Is Media Player 9 really better?

Hi I was wondering, is Windows Media Player 9 really better than 8, or are the earlier versions better than 9?

The reason I’m asking, is I’ve heard mixed reviews for the newer version. I decided to give it a shot, just to see what’s so great, andI do see some improvements, such as faster buffering, and some nice features. I guess, most gripes I’ve heard are concerning the DRM act.

any thoughts? I Thank you all in advance, and appreciate any help you can give me, that maybe I can help with others to understand what the deal is. 🙂