Best Video Codecs?

Sci-Fi Wasabi

Ok, so I just reformatted my computer, and realized I have a ton of video files of all different extensions, without a video player or codec to play them with. I also have a host of DVDs I would like to watch on my computer.

What is my most user-friendly option here? I don't want to run into any spyware or bloatware, just something simple, elegant, and effective.

Also, I remember one annoying thing about this "mega codec" pack I installed last time is that it seemed to display subtitles for everything, and I couldn't disable it. Just thought I'd throw that out there just in case I am retarded or something. I think that was K-lite or something similar.

Thanks in advance guys.

Marty81

VLC plays, like, everything. No codecs needed.

videolan.org

Kind of crappy UI though

Kriz

K-Lite/Ace Codec Packs are the very definition of bloatware.

get the Combined Community Codec Pack. it's small, it plays a lot of different stuff, it doesn't have illegal warez, and it doesn't have any malware.

originally made to play anime, the guys behind the CCCP are video encoding experts as well as programmers, and they extensively test the pack with a lot of videos and computer settings, so it's totally optimized to run without problems.

technically, it's not even a "codec" pack. it's a bundle of freeware and open-source software that mainly uses ffdshow (open source video renderer that works with a LOT of formats) and various "filters" that work in conjunction with Microsoft's DirectShow (video software included in DirectX).

it's basically a very light and efficient way of handling video; where codec packs like K-Lite and Ace pack all these full installations of codecs that often overlap and interfere with one another, CCCP uses a single main program supported by a few very small files.

it includes two different media players: Media Player Classic, and Zoom Player (but it should theoretically work with any DirectShow-compatible program, like Windows Media Player 11).

tl;dr version: get the CCCP. http://cccp-project.net/

Sci-Fi Wasabi

Wow. That Community codec is by far the best I've ever used. I didn't even need to configure the damn thing and every file looks and plays perfectly.

Thank you good sir!

LoneIgadzra

I fucking love ZoomPlayer. Takes a while to read through the prefs, but once you've got it all set up, it's the best. It's the only video player I've been able to make perfect. WMP 11 wouldn't be that bad, but even with the CCCP it can't handle a lot of container types that MPC and ZoomPlayer can, and, more damning, it doesn't have pause/play via spacebar, and the controls pop up so big they always cover subtitles if you move your mouse accidentally, and then you have to rewind far enough so the bar goes away by the time the video gets to the part where you accidentally moved the mouse.

MPC is not bad, but there are some aspects of its default setup that I don't care for, it's kind of ugly, and doesn't have a lot of customization, so that I can fix my one or two complaints.

SithDrummer

DivX and XviD for video, Nimo Codec Pack for audio. Unfortunately, I don't have a link for the last one because I'm at work.

I usually install these and use Media Player Classic, myself.

Malkor

VLC and the Community Codec Pack.

Khaczor

Malkor wrote: »

VLC and the Community Codec Pack.

What this guy said. Make sure to check the box for zoom-player when d/ling CCCP. I use VLC for everything but .mkv (matroska) files. Zoom-player handles those nicely with CCCP.

fforde

I guess the OP already got what he needed, but for the record I would go with ffdshow. It's all open source so no bloat/spyware.

JWFokker

fforde wrote: »

I guess the OP already got what he needed, but for the record I would go with ffdshow. It's all open source so no bloat/spyware.

Not to mention the wonderful post processing, supersampling, sharpening, denoise, and a myriad of other filters that it features. ffdshow and MPC are the only way to go. VLC is good, but it just can't do everything ffdshow is capable of.