NOISEInfrastructure Software·Jun 20, 2026, 2:08 PMSignal10Immediate

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

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

Article URL: https://www.extremetech.com/computing/windows-11s-new-media-player-uses-35x-more-ram-charges-for-popular-video Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48609343 Points: 208 # Comments: 112

Why this matters
Why now

This is a typical product update cycle for a large software company, generating user complaints about resource usage and monetization strategies.

Why it’s important

A sophisticated reader should note this as a recurring pattern of software evolution where functionality and resource demands increase, often accompanied by new monetization attempts.

What changes

This specific Windows 11 update mildly affects user experience for some, but does not fundamentally alter the landscape of operating systems or media consumption.

Winners
  • · Microsoft (potential revenue from codecs)
Losers
  • · Windows 11 users (some)
  • · Microsoft (minor reputational damage)
Second-order effects
Direct

Increased RAM consumption and potential codec costs for some Windows 11 users using the new Media Player.

Second

Users may explore alternative free media players, increasing their market share slightly.

Third

This could contribute to the general perception of operating systems becoming more bloated and demanding over time, pushing some users towards lighter alternatives or cloud services.

Editorial confidence: 90 / 100 · Structural impact: 5 / 100
Original report

This signal links to a primary source. Continuum Brief monitors and indexes it as part of the live intelligence stream — we do not republish source content.

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