In an effort to keep costs down, Microsoft will ditch DVD playback support for Windows Media Player in Windows 8, though there will be the option to purchase Windows Media Center to get DVD functionality.

Windows Media Player will be available within all editions of Windows 8, but users won't be able to use it to play DVDs. Why? It's too expensive, Microsoft said in a blog post.

Playing DVDs on PCs, as well as watching broadcast TV, "require a specialized set of decoders (and hardware) that cost a significant amount in royalties," wrote Bernardo Caldas with the Windows Business Group. "With these decoders built into most Windows 7 editions, the industry has faced those costs broadly, regardless of whether or not a given device includes an optical drive or TV tuner."

Given that Windows 8 will be available on a variety of form factors, Microsoft's partners have expressed concerns about codec licensing costs, prompting the DVD playback decision.

Caldas said Microsoft felt comfortable ditching the feature thanks in large part to the growth of online video. Consumers today are more likely to watch video via streaming services like Netflix or Hulu than by placing a DVD in their PC's optical drive.

For those who are still partial to DVDs, however, Windows 8 will offer the option to purchase Windows Media Center with DVD playback functionality via an "Add Features to Windows 8" menu.

"This ensures that customers who are interested in Media Center have a convenient way to get it," Caldas wrote. "For optical discs playback on new Windows 8 devices, we are going to rely on the many quality solutions on the market, which provide great experiences for both DVD and Blu-ray."

The option will be known as the Windows 8 Media Center Pack for those with Windows 8 Pro and as the Windows 8 Pro Pack for those with Windows 8. Pricing will be announced closer to the launch date, Caldas said, but "will be in line with marginal costs."

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it would also ditch the "Windows Live" branding in favor of an over-arching Microsoft account.

For more, see PCMag's hands on with the Consumer Preview of Windows 8 and the slideshow below.