Editing Windows Media Player (section)

==History==
[[File:Media Player v5.0 (Microsoft).jpg|thumb|Media Player 5.0 running in Windows 2000]]
The first version of Windows Media Player appeared in October 1991, when [[Windows 3.0]] with [[Windows 3.0#Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions|Multimedia Extensions]] was released.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/32905 |title=Windows Version History |date=September 23, 2011 |work=Support |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |edition=4.0 |access-date=May 2, 2009 |archive-date=February 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226175544/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/32905 |url-status=live }}</ref> Originally called Media Player, this component was included with "Multimedia PC"-compatible machines but not available for retail sale. It was capable of playing <code>.mmm</code> animation files, and could be extended to support other formats.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://toastytech.com/guis/win3mme.html | title=Windows 3.0 with Multimedia Extensions | work=Toasty Tech | access-date=May 2, 2009 | first=Nathan | last=Lineback | archive-date=April 15, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415145059/http://toastytech.com/guis/win3mme.html | url-status=live }}</ref> It used [[Media Control Interface|MCI]] to handle media files. Being a component of Windows, Media Player shows the same version number as that of the version Windows with which it was included.
[[File:WMP 12 on Windows 7.png|thumb|WMP running in [[Windows 7]]]]
Microsoft continually produced new programs to play media files. In November of the following year, [[Video for Windows]] was introduced with the ability to play [[digital video]] files in an [[Audio Video Interleave|AVI]] [[Container format (digital)|container format]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pctechguide.com/45DigitalVideo_Video_for_Windows.htm|title=Video for Windows|access-date=May 2, 2009|publisher=PC Tech Guide|archive-date=April 10, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410061809/http://www.pctechguide.com/45DigitalVideo_Video_for_Windows.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> with codec support for [[Run-length encoding|RLE]] and [[Video1]], and support for playing uncompressed files. [[Indeo]] 3.2 was added in a later release. Video for Windows was first available as a free add-on to [[Windows 3.1]], and later integrated into [[Windows 95]] and [[Windows NT 4.0]]. In 1995, Microsoft released [[ActiveMovie]] with DirectX Media SDK. ActiveMovie incorporates a new way of dealing with media files, and adds support for streaming media (which the original Media Player could not handle). In 1996, ActiveMovie was renamed [[DirectShow]].<ref>{{cite web
|url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc301631.aspx |title=DirectShow: Core Media Technology in Windows XP Empowers You to Create Custom Audio/Video Processing Components |date=July 2002 |access-date=May 1, 2009 |work=MSDN Magazine |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |first1 = Michael |last1 = Blome |first2 = Mike |last2 = Wasson |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914214002/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/cc301631.aspx |archive-date=September 14, 2008}}</ref> However, Media Player continued to come with Windows until Windows XP, in which it was officially renamed Windows Media Player v5.1.<ref><code>C:\Windows\system32\myplay32.exe</code>. Windows XP. Microsoft Corporation.</ref> ("v5.1" is the version number of Windows XP).

In 1999, Windows Media Player's versioning broke away from that of Windows itself. Windows Media Player 6.x came as an out-of-band update for [[Windows 95]]-[[Windows 98|98]] and [[Windows NT 4.0]] that co-existed with Media Player and became a built-in component of [[Windows 98 SE]] and [[Windows 2000]] with an ''mplayer2.exe'' stub allowing to use this built-in instead of newer versions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.microsoft.com/kb/224401/en-us|title=MPLAYER2.EXE Is Linked to Missing Export MSDXM.OCX|work=Support|publisher=[[Microsoft]]|date=April 25, 2006|access-date=February 13, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070314210342/http://support.microsoft.com/kb/224401|archive-date=March 14, 2007}}</ref> Windows Media Player 7.0 and its successors also came with an ''wmplayer.exe'' stub, replacing each other but leaving Media Player and Windows Media Player 6.4 intact. [[Windows Me]] and [[Windows XP]] is the operating systems to have three different versions of Windows Media Player side by side. All versions branded Windows Media Player (instead of simply Media Player) support DirectShow codecs. Version 7 of Windows Media Player was a large revamp, with a new user interface, visualizations and increased functionality. [[Windows Vista]], however, dropped older versions of Windows Media Player in favor of v11, which included the removal of the Windows Media Source Filter (DirectShow codec).

In 2004, Microsoft launched digital music store [[MSN Music]] which came bundled with Windows Media Player 10 to compete with Apple’s iTunes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/news/msn-music-to-offer-free-songs/ |title=MSN Music to offer free songs |access-date=2020-05-21 |archive-date=2020-09-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921074549/https://www.cnet.com/news/msn-music-to-offer-free-songs/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://news.microsoft.com/2004/09/01/msn-launches-preview-release-of-music-download-service/ |title=MSN Launches Preview Release of Music Download Service |date=September 2004 |access-date=2020-05-21 |archive-date=2020-08-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806104528/https://news.microsoft.com/2004/09/01/msn-launches-preview-release-of-music-download-service/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
However, MSN Music was discontinued already in 2006 with the launch of [[Zune]] music players.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.neowin.net/news/msn-music-shutting-down-for-zune |title=MSN Music Shutting Down for Zune |access-date=2020-05-21 |archive-date=2020-08-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200813090050/https://www.neowin.net/news/msn-music-shutting-down-for-zune |url-status=live }}</ref>

Beginning with [[Windows Vista]], Windows Media Player supports the [[Media Foundation]] framework besides DirectShow; as such it plays certain types of media using Media Foundation as well as some types of media using DirectShow.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd562786(VS.85).aspx |title=DSP Plug-in Packaging |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |work=[[MSDN]] |access-date=2010-04-08 |archive-date=2010-11-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105225512/http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd562786(VS.85).aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Windows Media Player 12 was released with [[Windows 7]]. It included support for more media formats and added new features. With [[Windows 8]], however, the player did not receive an upgrade.

On April 16, 2012, Microsoft announced that Windows Media Player would not be included in [[Windows RT]], the line of Windows designed to run on ARM-based devices.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/04/16/announcing-the-windows-8-editions.aspx |title=Windows Announcing the Windows 8 Editions |publisher=The Windows Blog |date=April 16, 2012 |first=Brandon |last=LeBlanc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418070243/http://windowsteamblog.com/windows/b/bloggingwindows/archive/2012/04/16/announcing-the-windows-8-editions.aspx |archive-date=April 18, 2012}}</ref>