As many of you have heard, Microsoft has some big changes in store for users on its upcoming Windows 10 platform. One of these noteworthy changes is the absence of the popular Windows Media Center which was confirmed earlier this week by ZDNet.
The writing has been on the wall for some time after Microsoft opted not to build its Media Center into its flagship video game console – Xbox one. The lack of inclusion into Windows 10 is somewhat of a shock move considering so many people rely on it.
What was WMC used for?
For many, WMC is just a program used to play DVDs on their computers at home. If that is the extent of your Media Center usage, downloading a simple (yet awesome program) like VLC Media Player will remedy any DVD playing woes.
For other users who took WMC’s capabilities much further by using it with TV tuners, cable boxes and antennas to play, record and stream television throughout their home, Microsoft has many questions to answer.
Without Media Center users are wondering how they will interface with their televisions in the same way.
After using Media Center as such an important part of their home entertainment experience, what does Microsoft have to offer its users? Well, currently the answer is nothing. They have included a DVD playback feature into Windows 10, which makes up for that feature disappearing. Everything else, however, could be gone for good.
What caused the change?
Why is it being left out of Windows 10? According to Microsoft, it’s because hardly anyone was using the software as it originally intended. They have not even bothered to update the program in years and only included it as a purchasable add-on for certain editions of Windows 8 and 8.1, so dropping it from Windows 10 completely should really come as no surprise. In case you are wondering, Microsoft has confirmed that there will be no way to get the software onto its new OS in any way, shape or form.
Using Media Center Extenders to push content from your computer to a television? Yeah, that’s gone too, at least in its current form. You can use cool apps like PS3 Media Server on your computer to make up for some of that functionality. There are other ways to do this as well, but it’s going to force PC users into spending more money buying Push to TV style products rather than using their existing setup.
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WMC was also used extensively for organization of media files like pictures and music on local and networked machines. Whether or not there will be functionality for this in Windows 10 is anyone’s guess at this point. Microsoft better be ready for a hell storm of angry customers if they don’t give us something back in this department.
Windows Media Center(MCE) has had a long, good life but, unfortunately, it’s time to say goodbye. Does Media Center’s lack of inclusion bother you as a PC user? What steps are you taking to ensure that your media playing practices go uninterrupted? Leave us a comment with your thoughts on the matter.
