What are codecs and how to install them. What are video codecs for? What if the codec does not work correctly and delete the necessary information? Is it possible to process video file losslessly

Greetings, my dear readers and loyal subscribers. This article will help you understand the concept of a codec. This is an irreplaceable thing that we use every day and do not even know about it! That is why I will tell you what codecs are and what they are for, where they are used and what they affect, as well as how to install them on your Personal Computer or laptop.

In addition, we will talk with you about such a versatile codec pack as the K-LIFE CODEC PACK. Are you interested? Then get down to business!

What is a codec and what it is eaten with

Codec is a small size application designed for compression (encoding) and playback from a compressed state (decoding) various files multimedia. This mainly applies to video and audio recordings.

To better understand what is at stake, remember such situations when, for example, you are watching a movie, and in it the sound lags behind the image.

Another variant. You turn on a movie, and there is no sound or picture at all. Sometimes there are situations when a media file does not play and an error appears on the screen about the inability to read the current file.

All these situations relate to the problem of the functioning or lack of codecs.

They are different formats.

For video: WMV, AVI, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, RM, DivX, Cinepak, Indeo, H.264, H.263, H.261, RV.

For audio: MP3, AIF, Ogg Vorbis, AAC, WMA, ACELP.live, RA, RAM, AU.

How codecs work

So what is their main role? Let's take a look at an example video. So, a video file is primarily a set of images that replace each other. Imagine how much fun movies would be if they were presented to users in a non-compressed format. Whatever it is, there are codecs.

They significantly reduce the size of the video without affecting the quality of the images.

Even when shooting video, audio and video codecs “work” in the camera. They compress the incoming information, each one their own. And then these two streams are synchronized and combined in one container, which we call a format. It can be AVI, MP4, etc.

A bit of history

I keep repeating this strange word "codec". Maybe some of you have already guessed where this term came from. If so, then you are great fellows!

We talked to you about encoding and decoding. So in English it is written as follows: CO der and DEC oder. Now pay attention to the highlighted parts in these words. If you connect them, then CODEC will be released.

Installation guide for useful codecs

If your machine does not have enough codecs, then you can punch out which one you need (sometimes programs, when an error is displayed, themselves suggest what needs to be installed), and download it on the Internet.

Recently, however, everyone has turned to the K-LIFE CODEC PACK for help. It includes not only various audio and video codecs, but also DirectShow filters.

Current Package it is updated quite often, replenishing with new formats and necessary components. The application itself provides users stable work, supports playback of subtitles, provides search for damaged codecs and much more.

During installation, you can control the process, mark all the available codecs in the package, or choose specific ones. Also, advanced users can customize certain configurations for some formats for their requirements and equipment.

A very important advantage is that this package is thoroughly checked and tested. Therefore, there are no conflicting codecs, compatibility errors, spurious files or other similar problems... If something like this occurs, it is immediately promptly corrected.

Today there are several versions of this package, ranging from a minimal build to full set of all necessary tools:

• K-Lite Codec Pack Basic... This is the minimum set of this package. It includes support for major codecs and file formats, as well as such useful functions, such as accelerating video decoding, detecting faulty codecs, various file merging options, and much more. This package is the lightest.
• K-Lite Codec Pack Standart... This package includes all those characteristics and capabilities as the previous one, and also has its own built-in player (Media Player Classic Home Cinema), MediaInfo Lite and MadVR render. The Standard version is downloaded by the majority of users.
• K-Lite Codec Pack Full... Again, it includes everything that was included in the previous version and is expanded with the following features: DC-Bass Source Mod, DScaler5 MPEG-2 decoder for Windows XP, ffdshow media encoder for high-precision and fast decoding of video and audio recordings, GraphStudioNext utility and many others ... The Full package is downloaded by advanced users and specialists in some fields.
• K-Lite Codec Pack Mega... And finally, the latest version is required only for professionals. In addition to all that gorgeous set of tools, functions, programs and utilities from the previous package, ACM and VFW codecs were also introduced here, AC3Filter as an alternative for LAV and ffdshow decoders, for Windows XP DXVA1, etc.

The described package is fully compatible with all versions of Windows. It can be installed for both Windows XP and Windows 7, 8 and 10.

Well, I told you the basic information about codecs, about their varieties and a package that will help provide your computer or laptop with all the necessary components for successful sound and video playback.

