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Windows Media Center fans where very disappointed when Microsoft released the Developer Preview of Windows 8 without Windows Media Center but we told that it would be included in the final product (but in which SKU we don’t know). So I have all been waiting for the beta (now set to be called the Consumer Preview) to see if Media Center has any changes and to install Windows 8 on my PC connected to my TV.

It looks like we could be disappointed once again. The Verge are saying that they have been tipped off that Windows Media Center will not be included in the Consumer Preview which I think is going to be a really shame. I was aiming to install it on my Media Center machine but as its recording TV I can’t do this, the other machine I planned to install Windows 8 on was my HP Touchsmart which but again this runs Media Center and I wouldn’t want to loose this functionality.

While I don’t expect any changes to Windows Media Center in Windows 8 its a shame that we can’t at least give it a try and  think it probably shows how Microsoft feel about Windows Media Center at the moment.

UPDATE

Microsoft on there BuildingWindows8 twitter account said

Good grief. We said “Media Center will definitely be part of Windows 8” inhttp://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/09/02/reflecting-on-our-first-conversations-part-2.aspxhttp://pic.twitter.com/6oNUOlHv

The image shows Windows Media Center running in build 8225 but that still doesn’t mean that Windows Media Center will be included in the Consumer Preview

pic.twitter.com/6oNUOlHv

5 thoughts on “No Windows Media Center in Windows 8 Consumer Preview? (UPDATED)”
  1. Like many, I’m ambivalent towards 8MC. And like many, I have moved on. I think Microsoft has moved on too, but they don’t want to admit it.

    WMC was awesome for its time, but when XBMC finally got reliable GPU acceleration, its death was really only a matter of time for anyone not interested in DRM cable cards.

    At this point, I’m more interested in the developments of Windows Media Player and its integration to Media Foundation rather than a rigid front-end to a broken player.

    If Media player could easily handle multiple audio streams, subtitles, and blu ray, then others could use native Metro design elements to make a WMC that rocks. At this point, a simple re-compile of 7MC -> 8MC would be a bigger disappointment than leaving it out all together. MC is far too brittle and has far too many moving parts for a OS that is attempting to streamline its code base.

    1. Long live media center.
      It runs my house and no-one complains about how brittle or broken it is. Since it is the norm for my family they are curious why other kids just sit in front of the tv and watch whatever is on and can’t access other media through their tvs.

  2. I’d be very surprised if Windows Media Center isn’t in the “Consumer Preview” for two reasons; firstly this is the “beta” by another name and so should be feature complete so that they can move forward to the “release candidate” which is likely to be known as the “Business Preview” as I’ve read.

    The second reason is a little less robust but for me WMC is very much a consumer feature so would be very strange if it were not included.

  3. Ha! My kids are the same way. I believe that a media center is about the best way to allow kids to watch less media. I also think that an unbroken story is better for concentration rather than commercial interruptions.

    Or at least this was the rationale I used for my new nVidia GPU.

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