Microsoft : Windows 8 Will Not Support DVD Playback, But You Can Always Opt-In !

Microsoft just announced that it’s latest operating system, Windows 8, will continue to support the well-received Windows Media Center feature that was also seen in Windows 7 and more. However, going by the pricing model of Windows 8, it will be available as an opt-in feature.

DVD playback support will therefore be not natively available in Windows 8. Apparently, the move comes as a consequence of the fact that DVD sales have been decling year over year and these days most of the media consumed by a common user comes from online/ web respositories.

Microsoft Windows 8 already supports plenty of codecs and video playback formats as compensation to the loss. And of course, there are always third party softwares available as pleasantires if you don’t want to hit that -per-use ‘Add Features to Windows 8’ icon in the Control Panel.

Justifying their decision for the aforementioned, Microsoft admits that including that feature cost it quite some royalties irrespective of whether the feature was used or not. So those customers interested in the feature can just request-add it for an undisclosed but presumably nominal fee.

As a refresher, Windows 8 will certainly include WinBdows Media Player in all editions but as of this announcement with DVD playback support, unless exclusively opted in. Simply said, Windows 8 Pro edition will natively include Windows Media Center while the basic editions won’t even though users can purchase the license later to start using the feature.

Here’s an excerpt from Microsoft in this regard:

“Given the changing landscape, the cost of decoder licensing, and the importance of a straight forward edition plan, we’ve decided to make Windows Media Center available to Windows 8 customers via the Add Features to Windows 8 control panel (formerly known as Windows Anytime Upgrade). This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it.

Windows Media Player will continue to be available in all editions, but without DVD playback support. For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray.”

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