I hope you enjoyed the current post. Be sure to subscribe to blog updates and share links to articles. Until next time! Bye Bye!

Probably many have come across the fact that your video does not play and only sound plays. It also often happens that your player does not want to launch a video file at all, displaying suspicious and incomprehensible messages on your screen. Not all users know what codecs are for, how to install them and how they work in the system. Therefore, now you will learn what codecs are and why they are needed.

Codec (from English codec, from coder / decoder) is a device or program capable of converting data or signals. If you explain simple language, then codecs are a set of programs that convert different signals, thereby making this signal understandable for the player and, of course, for the user.

For example, you have a video file * .avi, we all know that this extension used for video files. If the required codecs are not installed on your computer, then Windows program Media (for example) does not know what signals are coming from this file. In this situation, the player usually makes only sound from the movie or refuses to open it at all, showing you a black screen in the player and giving you different messages.

Note: in this article I am describing installing version 7.9! If you have a new version - 10 or higher, then read on.

So, a little higher we understood what codecs are, and now, let's move on to practice and figure out how to install codecs and where to download codecs?

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack

The most popular of the codecs is considered K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. You can download it from the official site, when the page of the official site opens, we find the "Download" button and click on it.

On this page, the download panel is activated, find the link "Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack", click on it. After clicking, the download of the file will begin, at the time of this writing, I downloaded the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 7.9.

Installing codecs

Since novice users have many questions when installing codecs, I decided to do detailed instructions... Launch setup file by double-clicking the left mouse button, click "Next".

Leave the "Advanced install" checkbox by default. Click "Next".

In the next window, the program will suggest the installation path (there is no point in changing the path). Click "Next".

If you do not know which components to choose, then select the "default" profile. Click "Next".

Set the checkbox "Don" t a Start Menu Folder ", go to the next window by pressing the" Next "button.

Exhibited optimal settings, just uncheck one box at the very end of "Visit a website with codec news". Click "Next".

Click on the first checkbox "Enable internal decoder for H.264 video" and click "Next".

Click "Next".

In the next window, you will be offered the file formats that will be associated with the Media Player Classic (installed along with the codecs). Click on the "Select all video" button. Click "Next".

We put a checkmark everywhere by clicking "Select all" and go to with the following settings by clicking Next.

In the next window, select the configuration of your audio system, if you install on a laptop, netbook or computer with one or two speakers, then leave the checkbox "2.0 (stereo)", which is selected by default.

Having dealt with the question of how to install K-Lite codecs Mega Codec Pack, you can now watch your favorite movies.

I want to say that there is a player that does not require the installation of codecs, this is sometimes needed when video files cannot be played using the installed codecs. This player is called VLC, I recommend installing it on your computer.

*** Problems with viewing various video files in most cases are associated with the codecs installed in the system or their set (codec pack, for example, K-Lite Codec Pack). I will tell you in detail what is needed to play video in general, what set of programs it is enough to install for normal viewing of files and what can be done in case of problems.

Video file

*** A regular video file contains: a video track, one or several tracks with sound, one or several tracks with subtitles, service information about the compression formats used (the so-called index-block with the addresses of the location of specific sections of the record, used during "rewinding"), a set of text fields. The format in which this information is stored in a file is called a container. The most popular at the moment are containers:

AVI (Audio and Video Interleaved)

MPEG1 / 2 (file extensions - mpg / mpe / vob)

Advanced Streaming Format (asf)

OGG Media (ogg)

Real Media (rm / rv / ram)

QuickTime (mov / qt)

DivX Media (divx) is an advanced but backward compatible version of the AVI container.

*** To extract video, audio and subtitle streams from a container and separate them, special windows libraries- splitters, or demultiplexers. By default, Windows (starting from Win2000) have splitters for AVI, MPEG1 / 2 and ASF. All others must be installed separately, which will be described in detail below.

Codec

*** After splitting, each of the streams of the file must be decoded (decompressed). For this, there are corresponding libraries called codecs. The term "codec" is short for "codec" and performs two tasks that such a library can: compress video into its own format and decompress it for playback. But a codec does not have to do both, there are some that can do one of the things. Note for the sake of rigor that the compressing part of the codec is often referred to not as an encoder, but as an encoder.

