Microsoft has made the Windows Media Player 11 beta available to the public. For many of us, this is the first chance to play with Mr. Bill's new media player, and I for one am just darn excited.
Trotting on over to Microsoft's Windows Media Player 11 site, I quickly downloaded and installed the beta. I'm happy to report both the download and install went fine. WMP 11 beta also found my existing WMP 10 settings, media, playlists, etc. and moved everything over with a minimum of fuss or input from yours truly. Nice.
So what's new? First of all, Windows Media Player 11 is pretty. It relies heavily on a glossy black interface, along with controls that glow softly blue when you interact with them, and the overall look and feel work very well. The navigation has also gone minimal, ala the Internet Explorer 7 betas I have played with. There are still extensive controls and menu commands, but you have to hunt them down a bit and they don't clutter up the main interface.
The main music store integration is now URGE. If you're not aware, URGE is the new Microsoft/MTV joint venture to annoy Steve Jobs bring you, the discriminating digital media consumer, a one-stop online store for all your needs. And make no mistake, URGE gets plenty of shelf space in that new minimalistic navigation scheme.
There are more features, but the last addition I will touch on in this post is the new focus on non-audio, non-video media. WMP 11 now includes menu options and sections for "pictures" and "recorded TV." I haven't spent much time on the recorded TV option, but I did take a moment to investigate pictures. WMP 11 automatically found my photos (I'm assuming it took a trip through my My Documents folder) and built thumbnails. Upon clicking a thumbnail, I was treated to a slideshow. I'm looking forward to investigating these new features more as I use the program over time.
Overall, given my short time with the program so far, I am impressed with WMP 11. It's also nice to get a "taste" of Vista sensibilities with the interface and navigation sensibilities the beta is showing off.
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