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Multimedia Codecs: Comparison Tables

Good day!

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

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

Now you can find dozens of codec sets, but not all of them are worthy of attention (in my opinion). In this article I will recommend several 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.

There are 4 options for a set of codecs:

• Basic and Standard: basic sets, suitable for all novice users (or those who do not encode or convert video files);
• Full and Mega: large set of codecs. If your videos sometimes do not play (for example, a black screen is shown instead of a picture), I recommend choosing these 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 in one set for 32/64 bit systems);
• For Windows 95/98/Me - select 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 watch ANY video files..

Installation option for the MEGA pack codec set - Lots of stuff

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

Media Player Codec Pack

A free and fairly large package of codecs 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 its simple installation: a minimum of actions is required from the user! The codec is distributed in three versions: minimal 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 Russian language support;
• in some cases it is necessary to configure the sound (apparently a set of codecs cannot configure “contact” by default with some versions of audio drivers);
• Before installing the set, you must completely remove previous codecs (to avoid conflicts and incorrect operation of this set).

ADVANCED Codecs for Windows 10/8.1/7

The famous codecs from Sharkey are more famous and popular abroad than in our country. The set of codecs is simply excellent, as the name suggests, it will work on Windows 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

About what ADVANCED Codes supports all popular (and not so popular) video and audio formats, there’s probably no point in saying it.

But it’s worth mentioning some significant advantages (this is not found in any other set of codecs):

1. this set does not contain any video players - i.e. 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 also be watched in a browser (that is, online video, which is popular at the moment);
3. The program installer will automatically (i.e. you don’t have to delete anything before installation) will remove all old codecs and make all the necessary changes to the Windows registry! Once the codecs are installed, your programs, such as Windows Media Player, will automatically use the new codecs from that set;
4. During installation, you can choose not only which codecs are needed, but also the installation directory for each. After installation, those codecs that you no longer need can be easily removed (or add missing ones). In general, the installer in this program is extremely convenient!

By the way , it is worth mentioning that this set of codecs is completely free!

StarCodec

Another free codec package (developed by Koreans) for high-quality playback of audio and video files. Its main advantage: its uniqueness, the fact that this package contains 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 is worth adding that all the necessary codecs for 64-bit systems are also included in the set. Windows OS supported: 7, 8, 10. The set of codecs is constantly updated and expanded.

Note! Another good thing about this set is its lower requirements compared to other sets. Those. You can try installing it and using it on old PCs (laptops).

There is no need to specify 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. In general, 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, for playing anime (+ support for subtitles; in these videos, not all players are able to read subtitles).

Main features of the set:

• contains only the main codecs (not all): this way, greater compatibility is achieved between distributed anime videos. In addition, the risk of conflicts between different codecs is reduced;
• simplicity and ease of installation/uninstallation. The developers thought through and made the wizard in such a way that even someone who just sat down at a PC yesterday can handle it;
• support for all popular versions of Windows: 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 media 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: XP is present) - codec package supports all the latest Windows OS: XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

The set has a well-implemented installer: you will be asked to select video filters for installation (DVD, msdVR, LAV Filters, Real, xy-VSFilter, xySubFilter); You will be asked to specify audio codecs: AC3 Filter, LAV Audio, FLAC, Monkey Audio, MusePack, OptimFROG, TTA. In principle, if you don’t 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 out of the box for you.

Note! The list of tools installed along with the codec package includes the Codec Detective utility, which is designed to show you all installed codecs in Windows, as well as tell you which of them are not working correctly and conflict.

Matroska Pack Full

A good universal set of codecs. Particular attention is paid to two formats: MKA and MKV (many modern high-quality films today are distributed in this format!).

Matroska also handles subtitles very well: you can even watch tricky Korean videos with subtitles (including the ability to load external subtitles).

