M+E Daily
Windows 8 Will Not Come With DVD Support, Microsoft Says
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By Terence Keegan
Microsoft’s forthcoming Windows 8 operating system will not feature built-in support for DVD playback, the company has revealed, in a decision that signals the increasing dominance of streaming and downloadable media formats in the home entertainment marketplace.
Windows 8 users who wish to play DVDs (or Blu-ray discs) on their PCs will have to purchase separate software from Microsoft or a third party. But the company contends that relatively few users will require such features.
The market shift from discs to digital formats has rendered the licensing costs of DVD decoding technology unjustifiable, Microsoft said in a Thursday. “Globally, DVD sales have declined significantly year over year and Blu-ray on PCs is losing momentum as well,” the company stated. Yet royalties for including optical media decoding technology in the Windows operating system have remained “significant.”
“Our partners have shared clear concerns over the costs associated with codec licensing for traditional media playback,” Microsoft said, “especially as Windows 8 enables an unprecedented variety of form factors.”
DVD has enjoyed a 14-year run with Windows: Microsoft’s support for it in its Windows 98 operating system was an early endorsement for the optical disc format. Microsoft’s latest move — which also eliminates native support for television broadcasts — puts streaming and downloadable media technology like H.264 and front and center.
Microsoft is rumored to have slated Windows 8 for an October 2012 release.
