codec??????

[slkirk22]

This is my first time using this and it keeps telling me it cant find the codec? i went to the windows update site and it says i have the latest. any clues?

[Ultima]

Grab ffdshow, or CCCP (which includes ffdshow).

[Ale]

http://home.hccnet.nl/h.edskes/mirror.htm

the k-lite mega codec pack has ffdshow and loads of other things in it as well.

[Animorc]

All Ultra|Super|Mega| codec packs install way more than needed, thus critically reduce the performance on your computer. ffdshow is the only thing you need for most video encodes.

[Firon]

CCCP's ffdshow is stripped down. And there's other stuff I don't like about it.

And K-Lite actually uses ffdshow now, I think... I don't use it, though.

[Dark Shroud]

CCCP has pretty much everything a person needs though. If K-Lite used ffdshow properly it wouldn't need all of those useless codecs, except with the mega which is meant for ripping/encodeing. Since I started using CCCP I've never needed a codec.

[HoochieMamma]

I would suggest uninstalling EVERYTHIGN related to media playing on your system (ie: WMP, QT, Real) and using the K-lite Mega Codec Pack and use Media Player Classic to play EVERYTHING. It uses ffdshow now and has quicktime/real alternative inbuilt so with this package you should not be able to get a vid/song you cannot play.

[Ultima]

Honestly, K-lite Mega Codec pack installs too many things, a lot of which overlap with ffdshow functionality. I wouldn't use it... CCCP only installs 2 codecs: ffdshow, and the WMV9VCM codec. Then there's a splitter, a subtitle filter, and a choice of one or two included players. Very lightweight, and can barely be called a "codec pack," since almost all the decoding is done with ffdshow anyhow.

@Firon: Yeah... I tried finding out what was cut from their version of ffdshow, but I can't seem to find anything, and whatever I've thrown at it is working, so I doubt it was anything big or important. But who knows.

[Dark Shroud]

Too many people use those useless bloated codec packs.

CCCP for XP/win2k is so light weight you almost don't even notice it. It will even work with Windows Media Player 9 & 10 so you don't have to install more players if you don't want to. It's also updated every month and a half at the most. Lastest version released Jan 18th, 2006. http://www.cccp-project.net/ Check out their wiki.

Now, if you need to know what codecs are already installed on you computer here's a free app that does the job well CCCP Insurgent. CCCP Insurgent Wiki CCCP Insurgent Lastest version released Jan 1st, 2006.

Typo Edit.

[splintax]

, I know this is totally off-topic, but the title of this thread reminds me of this:

(context: this weekend web article, read on to page 5 )

[Firon]

I still think CCCP can die and burn in hell. I'll stick to the real ffdshow, thanks.

[00]

I use VLC. It plays many formats without using external codecs.

http://www.videolan.org/vlc/

[Firon]

VLC's Firefox plugin is great, awesome for watching embedded WMVs and stuff like that. If only it worked for more things, it doesn't seem to play WAVs, so Quicktime's crummy plugin takes over. :|

I don't like the VLC player itself though.

[1c3d0g]

Ahaha...here we go again with the codec wars...

[Firon]

At least it's a thread about what codec to use.

[Dark Shroud]

VLC's main problems that make it unstable trash:

1) The codecs are internal, making many complications.

2) The whole player has to be re-downloaded for updates.

3) They don't use ffdshow properly, last I checked they didn't even have a stable use of ffdshow.

[Firon]

VLC doesn't use ffdshow. It doesn't use ANY DirectShow codec.

ffdshow is a DirectShow codec.

However, the two have many identical codecs, but ffdshow is more updated and often faster in my experience. VLC's missing a few too, but ffdshow is also missing some that VLC has. (namely, working windows media support)

[Ultima]

Indeed VLC uses ffmpeg, which ffdshow is based off of. I wonder why ffdshow doesn't have Windows Media support when it's supported in the "parent" project ffmpeg...

[Firon]

It has support for WMV1/7, WMV2/8, WMV3/9, and WMA V1 and V2, but... WMV3/9 is disabled from the installer and codec list, presumably because it's incomplete or something. You can turn it on in the registry though.