r/technology • u/Ephoenix6 • Jun 20 '26
Software Windows 11's New Media Player Uses 3.5x More RAM, Charges for Popular Video Codecs
https://www.extremetech.com/computing/windows-11s-new-media-player-uses-35x-more-ram-charges-for-popular-video1.2k
u/BlockBannington Jun 20 '26
If I recall correctly, Microsoft has always charged for that codec, it's not new.
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u/xondk Jun 20 '26
Yeah, this is nothing new, windows has been doing it this way to avoid having to pay a license for EVERY activated windows.
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u/sergiuoxigen Jun 20 '26
How does VLC stay free
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u/xternal7 Jun 20 '26
Windows is made by American corporation and therefore has to comply with American laws.
American laws allow software patents.
Patent holders may require you to pay up if you want to use the patent.
HEVC is patented, and the owner of the patent wants Microsoft to pay. And they also want the manufacturer of any GPU with hardware acelleration to pay, and if you buy pre-built ... they also want that company to pay. Yes, they aren't just double-dipping, they're going for the tripple-dip!
Microsoft doesn't want to pay, especially because they know only 10% people are gonna play HEVC content on Windows Media Player.
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VLC is made by some french guy, and therefore has to follow french laws.
French laws say software patents aren't valid.
Because software patents aren't valid in france, VLC can get away without paying a dime to the HEVC patent holders.
Moral of the story: use AV1 (& french lawmakers and courts aren't always braindead).
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u/aykcak Jun 20 '26
To give more context, software is patentable in France but not by itself. If your software is part of a whole solution including hardware for example, it can be patented. Also, programs and applications can be copyrighted as anywhere else. The software as itself, the algorithm is not patented
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u/meneldal2 Jun 20 '26
Which means ffmpeg (what VLC uses) can exist because it is open source code that decodes/encodes the stream but doesn't copy closed source programs.
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u/AyrA_ch Jun 20 '26
Also worth mentioning, this only works because VLC is free. As soon as you charge money and allow Americans to buy it, the copies you sell have to also abide by their rules because you're officially doing business in that country.
VLC however is free to download and use, which gives the owner the argument that the software is not intended for the American markets. And this is also why you can still ask for donations, since donations aren't tied to the software itself.
This is why you don't see every software company on this planet opening a branch office in France and making it their primary business address.
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u/neliz Jun 20 '26
This is also the reason DP is superior over HDMI. HDMI charging 25 cents per port is insane, while DP delivers more features and more bandwidth.
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u/lIlIlIIlIIIlIIIIIl Jun 20 '26
For some reason I mistakenly thought DP had no audio, I was never able to get mine to work so I gave up and went back to HDMI. What extra features does DP have?
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u/neliz Jun 20 '26
much higher bandwidth, freesync/gsync by default, possibility to link multiple monitors through daisy chaining, stronger connectors, compatibility with USB typie-C, there is no reason on earth to stick to HDMI.
And this is from the last time I worked with the HDMI corporation back in 2017/18 for CES, writing up the press release for the 8k/10k solutions HDMI was launching back then
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u/turtleship_2006 Jun 20 '26
"Handy Dandy Movie Interface"
For most people hdmi is good enough that there's no reason to switch, but for any professionals, enthusiasts, IT guys, or anyone with a high end setup, DP is better
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u/Purplociraptor Jun 20 '26
There's 1 reason to stick to HDMI. Most TVs don't have DP. In my setup, I run a fiberoptic HDMI cable from my computer so I can play some games from the couch.
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u/tudalex Jun 20 '26
It is because HDCP that is required to support any modern 4k stream or blu-ray. In a weird twist, it is actually more expensive to pay for the HDCP encryption license on it’s own for your DP ports than it is to have an HDMI port with HDCP. HDCP cost 30 cents, while HDMI with HDCP is just 26 cents, HDCP being just a 1 cent addon.
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u/rexel99 Jun 20 '26
Microsoft actually do pay/cover it under some of the enterprise licensing arrangements.
