The Redmond, Wash.-based company on Monday will announce two add-in packs for Windows XP, one providing full MP3 support and the other DVD playback. CyberLink, InterVideo and Ravisent working with Microsoft will offer the programs--the MP3 Creation Pack and DVD Decoder Pack--for download when Windows XP launches in October. The companies will charge for the software, but pricing has not yet been determined. The change could help squelch criticism Microsoft favored Windows Media Audio (WMA) format over MP3, which testing versions of Windows XP ripped at a low quality. Microsoft could also push back against pundits that argue the company more fully integrated Windows Media Player into XP for the purpose of crushing competitors. The three companies enabling Windows XP's MP3 and DVD capabilities all make software that competes against Windows Media Player. Each company will offer its own version of the two add-on packs.
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