Microsoft intros Windows Media Player 11 Beta 2

Microsoft’s Windows Media Player hasn’t been around as long as Apple’s QuickTime, but the Redmond company has been working furiously to make it the biggest, baddest, and above all most dominant media player on the block. Version 7, released in 2000, was the first “bells and whistles” version that offered all sorts of extra goodies such as CD ripping and visualizations. Version 8 arrived with the release of Windows XP a year later, 9 arrived in 2003, and version 10 came along with XP SP1.

You can find out all of what’s new over at Ars and you can grab the download here. I haven’t used WMP much since 9 because it keeps getting more bloated, but 11 is looking sharp.