Windows Media Player 12 offers a number of enhancements that can improve playback of your media files. Here are four tips to get the most out of these enhancements:

  1. Use the Playback History feature to revisit favorite moments in your media files. This feature lets you quickly jump to specific points in a video or audio file, so you can relive favorite scenes or listen to specific parts again.
  2. Use the Fast Forward and Rewind features to speed up or slow down playback of your media files. You can also use these features to go back to specific points in a file, if you need to review something again later on.
  3. Use the Volume slider in Windows Media Player 12 to adjust the volume level for your media files. This is especially helpful if you have multiple audio tracks playing at once and want to make sure that each one is audible.
  4. Use Windows Media Player 12’s AutoPlay feature to automatically start playing your media files when you open them in the program. This can save you time if you just want to start watching a video right away without having to search for it first. ..

If you are in Library mode, you’ll need to click the icon at the lower right to switch to Now Playing mode.

Right-click anywhere in Media Player while in Now Playing mode, select Enhancements, and select any of the available options.

You can switch between the individual enhancements by clicking the right and left buttons at the top left.

Crossfading and Auto Volume Leveling

The Auto Volume Leveling setting is just a simple toggle on and off. If your MP3 or WMA files have volume leveling information values.

You can automatically add volume leveling information values to all files you add to your library by switching to Library view, going to Tools > Options, and selecting Add volume leveling information values for new files on the Library tab. Click OK when finished.

Crossfading will gradually decrease the volume of the song that is ending (fade out) and increase volume of the song that is beginning. Click Turn on Crossfading and then click and drag the slider left or right change the amount of overlap between tracks.

Graphic Equalizer

The graphic equalizer is toggled on and off by clicking Turn on / Turn off at the top left.

You can select pre-defined equalizer settings by music genre by clicking the Default list.

The radio buttons on the left allow you to move the sliders individually, in a loose group or a tight group.

You can always return to the default settings by clicking Reset.

Play Speed Settings

Choose a pre-defined settings by clicking Slow, Normal, or Fast.

Uncheck the Snap slider to common speeds the move the slider right and left to your desired speed. If nothing else, these settings provide a little fun and amusement.

Quiet Mode

Quiet mode will level out any sharp volume highs and lows within a single track. Simply toggle the setting on or off and select whether you prefer Medium difference or Little difference by selecting one of the radio buttons.

SRS WOW effects

SRS WOW effects enhance low-frequency and stereo sound performance. Click Turn on to enable the TruBass and WOW Effect sliders.

You can also optimize for your speaker type. Click to switch between Regular, Large, and Headphones.

Video Settings

Video Settings allow you to adjust the Hue, Brightness, Saturation, and Contrast.

You can also adjust the zoom settings by clicking Select video zoom settings.

Dolby Digital Settings

Choose between Normal, Night, and Theater settings to adjust the audio for Dolby Digital content. This setting will only effect media with Dolby Digital sound.

Looking for more ways to improve your media experience in WMP 12? Check out how to update metadata and cover art and how to share media with other Windows 7 computers on your home network.