What is the best codec pack for WMP11?

[Walter R.]

I am using win Xp Pro SP3 and Windows Media Player 11.

What is the best codec pack that will allow me to watch most DVD movies on
WMP11? I like the way WMP displays movies.

Until I bought a DVD recorder/player, I never realized how many different
codecs are necessary to watch movies on my computer.

Thanks for any enlightenment. This is new to me.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[X-post to WMP NG]

The best codec is the one required to view the video in question.

 

[Walter R.]

Right, but how can I find the correct codec for a particular movie?

--
Walter
www.rationality.net
-

[X-post to WMP NG]

The best codec is the one required to view the video in question.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002

I am using win Xp Pro SP3 and Windows Media Player 11.

What is the best codec pack that will allow me to watch most DVD movies
on
WMP11? I like the way WMP displays movies.

Until I bought a DVD recorder/player, I never realized how many different
codecs are necessary to watch movies on my computer.

Thanks for any enlightenment. This is new to me.

 

[ju.c]

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 20 MB (Freeware)
http://www.codecguide.com/features_mega.htm


ju.c

 

[Daave]

Seconded.

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack 20 MB (Freeware)
http://www.codecguide.com/features_mega.htm


ju.c

 

[Daave]

This utility will do that nicely:

GSpot Codec Information Appliance [version 2.70a]

And that's part of the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack that ju.c mentioned:

http://www.codecguide.com/features_mega.htm

That will have just about *any* codec you need.

Right, but how can I find the correct codec for a particular movie?

[X-post to WMP NG]

The best codec is the one required to view the video in question.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002

I am using win Xp Pro SP3 and Windows Media Player 11.

What is the best codec pack that will allow me to watch most DVD
movies on
WMP11? I like the way WMP displays movies.

Until I bought a DVD recorder/player, I never realized how many
different codecs are necessary to watch movies on my computer.

Thanks for any enlightenment. This is new to me.

 

[Anteaus]

If you mean the type of DVD intended for standalone players, these do not
require a codec, but a DVD-player app such as PowerDVD or WinDVD to be
installed.

WMP doesn't in fact have the native capability to play DVDs, but if a
suitable app is installed it will use this app's interface.

This differs from the likes of DivX/XViD which does utilise a codec.

To complicate matters further, some codecs can play unencrypted .VOB files
as found on DVDs, but not the encrypted, region-locked ones.

 

[The Seabat]

Check out www.afterdawn.com and www.videohelp.com

These are both geared toward creating and burning DVD's, CD's, SVCD's,
etc, etc. But there is a lot of basic knowledge available there too.

To ID codecs in video files, I use GSpot (freeware)
http://gspot.headbands.com/
It will give you a whole lot of other helpful info, too.

 

[noone]

[X-post to WMP NG]

The best codec is the one required to view the video in question.

Now THAT is some useful information. Why did you bother to reply?

 

[Bennett Marco]

[X-post to WMP NG]

The best codec is the one required to view the video in question.

Now THAT is some useful information. Why did you bother to reply?

He gets like that some days. Maybe he's tired of being an MVP and is
trying to lose the title.

 

[Tim Meddick]

I have never had any problems viewing *any* video format since I
installed the imaginatively titled [& free] XP Codec Pack 2.3.4

Click on the link below to download the latest release :

http://www.xpcodecpack.com/dl/XP-Codec-Pack-2.4.9.exe

...or the link below to go to the XP Codec pack website

http://www.xpcodecpack.com/

....and click on the "download" button...

==

Cheers, Tim Meddick, Peckham, London.

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

Bear actually makes a great point. I have some clips I can send to you that
won't work with codec pack X or Y.

I realize not many people understand that, but Bear is smart enough here to
realize that there's more to life than throwing a codec pack handling ~50
codecs against a clip that could be using any of *800* codecs.

Not a lot of people realize that, but when you actually deal with multimedia
you realize that stuff like the Camtasia or other random codecs actually
require downloading *those* codecs, not some random codec pack. =)

WMP's "Web Help" button on the error dialog should probably tell you what
codec is missing, which is the first step to tracking down the one correct
codec.

--
Speaking for myself only.
See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--

[X-post to WMP NG]

The best codec is the one required to view the video in question.

Now THAT is some useful information. Why did you bother to reply?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[Thank you, Zach.]

Bear actually makes a great point. I have some clips I can send to you
that
won't work with codec pack X or Y.

I realize not many people understand that, but Bear is smart enough here
to
realize that there's more to life than throwing a codec pack handling ~50
codecs against a clip that could be using any of *800* codecs.

Not a lot of people realize that, but when you actually deal with
multimedia
you realize that stuff like the Camtasia or other random codecs actually
require downloading *those* codecs, not some random codec pack. =)

WMP's "Web Help" button on the error dialog should probably tell you what
codec is missing, which is the first step to tracking down the one correct
codec.

--
Speaking for myself only.
See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights.

[X-post to WMP NG]

The best codec is the one required to view the video in question.

Now THAT is some useful information. Why did you bother to reply?

 

[Bill in Co.]

Or Media Player Classic.

 

[Alex Clark]

The other important thing to note about VLC is that it plays multi-region
DVDs without any kind of "you can only switch region X more times" nonsense.
I regularly play both US and UK DVDs on my desktop with no problem
whatsoever.

And it really will play just about anything you throw at it. One time I
opened notepad, bashed at the keyboard until I had a few thousand random
characters and saved it. When I opened that file in VLC, it showed a clip
from The Matrix. It really is that good.

 

[ANONYMOUS]

[X-post to WMP NG]

Thebestcodecis the one required to view the video in question.

Now THAT is some useful information.  Why did you bother to reply?

Well perhaps it is time for Pig-Bear to renew his memebrship of the
Pig Society so he needs to post anything to make up the required
numbers. Mind you, he is 78 and he has nothing else to do apart from
posting rubbish on these newsgroups. I sugest we should leave him
alone so that he can pass his remaining life in happiness. He hasn't
got much to live.