Why is MS trying to take my money?

Question

My windows media player is telling me I don't have "DVD decoder" software on my computer. I've watched movies on this computer for 2 years already.
Here's the link they give me.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/dvdcodecs.aspx?locale=409&geoid=f4&version=11.0.5721.5145&userlocale=409
IS this really as assonine as it seems? Can they just do this?

Answer 1

heres a freeware dvd player --->http://www.avsmedia.com/DVDPlayer/download.aspx

i dont really like vlc player for dvds' ...

Answer 2

If your computer just started doing this, then try to remember what you have done lately that is a change from your normal surfing activities. Do you have Vista? Do you have a DVD player? Something must have changed if you suddenly started getting this message. Don't blame it all on Microsoft. They notify you when your software is not up to date or not legal. Get a DVD player with a decoder built-in. There are several free ones available.

Answer 3

Windows Media is just a front to the codecs and decoders, they are the actual players, this means the the DVD decoders like PowerDVD suite is not installed.

Answer 4

The reason MS is trying to take your money is the same reason that any other company wants to take your money... to make a profit. However, MS doesn't make money off of other companies that sell decoders.

The reason you need a decoder is that whoever made the DVD format available for PCs made it proprietary. That means anyone that wants to make it available has to charge to cover their costs.

Here's a link to a free player with a DVD decoder built in:
http://www.altools.net/ALTools/ALShow/tabid/57/Default.aspx

Answer 5

Bill Gates likes to make himself richer so he can brag. Try using VLC Media Player at http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ and download VLC. It's cross-platform and it can play virtually any audio/video file! And it doesn't use the MS DVD Decoder ;)