Who says your Windows 8 PC is all about work?
The new Video app in Windows 8 gives you access to streaming movies,
television shows, and the videos you add to your own collection after
purchasing them in the marketplace. You can find out more about your
favorite movies and shows and even rent them online—right now!—and
stream them to your computer or to your Xbox.
>>>step-by-step: Exploring Video
Similar to the Photo
app and the Music app, you launch the Video app by tapping or clicking
the Video tile on the Windows 8 Start screen. The Video app screen
resembles what you’ve seen in the Windows Store, with the latest videos
featured in the Spotlight area, your Collection of videos in the center,
and the Movies Marketplace and TV Marketplace off to the right. You can
locate, preview, and buy or rent the movies and shows you want to
watch.
1. Tap or click the Video app tile on the Windows 8 Start screen, and the Video app preview appears.
2. Scroll to display the additional categories in Video: Collection, Movies Marketplace, and TV Marketplace.
3. Tap the tile of any video you’d like to know more about.
4. Tap or click to play the movie trailer.
5. Tap or click to buy or rent the video.
6. Click or tap to play the video on your Xbox.
>>>step-by-step: Using the Movies Marketplace
You can easily find the movies you’d like to
watch by choosing the genre of the film you’re looking for, selecting
the studio, or searching for a specific artist or title. You can then
buy or rent the movie and watch it on your PC or send it to your Xbox.
1. Scroll to display the Movies Marketplace.
2. Tap or click the Show More tile.
3. Tap or click the tile of a movie you want to view.
4. Tap or click Buy/Rent if you know you want to buy or rent this movie.
5. Choose to find out more about the movie.
6. Select if you want to play the movie on your Xbox.
7. Tap or click to play the movie’s trailer.
If you tap Buy/Rent you are taken to a
Confirm Purchase screen where you can rent the movie with your Microsoft
Points. If you don’t have enough Microsoft Points to cover the rental,
you can tap or click Buy Points to add to your account.
Is This an Overnight Rental?
When you rent a movie
from the Movies Marketplace, you have 14 days—or 24 hours from the time
you begin to watch the movie—in which to view it. Since it costs $4.99
to purchase 400 Microsoft points and current movies often cost 480
points, you may not be getting such a deal—but it is convenient to just
tap a button on your Windows 8 PC and watch an Academy award-winning
movie soon after it has left the theatre.
>>>step-by-step: Don’t Forget Your Favorite Shows
And videos actually mean more than movies
these days—you can also use the Video app to find and stream your
favorite TV episodes on your computer or your Xbox. When you tap or
click Show More in the TV Marketplace, you can choose to display shows
by rating, by genre, or by network.
1. Tap or
click the cover image of the series you want to view. Tap or click
Series Details to learn more about the show and choose Seasons to
display the specific episodes in the season available in TV Marketplace.
2. Review your episode choices and tap the one you want to view.
3. Tap or
click Buy/Rent to view the episode. The Confirm Purchase screen appears
so that you can click Confirm to use your Microsoft Points to buy the
show. It will then become available in your Collection so that you can
watch the show when you wish.