*** Video codecs are of several types (for low-level image manipulation) - Video for Windows (VfW), DirectShow (DSH) and DirectX Media Object (DMO). Almost all players use DirectShow for playback; and VfW codecs are used by some video compression programs, in particular the very popular VirtualDub / VirtualDubMod. Codecs like DMO are more of a subtype of DirectShow and differ in that some of their functions are transferred to the application that plays video, and for this reason this type is not particularly popular.

*** Audio codecs are also divided into several types - Audio Compression Manager (ACM), used in conjunction with VfW, and similar video DirectShow and DirectX Media Object.

*** Special codes used in the file - FourCC (video) and TwinCC (audio) - describe the compression format for picture and sound, and also determine what is needed to decode them. However, the same codec does not have to be used for video playback as for compression. An example of XviD is reproduced by DivX even better than the native codec.

Video compression formats

*** The most popular is MPEG4, which comes in several slightly different codecs. The standard itself consists of 19 parts, each of which describes certain features of the codec, and 3 more are under development. All currently available MPEG4 codecs, with the exception of those belonging to the H.264 standard, are an implementation of MPEG4 Part 2. The H.264 codecs are an implementation of MPEG4 Part 10. The most famous MPEG4 codecs are DivX, XviD and Windows Media Video. In addition to the usual ones, there are also the so-called HD versions, which differ in the high supported resolution - up to 1920 x 1080 pixels.

*** The second most popular (but the first in quality) is the MPEG2 format. It encodes video on DVD-Video discs and handles most of the satellite broadcasts. Compared to MPEG4, to encode information with the same quality, the MPEG2 format needs a higher bit rate (i.e. large quantity information per unit of time). The advantage of MPEG2 is that higher bitrates are available to it (up to 25 Mbps), and besides, video in MPEG2 lacks some disadvantages of MPEG4 (like jaggedness on a smooth color transition or squares with corrupted frames in the sequence).

*** The MPEG1 format has practically disappeared from everyday life, it can be found only in old videos or on Video-CDs. The means of its decoding have long been built into the system.

*** As mentioned above, information about what codec the video is packed with in the file is presented in the form of a FourCC-code consisting of four characters. Each codec has its own unique FourCC-code, however, for compatibility reasons, sometimes a "foreign" FourCC-code is specified during encoding. Let's say if you plan to watch the video on stationary player, then when compressing it using FFDshow, you should specify FourCC not FFDS, but DivX or XviD, otherwise the file will almost certainly not be played

Audio compression formats

*** The undisputed (so far) leader here is MP3 (full name - MPEG1 Layer 3). Its main drawback is support for only two audio channels. The AAC format created on its basis does not have such a limitation, as well as the AC3 technologies ( Dolby Digital) and DTS. Windows Media Audio, which was conceived as a competitor to MP3 and made it possible to achieve best quality at low bitrates, by now it has acquired support for multichannel sound and is already acting as a competitor to AAC. OGG Vobris is also quite popular, which allows you to get quality comparable to MP3 at lower bitrates, or higher - on an equal footing. The audio format information is stored in a four-digit TwinCC code, eg 0055 for MP3.

From theory to practice

*** Let's start with the splitters: by default (hereinafter we are talking about Windows XP) splitters for avi, mpg, mpe, vob and asf are installed in the system. Splitters for Real Media, QuickTime and DivX are bundled with corresponding players from the developer companies. There are several different splitters for ogg, mkv / mka / mks and mp4, but the best choice is Haali Media Splitter supporting all these containers. If for some reason it does not fit, you need to install separate splitters for each of the containers. You can take them, for example, from the site.

*** The situation with codecs is much worse. The default video codecs include MPEG1 decoder, Windows Media Video decoder and encoder, a fairly old version of MPEG4 from Microsoft, and a few more for outdated and practically unused formats. With audio, the situation is better - there are MP3 decoders and encoders (with an encoder limited to 56 Kbps), Windows Media Audio and a couple of codecs that are almost scrapped. Usually the problem of a limited number of codecs is solved using a codec pack, but we suggest doing it differently - installing FFDshow. After installing it, we will have support for almost all required formats, including the latest H.264. However, by default it only applies to DirectShow applications. The VfW format codec is installed in the system, but initially it decodes only its own FFDS / FVFW formats. To use others in VfW applications, you need to launch "VFW codec configuration" and select the required formats on the "Decoder" tab in the "Codecs" section.

