Working with the Video App in Windows 8.1

In our previous tutorials, we’ve gone through the details in using the Music and as well as the Photos app but of course, everything will not be complete without videos and the good news is Windows 8.1 also bears a built-in modern-style app that allows you to play your personal videos and watch or purchase others from the Xbox Videos store. In this tutorial, we will be learning how to access this app and get acquainted with all of the basic controls that are available so you can start using the app in playing some of your favorite videos.

How to Access the Video App

Everything will of course start in accessing the app on your Windows 8.1 machine. To do this, you will first need to open the Start Screen and once you are on it, look for the tile that looks like the one shown on the screenshot below.

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You will know that it is the Video tile because it will also be labeled accordingly. Once you find the tile, simply click or tap on it to open the app. If in case the Video tile has been accidentally unpinned from the Start Screen, you will not be able to see it no matter how many times you scroll back and forth on the screen itself. To access the app, you will need to go to the Apps view screen by first moving the mouse pointer over the Start Screen and once you see a round button bearing an arrow down icon inside at the bottom-left corner of the screen, just click on it and you will be able to access the Apps view screen.

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From this screen, just look for the Video shortcut and once you find it, simply click on it to open the Video app. On the Video app’s main screen, you will be able to see a list of available videos on which are labeled as “personal videos”, “home”, “featured sets”, “recommendations”, “new movies”, “featured movies”, “new tv shows” and “featured tv shows”.

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How to Play Your Personal Videos

Now that you are on the Video app’s main screen, it is time to learn how to play your videos using the app. Unlike Windows Media Player, the controls for playing the videos that are saved in your computer’s hard drive does not appear out right on the screen itself. To get access to these controls, you will first need to click on one of the videos that is saved in your hard drive and once it opens you will see a big circle at the center bearing the “Pause” symbol. You can click on it to temporarily stop the video on the scene that it is currently being played.

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To get access to even more playing options, you will need to right-click anywhere on the screen while the video is being played and a bar will appear at the bottom with the video play options on its right portion.

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As you can see, there are buttons for “Previous”, “Play” and “Next” which you can click on to control the video that is currently being played or jump to the next as well as get back to the previous one. There are also two other buttons for “Volume” which also shows the volume strength level and as well as a button for the “Playback options” which we will be checking out in a little while.

At the top-left portion of the screen while the video you selected is currently being played by the Video app, you will see an arrow that points to the left sitting inside a circle button. When you click or tap on it, the video that currently plays will automatically stop and you will be taken back to the main screen of the Video app which contains a list of all videos according to the categories I pointed out earlier in this tutorial.

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Getting Information about a Movie

As you can see on the Video app’s main screen, there’s a category there that is labeled “new movies”. If you want to learn some details about a specific movie listed under this category, all you need to do is click on its thumbnail and after you do so, the details will appear in a new screen together with some other details such as its price, cast, a little bit of description of what the movie is all about and the ratings that it got from reputable movie reviews website. You can also watch the movie’s trailer by clicking on the button that is labeled “Play trailer” located at the top of the screen lying together with the “Buy” and “Switch to SD” buttons.

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You can also rate the movie after you purchase and watch it on your Windows 8.1 machine. To do this, all you need to do is access the movie’s details screen and just right at the bottom of the movie’s poster are stars which you can use in rating it. Shade one star to indicate the lowest rating at shade 5 stars if you want to give it the highest rating.

Finding Out The Details About a TV Show

Still on the Video app’s main screen, you will also find a category that is labeled “new tv shows”. When you click on one of the shows listed under this category, you will be able to access the details screen just like when you clicked a movie earlier. On the details screen, you will be able to read a brief synopsis of what the show is and some buttons like “Buy season pass” which indicates the price that you need to pay in order to get access to the current season as well as future ones and as well as a “Switch to SD” button. At the right portion of the screen, you also see some episodes of the tv show season which you can also download individually in case you only missed to watch a single episode.

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Watch Movies and TV Shows Anytime, Anywhere!

As you can see, Windows 8.1’s Video app allows you to get access to the latest movies and TV shows anytime that you want to and in any place that you are currently in by allowing you to purchase them. You can also watch tv shows that you missed simply by renting or purchasing them for as long as you have a verified mode of payment registered with your Microsoft account. Keep on exploring the Video app on your Windows 8.1 machine and you’ll surely love using it more than its desktop counterpart called Windows Media Player. Want to learn more about Windows 8.1? You can discover more secrets and learn more tricks about Microsoft’s latest operating system here in windowstechies.loc so be sure to stay tuned with us as we help you become adept with all the features, settings and tweaks that the operating system offers. Remember! Knowledge is power and if you know much about the latest in the most popular operating system for laptops and PCs, you will surely have the edge above anyone else!