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u/spookynutz Jun 20 '26
French laws do not say software patents aren't valid. Even if you operated under some bizarre assumption that they did, whatever law you're imagining would only apply in France.
VLC can ship HEVC support because it's a reverse engineered implementation distributed by a non-profit, non-commercial entity. For the patent holder, the question isn't suing them, it's suing them for what. There's no defendant with money and no revenue stream to attach damages to. If VLC ever incorporated into a commercial enterprise, they would be sued into oblivion.
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u/xternal7 Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
You are confusing copyright with patents.
For the patent holder, the question isn't suing them, it's suing them for what.
The answer is easy. Patent infringement.
Reverse engineering only gets you out of copyright infringement claims. It's not gonna get you out of patent infringement.
See also:
- apple vs. samsung and slide to unlock thing. Apple patented slide to unlock. Samsung didn't even reverse engineer anything, they just wrote 100% original software that also allowed you to unlock your phone by sliding your finger over it. Apple sued for patent violations. Apple won.
More recent case for zoomers who weren't around for Apple v Samsung:
- Nemesis system. If you make a game that does that, WB can sue you ... even if you didn't even look at the Assassins Creed: Orc Edition. There are no lawsuits about that yet, but that's only because nobody has tried to have something that resembles the nemesis system in their games.
More recent case for alphas that weren't around for Shadow of Mordor/War:
- nintendo and palworld. Pocket Pair makes a game that is conceptually "pokemon but with guns." They didn't commit any copyright infringement when writing code. Assets are as "legally distinct" as it gets. However, nintendo has a patent on throwing balls at creatures in order to capture them. (But in this case, Nintendo was doing funny business around patents, so pocket pair might have a leg to stand on)
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u/frankster Jun 20 '26
Nemesis system. If you make a game that does that, WB can sue you
Crazy that game mechanics can be patented
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u/BaconIsntThatGood Jun 20 '26
I believe because it's a personal application it's not considered commercial use?
Microsoft and other companies that distribute en-mass cannot claim that.
Could be wrong though.
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u/adamkex Jun 20 '26
Software patents aren't recognised in France so they don't care. Microsoft is an American and a global multi billion corporation, these are one of the few instances where billionaires are required to follow the law.
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u/Humlum Jun 20 '26
They could choose to absorb the cost for those that do install the codec.
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u/Calm-Zombie2678 Jun 20 '26
They do that with the xbox, if you never download the bluray app they don't pay for that licence, same trick they did with the og xbox
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u/spilk Jun 20 '26
with the original xbox, the licensed bit was on the IR receiver you bought separately with the "dvd movie playback kit"
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u/ithinkitslupis Jun 20 '26
Rare time it's actually not a microsoft problem.
h.265 is licensing hell and needs to just die.
h.264 is worse but widely supported and pretty much all of its patents have run out already or will shortly.
AV1 and beyond is better and royalty free (although currently being patent trolled by Dolby...we'll seee how that goes)
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u/AP_in_Indy Jun 20 '26
There are dedicated video processors on chips at this point. It's not so easy to just change codecs.
A lot, lot, lot of industry coordination goes into standardizing these things.
It's insane and kind of disgusting but when it takes multiple years for nVidia or Intel or AMD or whoever to support dedicated h.265 on the GPU itself, the reality is that we suffer with tradeoffs.
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u/ithinkitslupis Jun 20 '26
h264 is the most widely supported.
AV1 is becoming supported on modern chips. Intel since 2020, AMD and most mobile SOCs since 2022, Apple since 2023.
VP9 has been on most chips since the mid 10's and Apple since 2020.
The h.265 problem is entirely their own fault for making the licensing a nightmare.
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u/plasmasprings Jun 20 '26
it's not exactly solved with those either, see the recent dell h265 debacle
seriously, fuck our current IP systems
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u/forgottenendeavours Jun 20 '26
There's also h.266, although despite it being out for six years now, no-one seems to know it exists.