*** Besides FFDshow, video sometimes requires RealMedia and QuickTime decoders. You can, of course, install native programs from Real Networks and Apple, but they are cumbersome and very inconvenient. We recommend paying attention to the alternative packages - Real Alternative and QuickTime Alternative, which are the necessary splitters and codecs extracted from the original programs, and any DirectShow player can use them. The set with the codecs also comes with Media Player Classic, which is the most convenient for watching videos in these formats (a number of other players have problems with sound reproduction).

*** The FFDshow audio decoder supports all more or less common audio formats, and you don't need to install anything else to watch movies. However, if you need to compress audio to MP3 format, then it is necessary (and even recommended) to replace the standard MP3 encoder from Microsoft with the Lame MP3 Encoder, which can also be downloaded from the site.

Problem solving

*** If there are a few more films that you cannot watch, then read on. If the file refuses to play, you need to find out which system component is missing for normal operation. First of all - determine the type of container of this file and check if the appropriate splitter is installed in the system. If so, then most likely the problem is the lack of a codec. The GSpot program will help you find out its FourCC-code, you may have to download it additionally. We open the problematic file in it, and in the upper right part of the window we see the FourCC code, the name of the codec and its presence / absence in the system. Unfortunately, GSpot only works with AVI and MPEG1 / 2 containers, so in the case of new ogg, mkv or mp4 you will have to act differently: open the file in VirtualDubMod and in the "File" menu select the "File Information" item - in the "FourCC Codec" line the information we need is located. Now it's worth looking into the FFDshow settings (the "Video decoder configuration" shortcut), since by default only the most basic formats are supported (out of fifty "familiar" to the program). If the desired one is not there, then you can find out which codec the received FourCC-code corresponds to in the already mentioned GSpot program by selecting the "Video Codecs" item in the "Tables" menu. If this does not help, then we look through the large list of FourCC codes located at the address, there are also links to the download pages of the described codecs.

Codec packs

*** Let's move on to the next problem, which is much more common. The file opens and playback starts, but there is no image or the image is not displayed correctly. This is usually due to the use of an unsuitable decoder or, more rarely, a decoder error. And here it is necessary to explain why you should not use codec packs - most often they are the culprits of such misunderstandings, and the point here is both in the manufacturer and in the specific compilation. Let's take the popular K-Lite Codec Pack as an example. His full version(more than 20Mb) is a dump of everything that came to hand to the compiler and it is not recommended to install it in normal cases, unless "nothing helped". Let's note the most striking manifestations of this approach: in the K-Lite Codec Pack Full there are three codecs for MPEG2 (excluding FFDshow), the same number of splitters for MPEG2, three codecs each for MP3, AAC and AC3, from MPEG4 codecs, except latest versions DivX, XviD and FFDshow, there are rare 3ivX Pro and older versions of MS MPEG4 and DivX 3.11. After installing such a "hodgepodge" (and if you are in a hurry or simply do not know the purpose of the codec), the probability that the wrong codec will be used for decoding increases many times over.

*** There are also fairly balanced codec packs, but they have another drawback: as soon as one of the components of the codec pack is updated, you have to re-download the entire collection. So what can be suggested as an option - manually updating the required codecs.

Unsolicited codecs

*** A reader who has followed my advice may ask the question: "Where will the wrong decoder come from if I have not installed it?" This is due to the fact that some applications consider it their duty to install various codecs and splitters without even asking the user for permission. First of all, this is the fault of programs for processing video in MPEG2 / 4, software for tuners, DVD-players and even Nero Burning ROM - the latter, upon installation, adds more than a dozen of its codecs and splitters for MPEG2 / 4 and QuickTime formats to the system; when installing InterVideo WinDVD 7, DivX 6 codecs are installed without demand. Games also have this feature: for example, the demo version of Mayabin3 injects the XviD codec into the system without demand and suggests adding another ogg splitter of unknown age. In addition, the game does not provide a regular ability to remove such a codec, so after uninstalling it, you have to clean the system manually. It is worth noting that video playback problems arise not because of the simple installation of additional products, but because such programs assign high priorities to their codecs, that is, they replace those already in the system. It is quite easy to deal with "illegal immigrants". For example, codec files can simply be deleted. However, some of them are needed for the normal functioning of the programs that installed them, and therefore it is better to leave the new codecs in the system, but not to let them use any applications other than the "native" one. This can be done using the aforementioned GSpot program: open a file in it that uses the wrong codec, and in the "Proposed Codec Solutions and Test" section, press button 1 under the A / V label. Information about the codecs (more precisely, about the chain of codecs and filters) that will be used to play this file will appear in the text field on the right. Having learned the name of the "extra" codec, go to the Options menu and select the "Settings" item. We activate "Expert Mode: Enable codec management functions on menus", which will allow you to manage the priority of the codecs directly from the program. Close the settings window, select the "List Codecs and Other Filters" command from the "System" menu. In the list that appears, find the required codec, right-click on it and stop at the "Set Filter Merit ..." option of the context menu. In the window that appears, move the slider down to the value "0200000" (don "t use) (it can be lower, but undesirable.) After this operation, this codec will be used only if the program explicitly addresses it.

