

The player is also able to utilize a digital rights management service in the form of Windows Media DRM. The default file formats are Windows Media Video (WMV), Windows Media Audio (WMA), and Advanced Systems Format (ASF), and its own XML based playlist format called Windows Playlist ( WPL). It was made available for Windows XP and is included in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Windows Media Player 11 is the last out-of-band version of Media Player. These versions of Windows also included several other media playback apps, namely ActiveMovie Control, CD Player, DVD Player, Windows Media Center, and Microsoft Movies & TV. For example Media Player versions 5.1, 6.4, and 8 were all included in Windows XP.

Windows Media Player is a unique component, in that since 1999, each version of Windows came with two or more versions of it side-by-side. In addition to being a media player, the app has the ability to rip audio file from and copy to compact discs, burn recordable discs in Audio CD format or as data discs with playlists such as an MP3 CD, synchronize content with a digital audio player (MP3 player) or other mobile devices, and enable users to purchase or rent music from a number of online music stores. This fee likely reflects the cost of licensing the codecs for Microsoft.Windows Media Player icon used in Windows XP. If you search the Store for HEVC, you’ll see the $0.99 HEVC Video Extensions package. Both are identical, but one costs $0.99 and one is free.

There are actually two different codec packages you can get from the Store. You have no guarantee that they’re safe, even if you run them through antivirus tools like VirusTotal to check. Your only alternative is to try to download the codecs from a third-party website, which is potentially risky. If you use video editing software that relies on Microsoft’s HEVC codecs to import and export H.265 video, like DaVinci Resolve, you’ll need to pay for the codecs. Unfortunately, that means you must now either pay the 99 cents for the other codecs available from Microsoft or opt to use a third-party video player, like VLC, to play back videos encoded with H.265.

RELATED: What Is HEVC H.265 Video, and Why Is It So Important for 4K Movies? How to Install the Codecs for Free Update, 4/7/23: Microsoft has finally pulled the free HEVC codec from the Microsoft Store. These codecs are also required for encoding video in HEVC (H.265) format in applications that use Windows 10’s system codecs. These aren’t included with the latest versions of Windows 10 but must be installed from the Microsoft Store. For built-in support, you’ll need the codecs.
