installing ac3 codec on mac?

Question

I recently downloaded the latest version of the ac3 codec but every time i click on it it says there is no default application to open it.
am i doing the right thing?

Answer 1

Something is missing here but I can't guess what you are clicking on. What is the name of the file? If it ends with .component, it is probably a QuickTime component. Put those types of files in Library / QuickTime.

Does it end with .exe or some other Windows type extension? If so, you will need a download designed for Mac. What is the name of the video player you will use? If it is QuickTime Player, you can get ac3 codec from the link below. It provides a zipped file. Zip compression is a bit arbitrary so some unzip applications fail to decompress correctly off and on. I have good luck opening zipped files with Zipeg, second link below. After you install Zipeg and try to open a zipped file, you'll get the Zipeg window. Then just press command - E and it will make a folder for the unzipped stuff. Then you'll find a folder called "AC3CodecMacOSX" in your Documents folder and inside that is the component file.