*** The last group of misunderstandings during video playback is related to the possible incompatibility of decoders / splitters with video players, errors of the decoders themselves and cases of damage to video files. The first situation is easy to diagnose: it is enough to open the file in another player (or even in GSpot), and if the problem disappears, then its source is precisely the incompatibility of the player and the codec. When playing a file is difficult in another player, most likely the culprit is a bug in the codec, and you should either update it, or, conversely, return to more old version, on which no such errors were observed. If the file is damaged, you can try to fix it using VirtualDubMod without additional video fixing tools.

*** This method is suitable only for files in avi, mkv or ogg containers. In the "File" menu, select the "Open" command, put (!) A tick at the bottom of the window next to the "Ask for extended options after this dialog" item, find desired file and click "Open". In the window that appears, check the "Re-derive keyframe flags" checkbox and click OK. Upon completion of the long operation of rewriting key flags, select the "Scan" sub-item in the "Video" menu in the "Scan video streams for errors" item. After completing this procedure, go to the "File", "Save As" menu, specify a new name for the corrected file and at the bottom of the window in the "Video Mode" item select "Direct Stream Copy". As a result, we get a working file with parts of the video that were not damaged and were restored

Good day!

Every time you open a multimedia file (music, movies, etc.), codecs(special software that converts data, signal).

A lot depends on the choice of a set of codecs: will you open only a part of video files or all without exception; whether the video will slow down; how audio and video will be converted and compressed, etc.

Now you can find dozens of sets of codecs, but not all of them deserve attention (in my opinion). In this article, I will recommend a few sets that have helped me out more than once in my daily work. So...

One of the best (if not the most!) Sets of codecs for working with audio and video files. The set is distinguished by its versatility: it is suitable for both novice users and more experienced ones.

K-Lite Codec Pack supports all the most common video formats: AVI, MKV, MP4, FLV, MPEG, MOV, TS, M2TS, WMV, RM, RMVB, OGM, WebM, etc. The same applies to audio formats: MP3, FLAC, M4A, AAC, OGG, 3GP, AMR, APE, MKA, Opus, Wavpack, etc.

In total, there are 4 options for a set of codecs:

• Basic and Standard: basic sets, suitable for all novice users (well, or those who do not encode, convert video files);
• Full and Mega : large set codecs. If your videos sometimes do not play (for example, a black screen is displayed instead of a picture), I recommend choosing these particular versions.

There are versions of codecs for absolutely all Windows operating systems:

• the latest versions are suitable for Windows 7, 8, 10 (moreover, codecs are present at once in one set for 32/64 bit systems);
• For Windows 95/98 / Me - choose version 3.4.5;
• For Windows 2000 / XP - version 7.1.0 (for Windows XP SP2 +, by the way, you can try to install a modern version of the set).

Important! When installing the MEGA pack - select the "Lots of stuff" option in the settings - this way you will have all the necessary codecs in the system to view ANY video files ..

Option to install a set of codecs MEGA pack - Lots of stuff

Note! By the way, the set of codecs includes an excellent player for video files - Media Player Classic (I recommend it!).

Media Player Codec Pack

Free and large enough codec package designed for ordinary home PCs (laptops). After installation, as a rule, the user does not need to install anything else: all video and audio files will open and play without problems.

It is also worth noting it easy installation: a minimum of actions are required from the user! The codec is distributed in three versions: the minimum set (Lite), standard (Standart) and extended (Plus).