Key Features:

• compactness of the package with a wide variety of video filters, support for most popular video files;
• support for the MKV format in full (many other packages have problems when working with this format);
• in addition to MKV, playback of audio files is supported with FLAC encoding (lossless!);
• there are no unnecessary additional applications in the codec package (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 versions of Windows are supported: 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). So, it's not very relevant today unless you want to install it on an old PC;
2. DivX(developer's website:) - one of the most popular codecs. If you want to get the latest version of this codec, I recommend downloading it from the official website. By the way, many who encode video files recommend downloading only the specific codec you need and not using sets at all;
3. Xvid(developer's website:) - 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 uses more PC resources for compression and is slower);
4. x264 Video Codec(developer's website:) - an alternative codec to the Mpeg4 and Divx format, allows you to compress and encode video into the H.264/AVC format. It has high compression quality, coupled with a good picture. In general, a worthy competitor to previous codecs.

That's all for me today.

K-Lite Codec Pack is a universal set of codecs and utilities designed for playing and processing audio and video files, including only free or open-source software.

Features of K-Lite Codec Pack

• Optimal selection of codecs;
• Ability to detect and remove damaged filters and codecs;
• Compatible with other software packages;
• Advanced installation wizard;
• Complete removal of the package using the uninstaller;
• Frequent updates of software components.

Supported File Formats

• .avi, .divx, .flv, .mkv, .mka, .mp3, .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mpe, .m2v, .mpv2, .mp2v, .m2p, .vob, .evo, .mod , .ts, .m2ts, .m2t, .mts, .pva, .tp, .tpr, .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .mpv4, .m4a, .3gp, .3gpp, .3g2, .3gp2, . ogg, .ogm, .ogv, .oga, .rm, .rmvb, .ra, .ram, .webm, .mov, .hdmov .qt, .flac, .wv, .ac3, .dts, .amr, . amv, .alac, .ape, .apl, .aac, .mpc, .mpp, .xm, .s3m, .it, .umx, .ofr, .ofs.

K-Lite Codec Pack Components

• DirectShow video filters – XviD, On2 VP7, MPEG-2 (Gabest), MPEG-2 (Cyberlink);
• Video codecs – XviD, x264, On2 VP7, Lagarith, huffyuv, Intel I.263, DivX, YV12 (Helix);
• DirectShow audio filters – MusePack (MONOGRAM), WavPack (CoreWavPack), FLAC (madFLAC), Monkey’s Audio (DCoder), OptimFROG (RadLight), DC-Bass Source, AC3/DTS Source (AC3File), AMR (MONOGRAM);
• ACM audio codecs – MP3 (Fraunhofer), MP3 (LAME), AC3 (ffcHandler), Ogg Vorbis, DivX Audio;
• DirectShow source filters – AVI splitter (Gabest), AVI splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Gabest), Matroska splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Matroska splitter (Gabest), Ogg splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Ogg splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS/TS splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS/TS splitter (Haali Media Splitter), FLV splitter (Gabest), CDDA Reader (Gabest), CDXA Reader (Gabest);
• DirectShow subtitle filter – DirectVobSub (a.k.a. VSFilter);
• Utilities – Bitrate Calculator, Codec Tweak Tool, GSpot Codec Information Appliance, MediaInfo Lite, VobSubStrip, GraphStudio, Haali Muxer, FourCC Changer;
• Media Player Classic Home Cinema (included in all package options except Basic, available in 32 and 64-bit versions).

Installing codecs

The installation process of K-Lite Codec Pack is quite simple and intuitive, it will not take much time.

For most users, it is best to leave the settings that will be offered by the wizard during installation unchanged and not experiment with them, leaving all the checkboxes in their places, this will be quite enough for listening to music and watching videos on the computer.

Alternative set of codecs:

Download K-Lite Codec Pack

K-Lite Codec Pack codecs are distributed in versions: Basic, Standard, Full and Mega. Our website presents the latest version of the most complete package (includes more components, supports more formats, etc.) - K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.

Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for free, without registration.

Spoiler (Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for Windows XP)

New versions of K-Lite Mega Codec Pack no longer support Windows XP. If you need to download K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows XP, then use one of the links below:

What's new in version: List of changes