codecs
I get this question a lot:
“I got this .mkv (or insert other format here) video file and it won’t play on my machine. It says I don’t have the right codec. What do i do?”
First let me address what a codec is. A codec is an algorithm for compress and decompressing videos. If your computer does not have the algorithm it will not be able to decompress the video and you will not be able to watch the file.
So how do you get the codecs you need? The best option is to download a codec pack. A codec pack is a group of codecs .. you guessed it.. packed together. The one I like to use is the k-lite codec pack.
K-lite codec pack
K-lite comes in three flavors basic, standard and full. The standard and full contain more codecs than the basic. I recommend grabbing the full pack. After you install the pack you will be able to play back the vast majority of videos available. k-lite also has the codecs needed for DVD playback.
In addition to the codecs the pack comes bundled with Media Player Classic (more on that in another post).
You can download the k-lite codec pack from http://www.free-codecs.com/download/K_lite_codec_pack.htm
Tags: codec, k-lite, Media Player Classic, multimedia, Windows
March 5th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
I disagree about the best option. The last 3 machines I’ve setup have zero codecs installed. I use TheKMPlayer as my default media player and haven’t installed or updated a codec in years – they’re all built in and seamless to the user.
Receommend you give it a shot. It also has one other killer feature: it automatically remembers where you’re up to in every file you’ve played with it.
March 15th, 2009 at 11:40 am
just use gom player.
it has the ability to update the codacs automaticly.
August 8th, 2010 at 12:12 pm
[...] at VLC it has handled it without an issue. VLC does not require the installation of additional codecs. It plays most every file immediately after installation. VLC is also skinable so you can [...]