While I love Spotify, I recently invested in an Xbox Music Pass subscription. The reason why is quite simple -- cost. On March 14, which is Pi Day, Microsoft offered a steep discount on a year of the service. While the experience is sub-par on Android, it works brilliantly on Windows.
Today, Microsoft releases previews of both the Music and Videos apps for the Windows 10 Technical Preview. While there are many changes -- both visually and under the hood -- the most surprising is the apparent dropping of the Xbox branding. Is this the sign of a bigger change?
You can download the apps using the below links. Please note, you must be on Windows 10 Technical Preview 10049.
Download the Music Preview app (PC)
Download the Video Preview app (PC)
I eagerly downloaded both apps, but was far more excited for the Music Preview, as I actually use it. Typically, I will use VLC for watching locally stored video files and stream stuff from Netflix and Amazon Prime. Quite frankly, I have no use for Microsoft's Video app.
Microsoft shares the following about the Video app.
Features to try:
- Browse and play video files (including MKV!) on your device: Try out filtering and sorting your collection and adding a folder of videos to include in your collection.
- Browse and play movies & TV shows you’ve purchased from any Xbox Video device: Try starting a purchased video on one Xbox Video device and pick up playback right where you left off on another device.
What's coming next:
- Discover great new movies and TV shows in the Windows Store Beta – until then you can still get them in the existing Video App or the new web Store at here.
- Download movies and TV for offline play
- New device management so you can play your downloads offline more reliably on the devices you care about
- Improved search results
- Movie reviews and cast information
- Settings improvements
- And much more!
Here's what we know isn’t working quite right yet:
- Movies and TV shows downloaded in other versions of the app cannot be played in this preview app. They can only be streamed. This preview app only supports streaming at this time.
- Playback of purchased content may take several seconds to begin.
- Adding or removing folders from your video library can hang the app. Instead, use File Explorer to manage your video library.
- Playback of movies and TV may fail with error 0x8004c029. If it does, go here to learn more about how to fix it.
- Expired rentals incorrectly show a play button. Playing expired content will result in a playback error.
Microsoft shares the following about the Music Preview app.
Features to try:
- Browse and play your music collection: MP3s on your device, songs you’ve put in OneDrive, or music you’ve added to your collection with an Xbox Music Pass will all show up in the Music Preview App. Try out shuffling, filtering, and sorting your music collection. And try playing a Radio station based on one of your favorite artists or bands.
- Make playlists: Make playlists with all your music including music from OneDrive. Just create a new playlist and drag and drop the songs you want in that playlist. You can access all your playlists across your Windows devices, Xbox consoles and on the web at music.xbox.com.
- Xbox Music Pass: If you have an Xbox Music Pass, you can browse our full catalog and stream or download music for offline use and discover new music with artist radio stations.
What's coming next:
- Browse and buy music in the Windows Store Beta -- until then you can still buy music in the existing Music App
- Right-click context menus
- Better back button for easier app navigation
- Dark color theme
- Compact mode
- Settings improvements
- Improved support for accessibility
- And much more!
Here's what we know isn’t working quite right yet:
- After heavy use you may see galleries disappear and show a blank white page. Restarting the app will solve the issue.
- Playback of Music Pass content may fail with error 0x8004c029. If it does, go here to learn more about how to fix it.
- There are no playback controls on hover when the app appears in the taskbar.
So, is the Xbox Music brand going away? Time will tell, but I get a strong feeling that this may be the case. Gone is the "Xbox Music" logo in the music app and the iconic green and back colors in the app too. You can see side by side images above (click to enlarge). Hell, even the Xbox Music Pass is simply referred to as "Music Pass" in the settings.
Quite frankly, moving away from the Xbox Music branding is probably a smart idea, as some consumers could misunderstand it to only work on an Xbox console.
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