Google launched its Google Media Server which well, serves media, to any Universal Plug-and-Play device you might have lying around, such as a Sony PlayStation 3. The software, part of the Google Desktop suite, streams media from PCs running Windows only, for now.

The Google Media Server allows users to access videos, music, and photos stored on the PC it runs on; view Picasa Web Albums; and play YouTube videos.

The software is still in beta phase, which means that it won't perform flawlessly just yet. Google Media Server does not work with Microsoft's gaming console Xbox due to unresolved legal issues.

Each Universal Plug-and-Play device must be individually authorized, which is of course a must have feature. This way celebrities will be able, for example, to watch their sex tapes without being snooped on by third parties.

The software also works with some television sets made by Hewlett-Packard and a whole array of gadgets which feature Universal Plug-and-Play support.

However, for Windows Media Player 11 users, the new glitchy, beta software may be just... bloatware. Microsoft's latest Windows Media Player already features media sharing to Universal Plug-and-Play devices.

However, Windows Media Player 11 does not support YouTube streaming nor Picasa shared web albums.

Windows Media Player 11 is the new and easy to use Media Player from Microsoft. So you have downloaded this program and want to get started on adding files. Windows Media Player may automatically add files and folders but it tends to do these from the default folders such as 'My Music' and 'My Videos'. You may however have files stored in other areas you may wish to add to the Library. If you wish to make this an automated process alongside the defaults you must go to File>Add to Library or if you wish to you a shortcut simply press the F3 key.

Then select which media folders you wish to add,these will then automatically be monitored, anything added to them will be automatically put into your Windows Media Library. You may see an option about files previously deleted from the library, you may need to click that as you delete files that you don't want Windows Media Player may automatically add these. If you wish to add individual files to the library you can simply locate it from a window with it open and drag it into the library and it will appear with the correct ID3 Tag.

You can now enjoy these files by double clicking on them or pressing the enter key. You will find performance of Windows Media slightly slow whilst it locates more files to add to the library, once it has done this it will play music more smoothly without any interruptions

source:enzinesarticles

Microsoft’s move clearly indicates that it is preparing to counter Apple’s iPhones that attract mobile phone users with its advanced music-playing capabilities.

"One thing that Apple has leveraged on is the music scenario, and I think that is something the operators and ourselves are partnering on, just to make sure that consumers can use live music in the best way," said Andy Lees , senior vice president of Microsoft's Mobile Business Communication, in a statement.

Lee foresees a huge potential in the mobile music market because there has been a sudden increase in the demand for music-enabled mobile phones. He believes they surpass other music gadgets like iPods in their ability to pull the crowd. Studies forecast that the market of music-enabled mobile phones will hit $11 billion in the next three years.

Microsoft has not disclosed the details of the improvements on the music features of the mobile phones. It is likely that the company will focus them around Windows Media Player for mobile phones. Also, chances are that the company will partner with other companies for over-the-air music stores.

Apple iPod, together with its online music partner iTunes, offers a music extravaganza to the music enthusiasts. Apple’s dominance over its competitors is likely to continue in the future. Apart from Apple, Microsoft also faces challenges from Symbiam, Research In Motion, and mobile Linux.

Earlier this year, Microsoft released the latest version of Internet Explorer Mobile with an aim to bring “desktop-grade” Web browsing experience to mobile phones. In addition, the company also announced the release of Windows Mobile 6.1, an update for its Windows Mobile software that includes new timesaving features, easier phone navigation and management, and increased security safeguards. Mobile phones with these features installed are expected to reach the market by the end of 2008.

“People want a single phone that’s flexible enough to meet their needs throughout their day, whether it’s connecting to work or your everyday life,” said Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment and Devices Division at Microsoft, in a statement.

“The innovations we’ve added to our Windows Mobile software ultimately make it easier to manage your world,” added Bach.

Microsoft expects to sell 20 million Windows Mobile licenses in its current fiscal year, which ends in June. With these improvements the company expects a 50 percent growth in its sales in the following fiscal year.

Putting movies on Zune is not difficult. In fact, using the zune software, it is very straight forward and easy.

The zune software allows you to sync your movies and video files from either itunes or windows media player. By default, when you connect the zune player to a computer, it will automatically synchronize between windows media player. It will then download your movies and videos files in the media library onto the zune player automatically.

The zune software is free to download. However you might want to take note of the specifications. Currently, it only supports Windows XP, home and professional, media editions as well as Windows Vista only. You can check the system requirements at http://www.zune.net

However, I do find the conversion process takes quite long even for small video files. Also, I tried the Zune marketplace where I can directly download the files on my Zune player. Unfortunately, sometimes the synchronization will fail and I will have to try 2 to 3 times before it will download properly. It’s most likely a bug and I think they will fix it soon.

Currently, the Zune player can support three video formats namely WMV, MPEG-4 and H.264. Most resolutions and bitrates are allowed since the zune software will automatically convert the videos files to be compatible for playing on the zune player.

If you want to play your DVD movies on zune, you will need a DVD to zune video converter since the zune software does not convert different video formats for you. I’m using the Cucusoft DVD to Zune converter and it works well. You can use other software to convert DVD movies to Zune.

If you do not want to do the conversion, there are two options. One is to download from Zune marketplace. It is similar to the itunes store where you pay per download. They also have a subscription service where they provide a certain number of points which is deducted when you download a movie, mp3 or video. There are some bugs with the zune software and the zune marketplace so I would not recommend using it for the time being.

The other option is to purchase a membership at a zune download site. These Zune download sites let you download unlimited numbers of movies, videos and mp3 for a one time charge or on a yearly basis. It is cheaper and I highly recommend it if you are a movie or music junkie.

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source:enzinearticles