Windows 8 Loses DVD Support Discussion

[invisible]

Hmm. You know, you actually make a good argument on that point. I see what you're saying.

[City Pig]

Yep, this is the worst OS ever created.

[Greg]

It certainly makes more sense than charging EVERY customer an extra $2.50 for a codec for EVERY copy of Windows sold, even those that appear on ultrabooks or tablets that don't even have DVD drives.

That's assuming, of course, that the price of Windows is lowered by $2.50 per copy. Otherwise over a hypothetical 300 million copies W8 could sell over its lifetime (just making the number up but it has to be the right order of magnitude) MS gets a cool $750M more in profits.

[ZaZ]

There's so many free DVD playing softwares, why does anyone care about this?

[Rodster]

MS cut stuff from Windows 7. One in particular was Windows Calendar which I actually used. They said few used it and they are probably right as their usage reports would backup their claim.

[Mitlov]

That's assuming, of course, that the price of Windows is lowered by $2.50 per copy. Otherwise over a hypothetical 300 million copies W8 could sell over its lifetime (just making the number up but it has to be the right order of magnitude) MS gets a cool $750M more in profits.

...which, being an ongoing business instead of short-term shareholder-dividen-mongers, they would reinvest in continuing to develop and improve next-generation products.

MS cut stuff from Windows 7. One in particular was Windows Calendar which I actually used. They said few used it and they are probably right as their usage reports would backup their claim.

Probably the easy-to-use, easy-to-cloud-sync, web-based Hotmail Calendar also contributed to the death of Windows Calendar. I have a Hotmail calendar linked to my Gmail account so I can easily sync a calendar between home, work, and phone.

[Fat Dragon]

...a sound business decision that doesn't adversely affect the customers...

There's so many free DVD playing softwares, why does anyone care about this?

I agree that cutting support for DVDs in Windows 8 isn't that big a deal to me or plenty of people, and that it's probably a sound business decision for Microsoft. However, many PC users, probably a majority, won't know how to play a DVD if it doesn't autoplay when they put the disc in the drive. Cutting support will have an adverse effect on a lot of non-tech-savvy consumers who don't know how to get players that include free versions of the codec.

On the licensing fee front, do OEM's really pay $80+ for Windows licenses? I've always assumed they get some sort of bulk discount. I could be wrong, though. And on the same note, it would surprise me if Microsoft had to pay $2.50 per license for the DVD codec - between the question of buying half a billion licenses every few years and the fact that $2.50 is a significant percentage of what they charge for a Windows license when it's only one of hundreds of features in the OS.

[IKAS V]

Who cares I'm sticking with W7 and happy about it, with all the bad talk about W8 there is no reason to upgrade for me.

[Partizan]

There's so many free DVD playing softwares, why does anyone care about this?

Its not just about the dvd software... what if they will do this with more features? For example, what is microsoft doing with their new office pack?: a monthly payment system >.>

Yes I know you can download many programs that can do all the things you want but...
Why would I need an OS that can't do anything, or even consider paying for one? You have to repeatedly pay for so many things these days.

Frankly, I'd just buy an apple out of principle for this if most games weren't made for windows: i'd have a decent OS, with a plus minus 30 upgrade fee when they make a new one, if i'd buy a laptop system i'd prolly have a better screen than most other brands with a microsoft OS offer aswell.

Its this whole trend of selling unfinished products and then selling the things you really need seperatly (like in the gaming industry where they sell added features in DLC)

I'm a big fan of capitalism and the idea of profits but as you can see, if people let this stuff happen its only going to get worse.

[Mitlov]

However, many PC users, probably a majority, won't know how to play a DVD if it doesn't autoplay when they put the disc in the drive.

It will auto-play with PowerDVD or whatever DVD-playing software is preinstalled by the hardware manufacturer on DVD-drive-equipped models. The only people who are going to have to manually install something are people who have done a fresh install of Windows...and those people are smart enough to download VLC media player.

Why would I need an OS that can't do anything, or even consider paying for one? You have to repeatedly pay for so many things these days.

Since when did "can't play a DVD" turn into "can't do anything"? The sky is not falling.

Frankly, I'd just buy an apple out of principle for this if most games weren't made for windows: i'd have a decent OS, with a plus minus 30 upgrade fee when they make a new one,

Yeah, spending $30 every single year instead of $120 every four years is going to save you a lot of money

Its this whole trend of selling unfinished products and then selling the things you really need seperatly (like in the gaming industry where they sell added features in DLC)

But you don't have to pay for this feature if you're one of the few who still watches DVD movies on your computer; you can download free third-party software that play DVDs.