Canon Puts Efficiency On Press
Auto Sync is a major new feature that enables instant, seamless, and automatic syncing of all sorts of media, from music to recorded TV to supported devices such as Creative's Zen Portable Media Center. Many files, especially video and photo, require transcoding, or formatting, in order to play back on portable devices. Although this can be a lengthy process, Windows Media Player does it automatically in the background so that it seems instantaneous. In addition, Windows Media Player 10.0 will intelligently load playlists and other media based on user rating, playback frequency, or any other user-defined parameter. If you decide to automatically sync a device, it shows up in the library. Simply expand the view to display the sync settings associated with it. (Note that while some devices are recognized by name, many register the generic name removable disk. You can rename them, and they will show up with that name subsequently.)
Another handy aspect of the syncing feature is that connected devices will also show up in My Computer under the heading Audio Devices. Thus, even those players that normally don't function as such can effectively be used as removable drives.
Unlike previous versions, Windows Media Player 10.0 supports photos and offers a separate field for recorded TV; the latter is designed for those with Media Center PCs. These features namely benefit those who have a Portable Media Center (PMC) such as Creative's Zen PMC, although it's also helpful if you prefer to organize all of your media within one program. Shutterbugs will appreciate the built-in photo slide-show feature.
We didn't find any significant differences between Windows Media Player 9.0 and 10.0 when it came to performance issues such as audio/video quality or load time, although the latest version seemed to switch between tabs more quickly. Streaming audio and video came through smoothly and at decent quality, as you'd expect over a broadband connection, and the program had no problems handling any of our archived media.
Hallelujah! Microsoft listened to the pleas of the MP3 faithful and now lets you rip CDs directly into MP3 files in Windows Media Player. You can choose a bit rate of up to 320Kbps for MP3 encoding, and you still have the option of recording files as WMAs. For the latter, you can choose to go Lossless, which will encode at a variable bit rate from 470Kbps to 940Kbps. Microsoft also implemented another highly appreciated, albeit smaller, change to Windows Media Player's CD-ripping settings: The default copy protection status is now set to No, so you don't have to worry about accidentally protecting your music when ripping CDs.
Support for free software is historically limited or expensive, and Microsoft doesn't break the mold here, with one-on-one support costing $35 a pop. The company's Web site, however, offers several self-help sections, including one each for how-tos, FAQs, troubleshooting, and video tutorials. If you're willing to wait for a response, Microsoft also provides an e-mail alias to which users can send their questions. Answers are posted on a weekly basis.
