Windows 10: Changes to Windows Media Center and Player Metadata service

Microsoft revealed plans on Friday to turn off the metadata service for certain media product and operating system combinations.

The company maintains two media products right now that ship with various versions of the Windows operating system; Windows Media Center, only available in Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, and Windows Media Player, available in all supported versions of Windows.

Both programs may use the metadata service to retrieve information about media from Microsoft servers. If a song is playing, the metadata service might retrieve the title, artist or genre of the song, or cover art. Movie and TV show metadata may include actor and director names, or genre.

Microsoft plans to shut down the metadata service for Windows Media Center entirely. The company did not include Windows Media Center in Windows 10 (but you may get it to install), which it released in 2015, and it was clear right then and there that the multimedia player would be on its way out.



Windows 7 users who run Windows Media Player will also have to do without the metadata service; Microsoft will shut down the service for Windows Media Player running on Windows 7 going forward but not for Windows Media Player running on Windows 8, 8.1 or 10.

The following table highlights how different operating systems are affected.

Windows Media version Operating system Affected by this change?
Windows Media Center
Windows 8.1 Yes
Windows 8 Yes
Windows 7 Yes
Windows Media Player
Windows 10 No
Windows 8.1 No
Windows 8 No
Windows 7 Yes

Microsoft notes that existing metadata will remain available in the player (metadata that was downloaded already) and that the termination won't affect primary features of either media player. Some features, those that rely on metadata, may be affected, however.

Why is Microsoft making the change?

According to Microsoft, the decision was made based on customer feedback and usage data.

After looking at customer feedback and usage data, Microsoft decided to discontinue this service. This means that new metadata won’t be updated on media players that are installed on your Windows device.
​

Closing Words


Windows customers who use Windows Media Center on all supported versions of Windows or Windows Media Player on Windows 7, won't be able to update or download metadata from Microsoft's metadata service anymore going forward.

It is unclear why Microsoft made the decision to terminate the metadata service this year and not next. Windows 7 runs out of support in January 2020; terminating the service then would certainly sit better with customers who use the service.

You can check out our Windows Media Center alternatives article to find a suitable media player that continues to support metadata.

Now You: Are you affected by the change? (via Born, Deskmodder)

Ghacks needs you. You can find out how to support us here or support the site directly by becoming a Patreon. Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Changes to Windows Media Center and Player Metadata service appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

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Windows Media Center Live TV Help

Hi

go here - Hauppauge | Page Not Found select "Windows Media Center install" tab

look at - Setting up your TV tuner in Windows 7 Media Center - select download (will open a pdf with screen by screen instructions)
"Download
Here is a screen by screen view of the setup of Windows Media Center. It was based on the WinTV-HVR-1600, but the setup with other WinTV-HVR products will be similar."

Follow the guide stage by stage

let the TPU community know at what "step" Media Center gets stuck at Example: step 1, step 2

nb: It may be to do with your zip code and or post code not being entered

In regard to your DVD Rom drive - go to -control panel/device manager/DVD/CD-ROM drives -make a note of the make and model number Example: Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-215D ATA Device - highlight the device you have installed -press right mouse button-select properties-details-property and select Install Date from the drop down list and let us know this.

atb (all the best)

Law-II

 

New Windows Media Player Plugin for Firefox

Anyone who uses Windows Vista and Mozilla Firefox may be pleased to hear that the Windows Media Player team has now released a plugin for Firefox that should allow the browser to play WMP content on websites. Here are the steps to get it working:

• Installation of the Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin may require administrative access to your PC. It is recommended that you close all other open browser windows before continuing with the installation.
• Click the Install button to automatically download and install the Windows Media Player Firefox Plugin.
• Depending on your security settings, you may see a Security Warning dialog box. Click Install to install the plugin.

There is a known issue if you are using Firefox version 2.0.0.3 on Windows Vista with the installer failing with error code -203. To work around this simply restart Firefox (you will get a notification that Windows Vista will be changing the Firefox compatibility settings) and then install again - the second time should succeed.

The download is available here, and the new plugin works on all versions of Windows XP and Windows Vista (although it is mostly intended for Vista, as that currently has no WMP support in Firefox).

Source: Windows Vista Blog

 

Faulty Windows Media Player

Windows Mesdis Player developed a fault (Played jerky an missed bits) so I down loaded Media Player 10.

It's no better. Any suggestions (I run Windows 98)