Supported video files: DivX, XviD, x264, h.264, AVI, MKV, OGM, MP4, 3GPP, MPEG, VOB, DAT, FLV, PS, TS, etc.

Supported audio files: AC3, DTS, AAC, APE, FLAC, TTA, WV, OGG, Vorbis, MO3, IT, XM, S3M, MTM, MOD, UMX, etc.

After installing Media Player Codec Pack - you will be able to open and view ~ 99.9% of files (including formats: XCD, VCD, SVCD and DVD).

Pros:

• support for a huge number of multimedia file formats;
• the set of codecs is completely free;
• ease of installation and configuration;
• a large set of tools and fine tuning.

Minuses:

• no support for the Russian language;
• in some cases, it is necessary to adjust the sound (apparently a set of codecs cannot configure "contact" with some versions of audio drivers by default);
• before installing the set - you must completely remove the old codecs (to avoid conflicts and incorrect operation of this set).

ADVANCED Codecs for Windows 10 / 8.1 / 7

The famous codecs from Sharkey are better known and popular abroad than in our country. The set of codecs is just great, as the name implies, it will work in Windows 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

About what ADVANCED Codecs supports all popular (and not so) video and audio formats, probably, it makes no sense to say.

But it is worth saying about some significant advantages (this is no longer in any set of codecs):

1. this set does not contain any video players - thus. it does not change file associations in Windows and all your files will be played in previous programs;
2. this package includes codecs for playing streaming video, which can be watched, including in a browser (that is, online video is popular at the moment);
3. the installer of the program will automatically (i.e. you do not have to remove anything before installing) will remove all old codecs and make all the necessary changes to windows registry! After the codecs are installed, your programs, for example Windows Media Player, will automatically use the new codecs from this set;
4. during installation, you can choose not only which codecs are needed, but also the directory for installing each. After installation, those codecs that you no longer need can be easily removed (or add the missing ones). In general, the installer in this program is extremely convenient!

by the way , it's worth mentioning that this set of codecs is completely free!

StarCodec

Another free codec pack (developed by Koreans) for high-quality playback of audio and video files. Its main advantage: in uniqueness, in the fact that this package has everything you need to work with video, so to speak, "all in one"!

Supports a huge variety of video files : DivX, XviD, H.264 / AVC, MPEG-4, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MJPEG, WebM, AVI, MP4, MKV, MOV, FLV, RM, FourCC Changer, MediaInfo, etc.

Supports a huge variety of audio files : MP3, OGG, AC3, DTS, AAC, FLAC, etc.

It should be added that all the necessary codecs for 64-bit systems are also present in the set. Supported OS Windows: 7, 8, 10. The set of codecs is constantly updated and replenished.

Note! What else is good this set- because of its lower requirements, in comparison with other sets. Those. it is quite possible to try to install and use it on old PCs (laptops).

There is no need to set any special settings and parameters, for most users everything will work by default (i.e. immediately after installation). However, for advanced users, there is room for fine tuning. All in all, the set is very interesting and deserves respect.

CCCP: Combined Community Codec Pack

Website: http://www.cccp-project.net/

A specific set of codecs. Created, for the most part, to play anime (+ support for subtitles, in these videos, not all players are able to read subtitles).

The main features of the set:

• contains only the main codecs (far from all): thus, greater compatibility of distributed anime videos is achieved. In addition, the risk of conflicts between different codecs is reduced;
• simplicity and ease of installation / uninstallation. The developers have thought over and made the master in such a way that even those who just sat down at the PC yesterday can cope;
• support for all popular Windows versions: XP / Vista / 7/8 / 8.1 / 10;
• the last update of the set was in 2015. (in principle, this is not so important for codecs).

Supported multimedia formats:

1. Video: MPEG-2, DivX, XviD, H.264, WMV9, FLV, Theora, Generic MPEG-4 ASP (3ivx, lavc, etc.), AVI, OGM, MKV, MP4, FLV, 3GP, TS.
2. Audio: MP1, MP2, MP3, AC3, DTS, AAC, Vorbis, LPCM, FLAC, TTA, WavPack

Popular formats that are not supported:

1. QuickTime .qt .mov (can be played after installing QuickTime);
2. RealMedia .rm .rmvb (can be played after installing RealPlayer).

