Summary
Microsoft Knowledge Base (KB) article 2835517 redirects you to this article. This article describes Media Feature Pack update 2929699, which supersedes the previously released update 2835517. In addition to update 2835517, this update also applies to Windows 8.1 Pro N/K for EDU and Windows 8.1 N/K with Bing.
Introduction
The N and KN editions of Windows 8.1 include the same functionality as Windows 8.1, except for media-related technologies (Windows Media Player) and certain preinstalled media apps (Music, Video, Sound Recorder, and Skype). You must install other software from Microsoft or another company for this communication functionality and to play or create audio CDs, media files, video DVDs, stream music, and take and store pictures.
Some websites and software, such as Windows Store apps or Microsoft Office, use Windows Media-related files that are not incorporated into these editions of Windows. End-users can make these websites and software work correctly by installing the Media Feature Pack for N and KN editions of Windows 8.1 (KB2929699).
More Information
The N and KN editions include the same functionality as Windows 8.1 editions, except for Windows Media Player and related technologies. The excluded technologies include, but are not limited to the following features:
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Windows Media Player user experience. Enables Windows Media Player features such as the ability to play media files and audio CDs, manage media in a library, create a playlist, provide metadata (including album art) for media, create an audio CD, transfer music to a portable music player, and play streamed content from the website.
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Windows Media Player ActiveX control. Exposes methods and properties for manipulating multimedia playback from a webpage or an app.
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Windows Media Format. Provides support for the Advanced Systems Format (ASF) file container, the Windows Media audio and video codecs, basic network streaming capability, and digital rights management (DRM).
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Windows Media DRM. Enables the secure delivery of protected content for playback on a computer, portable device, or network device.
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Media sharing and Play To. Enables music, pictures, and videos on a networked computer to be shared with other computers and devices on the same network. Also enables computers to find those types of files on the network.
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Media Foundation. Provides support for content protection, audio and video quality, and interoperability for DRM.
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Windows 8.1 Portable Devices (WPD) infrastructure. Communicates with attached media and storage devices, including devices that support the Media Transfer Protocol.
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MPEG, WMA, AAC, and Dolby Digital audio codecs. Enables playback of digital audio content such as MP3, WMA, MPEG-2 audio, AAC audio, and AC-3 audio.
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VC-1, MPEG-4, and H.264 codecs. "Standards-based codec components" (as they are collectively called) enable Windows 8.1 software experiences like Windows Media Player to support activities that include the playback and creation of multimedia files encoded with standards-based codecs.
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Music. A preinstalled app that is used to play digital music.
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Video. A preinstalled app that is used to play digital video.
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Sound Recorder. A preinstalled app for recording sounds.
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Skype. A preinstalled app that is used for messaging and communications.
Impact on other features
Some features are not removed, but are affected by the media technology removal in the N and KN editions. These features include the following:
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Camera-over-the-lock-screen. This feature does not work.
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Geofencing. This feature does not work.
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App Sync. This feature does not work.
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OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) and Photos. These apps cannot play videos.
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Xbox Games. Some functionality associated with this feature does not work.
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HomeGroup. Integrated media sharing through streaming features do not work.
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Webcam. This feature does not work.
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Windows 8.1 Mobile devices. There is no support for media synchronization, image acquisition, or file browsing.
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Windows 8.1 camera devices. Cameras that use the picture transfer protocol (PTP) do not work.
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Sound Recorder. Recordings are limited to the WAV format.
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Group Policy for removable disks. This feature does not work in the N and KN editions of Windows 8 Pro.
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Sensor and Location Platform. These features do not work.
Download information
The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:
Release Date: April 8, 2014
For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591 How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
Update replace information
This update replaces the following update:
2835517 Description of the Media Feature Pack for Windows 8.1 N and Windows 8.1 KN Editions
