Line 303

You might not think of your PC as a full-featured audio/video playback and recording system, but it is. You can use your PC to listen to your favorite compact discs, tune in to radio broadcasts from around the world, watch movies on DVD, and record your own custom music collections.

Lots of third-party software is available various playback and recording operations, but Windows XP includes a single program that can perform all these tasks. Windows Media Player (WMP) is an all-in-one playback and recording utility that handles everything from CD and DVD playback to Internet radio and MP3 encoding.

And, if you've used a previous version of WMP, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the improvements in the Windows XP player. New features include MP3 compatibility, a better-looking interface, new visualizations, and improved information storage for your digital media files.

I'll discuss basic player operation (for both audio and video) in this chapter. If you're interested in using WMP to record digital audio files, go straight to Chapter 15, ">Playing and Recording MP3 and WMA Audio."

NOTE

The version of WMP originally included in Windows XP was version 8, but it has since been supplanted by the newer versions 9 and (most recently) 10. If you're still using an older version, go to the Windows Media Web site (www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/) to learn more about and download the newer version.