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Burning Software:Archive for September, 2010
Why Codec Pack?
When we need codecs
Even if you are an advanced computer user, you have probably experienced problems when playing video/audio files. Here is the list of the prevailing problems:
- video plays without sound;
- sound plays but there is no video;
- a media player doesn’t play a file at all giving an error message.
The same problems can appear when converting files: the result of conversion plays incorrectly.
We often recommend our users who face such problems to download and install codecs.
You may ask: “Why do I need additional software? How to get to know which codec I need?”
What is a codec
According to Wikipedia, codec (from English COder/DECoder) is a computer program capable of encoding and/or decoding data stream or signal.
You should remember that a codec doesn’t playback video and audio files, it just helps other programs (media players, converting software) to open, playback and convert video and audio files correctly.
Also, you should differ video format and video codec. Sometimes they are mistaken because a format and a codec can have the same name. A file format can be considered as a type of container. Inside the container is data that has been compressed by using a particular codec (or a number of codecs). For example, a file in the AVI (Audio-Video Interleaved) format can be compressed by several codecs, including MPEG4, DivX, Xvid, MP3, and others. You can find more information about codecs on the Microsoft website.
What codecs to install
So, how to find out which codec is needed to convert a certain file?
We usually recommend our users to install K-Lite Codec Pack, QuickTime Player and DivX Plus Codec Pack.
- K-Lite Codec Pack is a free package of codecs that are needed for encoding and decoding various video and audio formats. More information here.
You may need to download and install this codec pack if you have a file in the FLV, MKV, MP4, RM format or other.
When installing K-Lite Codec Pack, you can optionally install Media Player Classic (MPC), a freeeasy-to-use multimedia player. - QuickTime Player is a free multimedia player for both Mac OS X and Windows operating systems. If you want to play or convert a MOV file, you should have the player installed.
- DivX is a proprietary codec developed by DivX, Inc. The codec has become popular due to its high efficiency. It is used to strongly compress video with minimal quality loss.
In conclusion, please note: if you are not sure which codec you need to open and/or convert your file, you can always contact Need4Video Support Team.