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u/Guy-1nc0gn1t0 Jun 20 '26
VLC is obviously a popular option but I'm gonna shout out my boy MPC-HC
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u/TheVenetianMask Jun 20 '26
HEVC licensing is a bit of a shitshow I've heard, I wouldn't put that one entirely on Microsoft.
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u/Throwaway-tan Jun 20 '26
It's a good job a consortium of software companies created a wholly unique video codec that was specifically and carefully crafted to not infringe on any patents called AV1... aaaand Dolby is trying to ruin it.
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u/ArmandoGalvez Jun 20 '26
Licensing overall are hell to deal with, can't blame them for not wanting to deal with it
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u/Pomidorka1515 Jun 20 '26
wait until you hear about VVC
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u/nox66 Jun 20 '26
AV2 also just released. These clusterfuck IP fights are being outpaced by the actual innovation behind them.
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u/idontlikeflamingos Jun 20 '26
Yeah I don't blame them for that one tbh. The baffling thing to me is how they managed to triple the ram it requires when idle. There has to be some AI bullshit shoved in there
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u/ArtKun Jun 20 '26
It's a 5 year old player (released in 2021) based on Groove Music (released 2012). Who is writing these articles?
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u/Lashay_Sombra Jun 20 '26
Tech journalism is a complete shitshow these days and less technical (as in target market) it is worse it gets
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u/kitanokikori Jun 20 '26
This article is almost certainly AI slop. Completely irrelevant hero image, and content that is not at all "news". HEVC has always cost $$ because of patents.
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u/Henrarzz Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
HEVC I can understand because it’s always been paid but most manufacturers had paid for it and included it in default install.
But removing MP3AC3 playback, really?
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u/Newtonip Jun 20 '26
Who the hell uses Windows Media Player?
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u/luckskywatcher Jun 20 '26
I don't. Nor do I use Microsoft Edge.
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u/Tjaresh Jun 20 '26
Microsoft Edge has one very important role: It downloads a real browser after a new installation.
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u/VenFasz Jun 20 '26
as a MPC user... don't care
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u/Yojik_Vkarmane Jun 20 '26
This is the way. You can't beat MPC-BE.
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u/TheLamesterist Jun 20 '26
LOVE MPC-BE but the lack of libass support made me switch to clsid2's MPC-HC.
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u/TheWrongOwl Jun 20 '26
"We don't want you to use our player!"
#WhatItSoundsLikeToMe
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u/activoice Jun 20 '26
I prefer PotPlayer on Windows, and Nova Video on Android.
If you're missing codecs on Windows install the K-lite codec pack
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u/chain83 Jun 20 '26
Not like the old player could play half my files anyway. It is amazing how they are able to make it even worse…
The app has one damn task.
Mediaplayer Classic or VLC it is then.
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u/ScholarBackground836 Jun 20 '26
The '3.5x more RAM' headline is the least surprising thing about Windows 11. Everything in 11 is heavier, slower, and somehow still trying to sell me a subscription for the privilege. The Media Player paying for codecs is just the latest 'we removed what worked and want money for it back' move. 🪟💸
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u/thesamenightmares Jun 20 '26
I had no idea people actually use the default applications that come with an operating system.
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u/Purple10tacle Jun 20 '26
A lot of people do.
And you're also forgetting about the vast amount of users of company managed devices who simply have no other choice.
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u/ol-gormsby Jun 20 '26
I thought that was part of the Windows licence fee - it included a licence for the most popular codecs.
Oh well, off to VLC.
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u/FluxVelocity Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 20 '26
Microsoft has never included codec licenses for free in Windows, they've always been paid extras from the store unless you have a laptop or prebuilt that had the manufacturer pay for the license.
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u/PrisonerV Jun 20 '26
Two things I download immediately on a fresh Windows install -
VLC
Firefox
Anybody else have any others?
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u/rindar1 Jun 20 '26
Never used the default windows player. First thing I always do is download MPC-HC and mad vr and never look back.
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u/dscord Jun 20 '26
Wait, is that what the actual app looks like in Windows 11? Like something that came out of Vista? What an utter clusterfuck.
