Media Player Codec Pack

If you are not able to run a specific video or audio file on your computer, everyone will say the same thing: you need to install the right codecs. Essentially, codecs are lightweight applications that encode and decode video or audio information from media files. You can find many codecs on the Internet. Some of them are capable of processing a wide range of media files, which makes them more popular, while others focus on specific formats. It can be quite difficult, especially for beginners, to determine what codecs are needed for certain media files. A Google search might answer that question, but a better way to solve the issue is to install Media Player Codec Pack. It supports mostly any modern day compression and media format. The package is free and you can install its components without any effort.

Apart from the setup wizard, you will not have to interact with an interface. The setup file is almost 25 Mb large and when you run it, you will be presented with two installation methods. If media file extensions, codecs or filters don't make any sense to you, the easy installation method is the choice you should make. Both methods have a few steps in common. You will have to agree to a few terms and conditions and decide if you want to install an additional toolbar on your web browser and change your default search engine and home page. When you are done with these stages, the installation process will start immediately, if you choose the simple method.

If you opt for the detailed installation, you will have to go through a few other stages before installing the codec pack. The wizard lets you decide what components should be installed or not. Obviously, this is something that many other setup wizards are capable of, but during this step, you will have a clear picture of the vast array of audio and video codecs, filters or source filters that can be installed on your computer. They are categorized in a tree structure and you can select or deselect any item with check boxes.

When the installation process is complete, you will have to make a few basic video and audio settings, like enabling certain DirectX video accelerators (DXVA) or selecting an audio output channel. When the last stage of the setup is complete, you will have to restart your computer, otherwise certain settings will not be applied. You can install the Media Player Codec Pack on various Windows platforms, ranging from Windows 2000 to Windows 7.