XP Codec Pack

A good alternative to the K-Lite Codec Pack and Media Player Codec Pack. Despite the name ( note: there is XP) - the codec pack supports all the latest Windows OS: XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

The set has a well-implemented installer: you will be prompted to select video filters to install (DVD, msdVR, LAV Filters, Real, xy-VSFilter, xySubFilter); will be asked to indicate audio codecs: AC3 Filter, LAV Audio, FLAC, Monkey Audio, MusePack, OptimFROG, TTA. Basically, if you do not know what to choose - you can leave everything by default and click the "next" button - the program is configured in such a way that in this case everything will work for you out of the box.

Note! In the list of tools installed along with the codec pack, there is the Codec Detective utility, which is designed to show you all installed codecs in Windows, as well as suggest which ones work incorrectly and conflict.

Matroska pack full

A solid universal set of codecs. It removes special attention to two formats: MKA and MKV (many modern high-quality films, today, are distributed in this format!).

Also in Matroska the situation with subtitles is very good: you can even watch "tricky" Korean videos with subtitles (including, you can load external subtitles).

Key Features:

• compactness of the package with a wide variety of video filters, support for most popular video files;
• support MKV format in full (many other packages have problems when working with this format);
• besides MKV, playback of audio files with FLAC encoding (lossless!) is supported;
• there are no extra codecs in the package additional applications(which they love to add to all other similar sets);
• codecs work in any player ( note: which supports DirectShow);
• VSFilter - special a module that allows you to load any subtitles;
• all supported Windows versions: XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

What else can I recommend:

1. Ace Mega Codec Pack- a huge set of codecs, probably the largest! There is only one small detail - it has not been updated for a long time (since about 2006). Thus, it is not very relevant today, unless you want to install it on an old PC;
2. DivX(developer site:) is one of the most popular codecs. If you want to get the most new version this codec - I recommend downloading it from the official site. By the way, many who are engaged in encoding video files, I recommend downloading only the specific codec you need and not using the sets at all;
3. Xvid(developer's site :) is another very popular codec, many films and videos on the Internet are encoded with it. In some cases, it provides better compression than the previous one (but in my opinion - this codec affects more PC resources for compression, and works slower);
4. x264 Video Codec(developer's site:) - an alternative codec to the Mpeg4 and Divx format, allows you to compress and encode video in the H.264 / AVC format. Is different high quality compression, coupled with a good picture. In general, it is a worthy competitor to the previous codecs.

That's all for me today.

Sometimes a situation arises when the computer refuses to play a sound or video file. Most likely, this means that your player did not find the required codec.

What is a codec?

Codecs- this is system programs that are used to create and play audio and video files. This is evidenced by the very name "codec" (codec), which comes from two English words "Encoder" and "Decoder"(COder + DECoder = CODEC).

Why are codecs needed?

The fact is that sound or video presented in digital form, without any processing, has very large volumes. Therefore, codecs are used that can significantly reduce the size of multimedia files.

Compressing files

Compression process - coding, "Unpacking" - decoding... Simply put, the file created by the codec is a kind of archive file. Hence, another variant of the origin of the word "codec" follows - from the words "COmpressor" and "DECompressor".

There are two main ways of encoding - compression of the original information with losses and no loss... The first method provides a significant reduction in data volume while maintaining acceptable sound and image quality.

Most of the common video formats on the Internet, as well as the popular MP3 audio format use algorithms lossy compression when information that is hardly noticeable to the viewer or listener is simply not encoded. The disadvantage of this method is a noticeable, especially by experts, deterioration in quality, as well as a significant deterioration in quality with repeated re-encoding of such files.

Lossless compression mainly applied in professional video recording and high quality sound formats... In this case, the original information is restored from a lossless compressed file. True, files with this method of compression are larger.

Note also that the codec itself cannot play or create files. This requires editor or converter of audio or video files, which in their work and use the necessary codecs.

How do I install codecs on my computer?

"Clean" just installed operating system already contains some minimum set of codecs... But nowadays there are many file formats for which this set will not be enough.

Codecs can install on a computer, both individually and in packages, which, in addition to a set of codecs, often contain various tools to facilitate working with audio and video files, as well as players.

The most common and popular example of a combination of codecs and a media player are:, which can be downloaded from our website for free. Most often, users install one of these players depending on personal preference, be it design or convenience, and that's enough. all of these players contain a large number of the most popular and used codecs used to play audio and video files.