Microsoft is going to remove a feature from Windows Media Player in Windows 7 and Windows Media Center in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1.
In due time, metadata on these media players will no longer be updated.
One Less Feature
As first spotted by Windows Latest, Microsoft updated its support page regarding the metadata service for Windows Media Player and Windows Media Center.
"Going forward, you may be unable to view information (metadata) such as the title, genre, and artist for songs, and the director, actors, cover art, and TV guide for movies in Windows Media Center and Windows Media Player," it reads.
According to Microsoft, the move was done based on "customer feedback and usage data." It notes that downloaded data will remain available, though.
As the chart below shows, Windows Media Player in Windows 8, 8.1, and 10 isn't included in the changes, only the version in Windows 7. Meanwhile, the update will be implemented in Windows Media Center across Windows 7, 8, and 8.1.
Moreover, major functions such as playback, media streaming, navigation, and the like won't be affected by this.
Push To Windows 10?
Considering that this update is going to roll out only to old Windows versions, this could be taken as one of the telltale signs that Microsoft wants everyone to upgrade to Windows 10.
The latest operating system started out as a free upgrade in 2015 and only managed to dethrone Windows 7 as the most used version just recently. From what can be gathered, it took the company years to sell it on the majority of users.
At any rate, Microsoft is capable of being getting straight to the point when one of its OSes is dead. Take Windows 10 Mobile, for instance. It recently threw in the towel officially and told users to switch to either Android or iOS.
