Windows 11 New Media Player Uses 3.5x More RAM, Charges for Popular Video Codecs

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Windows 11’s “new” Media Player is criticized for using roughly 3.5 times more RAM than its predecessor while also requiring paid add-ons for common codecs like HEVC and dropping AC-3 support. Commenters see this as part of a broader trend toward bloated, less efficient desktop software driven by modern UI stacks and licensing costs, especially problematic on machines with 8GB of RAM or less. Many recommend third‑party players such as VLC, mpv, and MPC-HC, and argue that platform vendors like Microsoft should both pay codec royalties and set a high bar for native, resource‑efficient applications.

Alternatives to Windows Media Player

  • Many commenters say they never use Windows’ media player, preferring VLC, mpv, MPC-HC/BE, PotPlayer, SMPlayer, and platform-specific wrappers (e.g., IINA on macOS, mpv-based frontends).
  • MPC-HC/BE are praised for a lightweight, “classic” UX and good codec/HDR support; VLC is seen as the mainstream default despite some UX and memory-usage complaints.
  • Old codec packs like K-Lite/CCCP are remembered fondly; today, bundled codecs in players (via ffmpeg/libav) largely replace that need.

Codec Licensing and HEVC/AC‑3

  • HEVC and some Dolby formats have long required paid add-ons in Windows; this isn’t new.
  • Some argue Microsoft should just pay licensing costs (as Apple reportedly does) since Windows is not free software.
  • Others point out patents apply even to open-source codecs; vendors still owe royalties, and some Linux distros avoid shipping patented codecs by default.
  • AV1 is raised as a royalty-free alternative, but there’s concern about legal challenges threatening that status.

Memory Usage and Bloat

  • New Media Player reportedly uses ~3.5× the RAM of the legacy player while idle.
  • One camp sees this as part of a larger pattern of Windows bloat: many processes, high baseline RAM usage, and pressure on 8 GB systems as RAM prices rise.
  • Another camp argues that a few hundred MB for a media player is negligible compared to modern workloads (browsers, IDEs) and that user impact is minimal.

Implementation Details: Native vs Web

  • There is confusion about tech stack; multiple comments clarify the current Media Player is C# with UWP/WinUI XAML, not HTML/JS, and is a rebranded Groove Music/Zune lineage.
  • Some still criticize Microsoft for not showcasing lean, high-quality native Windows apps and for frequent framework churn (WinForms/WPF/UWP/WinUI).

Broader Views on Windows

  • Several posts frame this as another example of “enshittification”: resource-heavy apps, paywalled codecs, and perceived neglect of user experience.
  • Others defend Windows’ dominance due to backward compatibility, professional software availability, and support ecosystem, while Linux is praised but seen as fragile for desktops.