Windows Media Player is the historical Microsoft program, always pre-installed on all versions of Windows, to listen to music on the computer and to see the downloaded videos and movies. Windows Media Player has now reached version 12 on Windows 7 while on Windows XP it has stopped at version 11.
Whatever version you have, starting with Windows Media player 10 and above, it must be admitted that Microsoft has done a good job providing a complete program that allows you to manage all the multimedia, audio and video files, on the PC, which always works and is pleasant to see.
To optimize Windows Media Player and choose the best options, both for the organization of the files, labels or tags and the covers of the CDs or films, both to set the listening radio, and for the video quality, you can configure the various settings offered.
If you are already familiar with the use of Windows Media Player and are looking for further improvements, I recommend skipping the first part of this article, go to paragraph 6 and download WMP Plus .20
To improve the playback of videos and music in Windows Media Player 12 (and in general also on WMP 11 ), you need to know some advanced settings .
1) Windows Media Player 12 improves compared to the other versions because it can play divxes, avi and movies downloaded from the internet without adding other codecs.
As seen, however, there are so many formats, including the popular MKV, that it is always advisable to download and install the updated Divx codecs to see all the videos .
2) If you are in " multimedia catalog " mode, you should click on the icon at the bottom right to switch to the execution mode which is much clearer and more convenient to use.
From here you can immediately start playing computer music and you can access the options menu by pressing the player with the right mouse button.
By clicking on " Show list " you will see on the right all the music or multimedia files (audio and video) that are included in the playlist.
In catalog mode, you can press the " Play " button on the right to see the list of music.
3) By clicking on " graphic effects " you can choose which video effect to display when listening to a playlist of songs.
There are the classic alchemy effects with lines that move following the rhythm of the music.
If desired, you can also download and install other graphic effects for Windows Media Player that will appear in this list.
4) The most important configuration part is related to advanced features .
By opening any one, you can then scroll through them by pressing the left and right buttons at the top.
Among these advanced options to move while listening to an mp3 file are:
- Cross fading and automatic volume leveling .
Volume leveling only applies to certain types of files.
It is possible to automatically add the values of the volume leveling information to the new files by returning to the catalog mode, pressing on the top menu with the right button, from tools, options, catalog.
Fades serve to gradually decrease the volume of the song that is ending (Fade Out) and increase the volume of the song that is starting.
- The graphic equalizer can be activated or deactivated.
You can select the default equalization settings from the music genre, by clicking on the predefined list or move the various levers individually or in groups.
You can always return to the default settings by clicking Reset.
- Playback speed is used to speed up or slow down music or video.
- The difference attenuation gives more emphasis to the bass but is not very relevant.
- SRS WOW effects increase stereo sound performance at low frequencies.
You can also optimize the sound quality for the speaker type.
If you want really high-level audio improvements, I would recommend the DFX plugin only that it is paid (but it's worth a try)
- Video settings allow you to adjust the hue, brightness, saturation and contrast.
You can also adjust the zoom.
- Dolby digital settings to activate the quality of a Dolby Surround stereo system.
5) Windows Media Player has greatly improved the management of labels (metadata of mp3 files) and covers .
By default, Windows Media Player takes the title, artist, album and covers for each song from the internet.
If you do not accept the default option during installation, we will need to activate the function manually from the menu on the top bar Tools, Options, Catalog .
To make the automatic modification of the metadata of each single unpacked file, right-click on it from the catalog mode, in the list of files in the center and choose the item: " find album information ".
From the window that opens, results should appear based on the name it was before and you can choose from the list the one you think is right with the relative CD cover.
By clicking on the artists, albums and songs columns, the results are sorted according to the parameter and, by typing a different name on the search, you can refine the results and obtain the right ones.
If a correct match is found for the media file, select it and click Next.
On WMP12 it is much easier to edit the tags simply by clicking on a metadata with the right mouse button and then on " Edit ".
This is very convenient for organizing the music according to, for example, by genre so management on the iPod or on an MP3 player is already easy and the music more organized.
From the columns at the top you can see what these modifiable details are but it must be remembered that many of them are hidden.
By right clicking on a column you can choose which to see and which to hide.
The choice of the cover can also be done manually and you can also put your own photos or images in place of the original ones.
By placing the expanded view (button at the top center, near the search in catalog mode), you can see the photos of the albums.
To change it you have to open an image, make the "copy, go back to WMP, press the right button on a CD cover and choose" Paste album cover ".
The ideal size of a cover image would be around 300 x 300 pixels.
6) To increase the functionality of Windows Media Player 12, 11 and also version 10 it is possible to download and install the updated WMP Plus tool.
This is a plugin that manages some of the program's hidden features for listening to Microsoft music.
Among its player improvement and optimization functions are:
- Tag Editor Plus: By pressing instead on a music with the right button you can also access the advanced tag editor to make changes to multiple metadata fields together.
- Ability to search by typing on the keyboard, without having to click first on the search field.
- Access the standard Windows Explorer menu by right-clicking on a media file directly from Windows Media Player.
Very convenient for copying, pasting, renaming and for opening the same file with other programs.
- Restore the last playlist listened to when the player started.
- Show the information of the song that you listen to in the title bar of the program.
- Deactivate group headers in the catalog.
- Change and customize the "What am I listening to" message in the state of Windows Live MSN Messenger.
- Access the properties and settings of the Windows Media Player plug-in plug-in within the main menu (Tools - Plug-in properties), without having to go to Options first.
- Quickly reactivate all plug-ins after a Windows Media Player crash.
7) You can also change the graphics of Windows Media Player if you don't like the standard one.
Interfaces or skins are the themes of WMP that can be downloaded for free from the Microsoft site and are installed from the View menu, Select interface .
From the menu Tools, Downloads, Interfaces, you directly access the web page for downloading new skins.
8) If you really don't like it, on Windows 7 you can delete Windows Media Player in the same way you can remove Windows Media Center.
If you have something to add, some tricks or plugins to report, let us know.
