Which codecs do I use with Windows Media Player?

Question

I downloaded the XP Codec Pack and it came with a ton of codecs, but I don't know which one(s) to use; or what codecs even do at all... So can someone explain to me what codecs do and which ones I should use?

I have a .avi file that freezes when I'm playing it, and that's why I got the codec pack. What codec should I use for video?

I also use OGM player, but it freezes on that too, the video freezes, but the sound keeps going. I don't really know what to do...

Answer 1

codecs translate different media types to the player ... the rule is only install the ones u need ... if everything u have works dont install anything ... for downloaded video files the ffdshow codec is all ive ever needed so u may want to try that ..

Answer 2

Codecs are very confusing and most codecs package are just not very well put together. Some of the codecs can cause problems with your PC because of incompatibility. What you need to do is Uninstall XP codec pack or any other codecs package. Restart your PC and download the Vista Codec package ( it also work with WinXP) here http://www.jtow.net/users/triess/ and you'll be able to play the avi file with WMP. The reason WMP can't play this Avi file is that some are encoded with Divx and you will need the DivX codec to play it. The package is real easy to install and required no knowledge of codecs to get it to work. If you're already has Quicktime on your PC, make sure you choose the Custom install instead of the Default, and Remove all QT plugin in the Codec package.

Answer 3

Codecs stand for compression/decompression. Multimedia files tend to be very large in size. As a result, people like to compress them to save space. You can see how advantageous this might be for streaming songs and/or movies over the Internet. However, before these files can be played, they have to be decompressed which is where codecs comes into the picture. A media player can only play multimedia files if it supports both the file type and has the popular codecs. Sadly, there is no universal codec. Everyone created their own. What most people have done is to create codec packages which bundle a large list of codecs to increasethe likely of having the necessary codec. I recommend you switch from WMP to another media player which supports more file types, try VLC player (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/). As for codec packages, I am partial to K-Lite Codec Pack (Full) (http://www.filehippo.com/download_klite_codec_pack/)

Answer 4

I use "K-Lite Codec Pack".
You can download it at www.download.com