How To Learn the Disadvantages of Windows Media Player

Even though Windows Media Player comes preinstalled with Windows XP, many agree that it is not best the best software to use when playing audio tracks. Don’t get the wrong idea; it does its task to play music for you without the hassle of you downloading third-party software for music playback, but there is a downside in using it as your default audio playback.

The following are the disadvantages users often encounter when playing audio tracks on Windows Media Player:

1. Visualization. When playing audio tracks, moving images appear. Understandably, this feature of Windows Media Player was created to establish a calming effect for the user listening to the music, but in actuality, it serves more as a distraction than as a soothing effect to one’s soul. Visualization Mode cannot be deactivated, thus it could cause annoyance and irritation for some users.
2. Media Library. Some users have reported that the player recurrently duplicates the media library.
3. Limited Audio Codec Support. For a media player, the Windows Media Player does not support as many file extensions and codecs as most of the music playback software available in the internet these days. For people who only listen to the file extensions mp3 and wav, Windows Media Player may seem great at first. But take into consideration that there are file codecs such as Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) and file extensions such as ogg vorbis, both of which have exceptional audio quality, cannot be played using this media player. Although soundcards and exceptional speakers do contribute in making a great listening experience, using software that restricts the quality of audio could defeat the purpose of buying expensive soundcards and speakers.
4. Duration Display. Windows Media Player does not display the duration of the audio being played. Although some don’t find this inconvenient, because it does not really influence their listening habits, some users use Windows Media Player to burn audio CDs. A CD can typically hold only up to 70 minutes of burned music, and if file duration isn’t displayed, estimating could prove to be difficult for a novice user.
5. Difficulty in Resizing the Application Window. Although there is an option users can use to resize the application window, it takes quite a lot of steps to be able to do it. Before a user can resize the window, they would have to switch to classic view to display the menu toolbar. Once the toolbar is available, they would have to click on the View dropdown menu and choose skin mode, and only then will the application window show in a size smaller.

It is understandable that users use Windows Media player as a default player, but there are many great alternatives that you can use where you won't have to deal with many of these disadvantages that could only hinder your listening experience.