Microsoft tells us what to expect in the new Music and Video Preview apps for Windows 10

Earlier today, we reported that the new Music and Video Preview apps for Windows 10 were ready to download. Replacing the existing apps, these new versions strongly resemble the old ones but they are re-written to be universal Windows apps for Phone, Xbox, and PC.

Microsoft has now blogged about the release, remarking on the current status of the apps, what to look for, and what to expect in the coming updates.

Music Preview app

What's coming next:

  • Browse and buy music in the Windows Store Beta– until then you can still buy music in the existing Music App
  • Right-click context menus
  • Better back button for easier app navigation
  • Dark color theme
  • Compact mode
  • Settings improvements
  • Improved support for accessibility
  • And much more!

Here's what we know isn't working quite right yet:

  • After heavy use, you may see galleries disappear and show a blank white page. Restarting the app will solve the issue.
  • Playback of Music Pass content may fail with error 0x8004c029. If it does, go here to learn more about how to fix it.
  • There are no playback controls on hover when the app appears in the taskbar.

Video Preview app

What's coming next:

  • Discover great new movies and TV shows in the Windows Store Beta – until then you can still get them in the existing Video App or the new web Store at here.
  • Download movies and TV for offline play
  • New device management so you can play your downloads offline more reliably on the devices you care about
  • Improved search results
  • Movie reviews and cast information
  • Settings improvements
  • And much more!

Here's what we know isn't working quite right yet:

  • Movies and TV shows downloaded in other versions of the app cannot be played in this preview app. They can only be streamed. This preview app only supports streaming at this time.
  • Playback of purchased content may take several seconds to begin.
  • Adding or removing folders from your video library can hang the app. Instead, use File Explorer to manage your video library.
  • Playback of movies and TV may fail with error 0x8004c029. If it does, go here to learn more about how to fix it.
  • Expired rentals incorrectly show a play button. Playing expired content will result in a playback error.

Perhaps most impressive is the video app does support MKV video file formats. However, it does not look like the Music app is supporting gapless playback at this time. The good news is these are very early releases. Microsoft will be adding more features in the coming weeks and months before the Windows 10 release.

You can download both apps and continue to use the existing Music and Video apps (from the green Windows Store app) to manage and purchase media. Finally, remember to give the team feedback on the apps, including bugs or feature requests!

Download Music Preview for Windows 10 (PC)

Download Video Preview for Windows 10 (PC)

Source: Blogging Windows

Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007, when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and watches. He has been reviewing laptops since 2015 and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, ARM processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.