Windows 8 won’t play DVDs… unless you pay extra

It’s a little worrisome that 85% of folks here have a problem with this decision. I think that many aren’t computer boffins and don’t understand that it is no big issue and can be solved very easily and for free. I’ll try to clarify a few things:

1. Windows 8 will not include a small piece of software (called a codec) that allows DVD video discs (the kind that can be played in a regular DVD player) to be played.

2. If you want to use your PC to play DVD video discs, you can still do that. You have many options, but the simplest would be to download and install VLC. It’s free, easy to use, easy to find (Google), and the total process will take you two minutes. If you can use the web, you’re savvy enough to get, install and use VLC. Two minutes to save £5, for a better piece of software is well worth it in my opinion.

3. If your PC has a DVD drive it will still be able to read and write to DVD discs to install software and backup normal files like photos, video clips, documents etc. I’ll repeat; this change is only concerned with the playback of DVD video discs.

4. The reason for this is cost vs. user base. Since Microsoft don’t own the software that allows DVD video playback, they have to pay the owner (purportedly $2 per unit) for every copy of Windows that they sell. $2 may not seem very much, but it would probably put the price of Windows up by about £5 (after you add the shop’s margin), and that’s about 10% of the overall price. Should the 94% of people who do not watch DVDs on their PC be forced to pay about 10% more for Windows 8, for a function that they do not use?

5. As an analogy, including the DVD video codec software in Windows 8 is like Ford including a cigarette lighter as standard with every Fiesta, and having to charge £1,000 for it. The result is a much inflated price for something that only a small proportion of customers want (albeit a small proportion of a very large number). In this case there are better after-market solutions, available for free, that can be downloaded and installed in 2 minutes. It’s hardly a deal breaker, even for those who aren’t so tech savvy.

Perhaps retailers should compile a list of good quality free and open source software to cover a whole host of basic needs, and then install the ones that the customer wants before they take delivery? Would you find that useful?

Storm in a teacup. The headline is misleading as it suggests that Windows 8 won’t play DVDs at all unless you pay for an add on, which is why so many people have voted No. The truth is Windows 8 won’t have a built in DVD player, but there is nothing stopping you from installing a free one. If you use a computer to browse the internet then you should be capable of installing software, such as the previously mentioned VLC. If you are not capable of doing that then I imagine you probably don’t watch DVDs on your computer either. Of the 6% that do watch DVDs, probably half don’t use Media Player anyway, so this will only affect a tiny minority of people. It will actually be a blessing in disguise for people that do currently use Media Player, as they will soon realise there is much better software out there for watching their movies.