Windows Media Player 11 Released

Microsoft has released to the public the final version of its popular media playing application, Windows Media Player 11.

Microsoft said the latest version, called Windows Media Player 11, has been released for Windows XP, and brings along with it a new user interface, greater online store integration, and improved navigation for larger music libraries.

Speaking at the occasion, Mike Sievert, corporate vice president - Windows, Microsoft, said:

"Windows Media Player 11 is the first media player to be truly designed keeping the digital entertainment lover in mind. The fresh, exciting, new look, the ability to find songs and videos in an instant, and the enhanced capabilities for syncing with portable devices are not only exactly what customers have asked us for, they are also a preview of what is to come in Windows Vista."

The Media Player 11 is integrated with MTV Network's URGE digital music service, providing consumers with instant access to the entire URGE catalog of more than 110,000 artists and 2 million songs. The search capabilities of Media Player 11 enable consumers to easily scroll through and access music faster than on any other media player.

The other key features provided by Media Player 11 include a visually driven experience using thumbnail and album art; improved device experience with new shuffle sync and reverse sync options, and device exploration using the library view; highly simplified navigation capabilities, enhanced shortcut options, and dedicated category views for all media types; better access to content; audio fingerprinting capabilities that recognize and import track information for unidentified or misnamed audio files; and new formats for ripping and music playback, including Windows Media Audio Professional and WAV Lossless.

It is learnt that more than 200 portable and home networking devices world-wide will seamlessly work with Windows Media Player 11, while hundreds of online music and video services and radio stations world-wide are designed to work with the new player.

Meanwhile, Microsoft will encourage all Windows customers to download Windows Media Player 11 free of charge at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia.