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Codecs, What do they really do for you

Ever wonder what codecs are, and what they do? Ever wanted to watch a movie on the computer and it just gave you an error message saying it couldnt place 'codec missing?'

Alrighty, lets get started!

First, what is a codec?

QUOTE

Codec is a portmanteau of either "Compressor-Decompressor" or "Coder-Decoder," which describes a device or program capable of performing transformations on a data stream orsignal. Codecs can both put the stream or signal into an encoded form (often for transmission, storage or encryption) and retrieve, or decode that form for viewing or manipulation in a format more appropriate for these operations. Codecs are often used in videoconferencing and streaming media solutions. - wikipedia.org/wiki/Codec



Now there is a few different types of codecs.
The most common one's are the video and audio codecs.

Now an audio codec is a computer program that compresses/decompresses digital audio data according to a given audio file format or streaming audio format. Most codecs are implemented as libraries which interface to one or more multimedia players, such as XMMS, Winamp or Windows Media Player.

Then an video codec is a device or software module that enables video compression or decompression for digital video. The compression usually employs lossy data compression. Historically, video was stored as an analog signal on magnetic tape. Around the time when the compact disc entered the market as a digital-format replacement for analog audio, it became feasible to also begin storing and using video in digital form, and a variety of such technologies began to emerge.


HISTORY BYTE: An endec is a similar (but not identical) concept for hardware. In the middle 20th Century a "codec" was hardware that coded analog signals into PCM and decoded it back. Late in the century the name came to be applied to a class of software for converting among digital signal formats, and including compander functions.

So there's many websites you can get codecs from ALL over the web.

If you wanted to find VoIP codecs you would go here http://www.en.voipforo.com/codec/codecs.php

And if you wanted to find Video Codecs you would go to http://www.fourcc.org/codecs.php

also ofcourse theres http://www.free-codecs.com.

But Instead of scanning and searching through the internet for certain codecs, I like to use a "Codec Pack" created by a group of people just like you and me. It comes with an installer, is very small and most of all FREE!

Now I always install it after a fresh reformatt of my computer. If you would like to install this codec pack you can get it in our downloads section or look below.

Information on the 'pack':
Homepage: http://www.codecguide.com/
Description: K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of codecs and related tools. Codec is short for Compressor-Decompressor. Codecs are needed for encoding and decoding (playing) audio and video. This Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your

Download: http://totaldream.org/fileout/10/

May I remind you that 99.9% of the times you usally are asked for a codec, now you wont be asked.

* The K-Lite Codec Pack works on Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003/XP64.

"PACK INCLUDES"

Player:

  • Media Player Classic [version 6.4.9.0+ SVN build 2006-10-16]

ffdshow:

  • ffdshow [rev. 571]
  • extra plugins
  • ffdshow VFW interface

DirectShow video filters:

  • XviD [version 1.2.0-dev build 2006-11-08]
  • DivX [version 6.2.5.34]
  • On2 VP6 [version 6.4.2.0]
  • On2 VP7 [version 7.0.10.0]
  • MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (Cyberlink) [version 6.0.0.3402]
  • MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (InterVideo) [version 7.0.27.191]
  • MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (DScaler5) [version 0.0.8.0]
  • MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.3]
  • MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (MainConcept) [version 1.0.0.78]
  • MPEG-1 / MPEG-2 (Ligos) [version 4.0.0.77]

VFW video codecs:

  • XviD [version 1.2.0-dev build 2006-11-08]
  • DivX Pro [version 6.4.0.51]
  • x264 [rev. 578]
  • Windows Media 9 VCM [version 9.0.1.369]
  • On2 VP6 [version 6.4.2.0] [Encoding]
  • On2 VP7 [version 7.0.10.0] [Encoding]
  • Intel Indeo [version 5.2562.15.54]
  • Intel Indeo [version 4.51.16.2]
  • Intel Indeo [version 3.24.15.03]
  • Intel I.263 [version 2.55.1.16]
  • huffyuv [version 2.1.1 CCE Patch 0.2.5]
  • I420 (Helix) [version 1.2]
  • YV12 (Helix) [version 1.2]

QuickTime Alternative:

  • QuickTime codecs [version 7.1.3.100]
  • QuickTime plugin for Internet Explorer
  • QuickTime plugin for Firefox/Mozilla/Netscape/Opera
  • Extra QuickTime plugins
  • QuickTime DirectShow parser
  • QuickTime DirectShow decoder wrapper

Real Alternative:

  • RealMedia codecs [version 6.0.12.1741]
  • RealMedia plugin for Internet Explorer
  • RealMedia plugin for Firefox/Mozilla/Netscape/Opera
  • RealMedia DirectShow splitter [version 1.0.1.1]

DirectShow audio filters:

  • MP3 (Fraunhofer) [version 1.9.0.311]
  • AC3/DTS/LPCM (AC3Filter) [version 1.11]
  • AC3/DTS/LPCM (InterVideo) [version 7.0.27.191]
  • MP1/MP2 (MainConcept) [version 1.0.0.78]
  • Vorbis (CoreVorbis) [version 1.1.0.79]
  • AAC (CoreAAC) [version 1.2.0.575]
  • AAC (3ivX Pro) [version D4 4.5.1]
  • MusePack [version 1.0.0.3]
  • Monkey's Audio [version 1.00]
  • WavPack (CoreWavPack) [version 1.0.3]
  • FLAC (illiminable) [version 0.73.1936]
  • Voxware MetaSound [version 1.0.0.12]
  • AAC encoder (3ivX Pro) [version D4 4.5.1]

ACM audio codecs:

  • MP3 (Fraunhofer) [version 3.3.2]
  • MP3 (LAME) [version 3.97]
  • AC3 (ffcHandler) [version 1.3.1]
  • Vorbis [version 0.0.3.6]
  • DivX ;) Audio [version 4.2.0.0]

DirectShow source filters:

  • MP4 splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.6.338.23]
  • MP4 splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.3]
  • Matroska splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.6.338.23]
  • Matroska splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.2.9]
  • Ogg splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.6.338.23]
  • FLV splitter (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.1]
  • MPEG-TS splitter (Haali Media Splitter) [version 1.6.338.23]
  • MPEG demuxer (Cyberlink) [version 1.0.0.4528]
  • MPEG demuxer (Gabest) [version 1.0.0.3]
  • MPEG demuxer (MainConcept) [version 1.0.1.20]
  • MPEG demuxer (Elecard) [version 1.0.31.51211]
  • MP3 Source (DCoder) [version 1.3]
  • SHOUTcast Source [version 1.0.0.1]

DirectShow subtitle filter:

  • DirectVobSub (a.k.a. VSFilter) [version 2.37]
  • DirectVobSub (a.k.a. VSFilter) [version 2.33]

DirectShow audio filters (general purpose):

  • Morgan Multimedia Stream Switcher [version 0.9.9]

Encoding tools:

  • LAME CLI and DLL [version 3.97]
  • LameDropXPd [version 3.97]
  • OggDropXPd [version 1.8.9 aoTuVb5]

Tools:

  • GSpot Codec Information Appliance [version 2.60 beta 5]
  • Sherlock [version 2.0]
  • VobSubStrip [version 0.11]
  • GraphEdit [build 041201]
  • MMCompView [version 1.10]
  • AVI Fixed [version 2.0b1]
  • FourCC Changer
  • Bitrate Calculator


Now of course we take questions, so feel free to ask anything that you would like to know, we'll do our best to help you with any problems you may have.

Sunday May 27, 2007 - 260 reads