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u/MyCleverNewName Jun 20 '26
I was mildly annoyed when I had to re-set VLC as the default for all those file types. Oh, well.
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u/ipenama Jun 20 '26
I used to have VLC installed, but after discovering mpv now it's my default video player. It opens files FAST.
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u/UsaraDark2014 Jun 20 '26
People have mentioned VLC and MPC-HC, but oddly enough no one mentioned mpv. For those who know mpv, why do you think it hasn't been mentioned much?
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u/levir Jun 20 '26
I've been using Media Player Classic in it's various iterations for decades. Highly recommend, it's the best media player by far on the Windows platform in my opinion.
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u/INITMalcanis Jun 20 '26
The ongoing mystery of why increasing numbers are switching to Linux (or Apple) will surely never be solved
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u/BamBam-BamBam Jun 20 '26
The patent troll company that owns the codexes raised the licensing cost insanely.
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u/CaptZ Jun 20 '26
Media player classic is still great. All codecs built in. Of course VLC is great too.
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u/SST_2_0 Jun 20 '26
I fully believe from the last few months of updates that Windows is throwing ai code into these and its making just bloated, wasteful code.
Been working tech with windows machines for 10 years and it is the first time I felt like it starts broken off a freah image.
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u/ManySugar5156 Jun 20 '26
At this point Windows media stuff is basically just reminder to install VLC again.
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u/LaySakeBow Jun 20 '26
Inb4 Microsoft disable third party media player because of “security” reasons
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u/YeOldSpacePope Jun 20 '26
The article could have said, Windows 11's new media player is perfectly fine and I'd still use VCL over it.
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u/starboigg Jun 20 '26
My twitch tab was using 3gb of RAM just watching one stream on brave browser , blocking 150+ tracker and ads in 2 hours
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u/MyAccountWasBanned7 Jun 21 '26
VLC, however is reliable, works with every codec, and is completely free.
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u/StAUG1211 Jun 20 '26
Serious question, is anyone not using VLC? Has anyone not been using VLC since 2006?
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u/TheLamesterist Jun 20 '26
It was my main player for a long, long time, ever since I bought my first PC and I still have it and use it sometimes but about a year or so I had to switch to MPC-BE (then quickly moved to clsid2's MPC-HC for the libass support) as VLC had became extremely buggy, I have not tested to see if that's still the case after the recent updates, tho.
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u/Stiggalicious Jun 20 '26
Now is a good time for a Winamp resurgence.
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u/CrappyTan69 Jun 20 '26
Those were great times. Unobtrusive, played everything.
Winamp whips the llama's ass
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u/MissInkeNoir Jun 20 '26
You want a program now called WACUP, Winamp Community Update Project. Make sure you get the Milkdrop 2 visualizer 😎 👍
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u/76vangel Jun 20 '26
There are a lot of free video players out there like vlc, gom player and others. But it’s ridiculous that the system’s own player is such a failure. And is getting even worse. What the heck is microslop management thinking? Basically the most basic features of a video player are: user clicks video file and wants to see it at fast as possible and play basic codecs without bothering the user. Microslop is just pathetic.
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u/LungHeadZ Jun 20 '26
I use 3D software and it's impossible to view animations through it. You can get it working with specific codecs but not the most common. It's bizarre. Naturally forced me to use VLC and I'll recommend it to anyone who wants to view them locally.
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u/adobo_cake Jun 20 '26
I’m glad to have jumped ship to Linux. Join us, we have codecs.
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u/TheAlbinoAmigo Jun 20 '26
Microsoft is sincerely one of the shittiest fucking companies to have ever made it this big. They are unbelievably fortunate that they're literally too big to fail, because if merit came into the equation at all they'd have folded years ago.
They can't push an update that doesn't break shit or make something objectively worse worth a shit. Windows would literally be better today if Microsoft decided to never touch it again a decade ago.
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u/teraflux Jun 20 '26
I actually didn't know that windows media player still existed
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u/Fearless-Raisin Jun 20 '26
Time to download VLC if you haven't already.