Windows 8 Won't Play DVDs Unless You Pay For the Media Center Pack 734
An anonymous reader writes "You may already know that Microsoft plans to sell Windows Media Center as a separate, paid pack, but now the company has revealed that Windows 8 will also stop default support for DVD playback. You'll only be able to play DVDs and Blu-rays if you upgrade to the Media Center pack. 'Acquiring either the Windows 8 Media Center Pack or the Windows 8 Pro Pack gives you Media Center, including DVD playback (in Media Center, not in Media Player), broadcast TV recording and playback (DBV-T/S, ISDB-S/T, DMBH, and ATSC), and VOB file playback. Pricing for these Packs, as well as retail versions of Windows 8, will be announced closer to the release date. To give you some indication of Media Center Pack pricing, it will be in line with marginal costs.'"
In a comment, Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky elaborates: "(marginal is small, honest, and we just haven't determined the final prices yet based on ongoing work but we are aiming for single digit dollars but we don't control the truly marginal costs). We wanted to include Media Player for everyone without everyone incurring the cost even if they don't even have an optical drive."
And I bet they'll pass those savings on! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Bad enough I pay for microtransactions in MMO's (Score:5, Funny)
How about $100 to get a C compiler, just so that you can write any program that isn't grindingly slow?
Get off my lawn.
Re:Bad enough I pay for microtransactions in MMO's (Score:5, Funny)
Want Metro, pay for it
Oh no man, that shit so bad you get it for free...
Could this be good for, eg, VLC & other OSS? (Score:3, Funny)
Perhaps this will boost interest in desktop Linux?
But can VLC do what M$ wants $$ to enable? IF so, M$ might as well give DVD playing away free.
Re:CCCP (Score:4, Funny)
Re:What the heck, is this the 1980's again? (Score:5, Funny)
Somewhere PowerDVD is wringing it's hands and cackling madly in it's secret lair.
Re:Bad enough I pay for microtransactions in MMO's (Score:4, Funny)
You can get Visual Studio Express with it's C compiler, for free.
You can get GCC through either MinGW or Cygwin for free.
Why would you want to pay $100? If you really want, you can give me $100 and I'll send you any of these on a CD...
Re:Bad enough I pay for microtransactions in MMO's (Score:5, Funny)
Of course not. It's M$. They are trying to Ten and Twenty you.
That's why the good lord invented freeware... (Score:4, Funny)
Or in other words, frack Windows Media Center...
Old joke. An interviewer asks a potential new programmer a question, "If you could be any piece of software, which would you be?"
"Windows Media Player, " the interviewee responds, "I like to be left alone."
Re:Bad enough I pay for microtransactions in MMO's (Score:5, Funny)
if it takes Linux 4hrs longer to install vs. windows, its' not cost effective.
Dude, you're doing it wrong.