Download Windows 7 Beta Windows Media Player Update

[Dr. V]

An update is available for Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player in Windows 7 Beta. This update addresses some issues with Windows Media Center playback, recording, and MP3 file support in Windows.

Playback and recording issues that are fixed in this update

• Protected tuning sources, such as OCUR and ISDB, do not function correctly.
• MHEG (iTV) in Europe does not function correctly.
• Recording of a series may fail after some time if the system was upgraded from Windows Vista and the recording of that series was set up in Windows Vista.
• Windows Vista DVR-MS recordings do not play back in Windows Media Center or in Windows Media Player.
• Windows Media Center may become unstable when you perform recording operations.

The following files are available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Windows 7 Beta, 32-bit versions
Download the Windows6.1-KB961367-x86.msu package now.

Windows 7 Beta, 64-bit versions
Download the Windows6.1-KB961367-x64.msu package now.

[Dr. V]

An MP3 file support issue that is fixed in this update

Every time that metadata is edited in an MP3 file that already contains lots of metadata in the file header, some audio at the beginning of the track may be lost permanently. Up to several seconds of audio may be lost.

Large headers are common in music files that are purchased from commercial services because the files usually have large album art. Use of tools to add large album art to existing MP3 files may also cause this audio loss. Specifically, any information that causes the header size to exceed 16 kilobytes will trigger the loss. Each edit will increase the total loss.

Important Windows Media Player has a feature that adds metadata that is missing. This may include large album art. By default, this feature is turned on. Therefore, without action on your part, all MP3 files that have large headers in your Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center libraries are likely to lose some audio. Install the update to resolve this issue before you introduce MP3 files to the computer.

Note The metadata for an MP3 file can be edited by Windows Explorer, Windows Media Center, and Windows Media Player. Such metadata includes album art (also known as a thumbnail), artist, album name, track, and several other tags. In Windows 7 Beta, Media Foundation programming interfaces perform metadata editing of MP3 files.

[Dr. V]

Workarounds for the MP3 file corruption issue
If you do not apply this update, the most effective workaround is to set the properties of all MP3 files to read-only on local hard disks, removable drives, and network shares that can be accessed by Windows 7 Beta computers. To do this, follow these steps:

• In Windows Explorer, select and right-click your MP3 files, and then click Properties.
• On the General tab, click to select the Read-only check box.
• We recommend that you back up all the MP3 files before you use Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center.
• A simpler but less complete workaround is to disable metadata automatic updates in Windows Media Player by setting the Windows Media Player options. To do this, follow these steps:
• On the Tools menu, click Options.
• On the Library tab, click to clear the Retrieve additional information from the Internet check box and the Maintain my star ratings as global ratings in files check box.
• Click OK.

A possible solution to the MP3 file corruption issue

• If some of your MP3 files have already been affected, you might be able to restore the corrupted MP3 files to their pre-edit status. To do this, follow these steps:
• In Windows Explorer, right-click a corrupted MP3 file, and then click Properties.
• On the Previous Version tab, select an earlier version in the File Versions list, and then click Restore. If multiple edits were performed, you may have to revert to the oldest version that is available.