I've been reading in tons of places about which players, codec packs, etc are the best to have but all the arguements never seem to give complete reasoning for why and it seems like most of these "codec packs" really install more crap than is truely necessary.

I have Vista 64 and have a lot of video media on my external HDD.

I currently have the divx codec and player and everything is playing fine. But, playback has a slight jumpyness to it when i play through WMP. Its fine when played through the divx player, but i'm not a huge fan of it.


1. Any solutions to smoothing out the playback in WMP?
2. Am i missing anything necessary or pivotal for playback with just having divx? (never used anything else before so i wouldnt know.)
3. What codec do you guys use and why?

[Edited on March 16, 2009 at 10:47 AM. Reason : add]

3/16/2009 10:44:56 AM

CCCP, ffdshow will take care of anything you need

also, use VLC instead of WMP.

3/16/2009 10:54:11 AM

If all your stuff uses divx for video, all you need for video playback is divx. As far as the audio goes its probably mp3 or ac3. Windows comes with an mp3 decoder, and you can get ac3filter here: http://ac3filter.net/ . If your files are encoded with something else, you'll of course need a different codec.

Thats interesting that you're having those issues with playback in wmp. I would make sure if you're installed any codec packs to get rid of them. You dont need them and they usually do more harm than good. Other than that im not really sure. Never had any issues with divx playback in wmp myself.

3/16/2009 10:57:50 AM

why would you use divx over xvid, just out of curiosity? i try to avoid proprietary codecs whenever possible, especially considering there's an open-source one that will decode the proprietary crap just fine

also, i prefer windows media player classic to vlc, but meh

3/16/2009 11:05:11 AM

one of these days i'm gonna convert all my stuff to H.264 and just be done with codecs

3/16/2009 11:08:13 AM

Divx writes the standard, not xvid. They only reason to get xvid is if you wanted to do encoding without paying for divx. But even then dvix does giveaways of divx pro every couple of months.

Xvid is a reverse engineering of divx, and even though it probably wont cause problems theres no reason to get it over divx for playback purposes.

Also if everyone wasn't huge fags about "PROPRIETARY MIKKKKKRO$$OFT CODECS!!!" we'd all be using vc-1 and no one would have any of these fucking problems.

hell, vc-1 isn't even proprietary.

[Edited on March 16, 2009 at 11:11 AM. Reason : .]

3/16/2009 11:09:59 AM

i use divx over xvid because i've used divx all my life and never ran into a problem. i try not to fix things that aren't broken.


that being said, perhaps i'll try xvid to see if it cleans up my wmp playback.

Quote :

"CCCP, ffdshow will take care of anything you need"

see maybe that's my main question...where will i need these things? I've never had them (knowingly) on any other computer i've owned. what are some examples?

[Edited on March 16, 2009 at 11:23 AM. Reason : add]

3/16/2009 11:21:54 AM

first, uninstall divx/xvid/any other codec package/etc.

then, download and install this: http://www.cccp-project.net/

you should never have to install a codec for anything again. the ffdshow libraries can decode almost every format known to man.

3/16/2009 11:27:02 AM

Quote :

"Divx writes the standard, not xvid."

well, i knew that

Quote :

"They only reason to get xvid is if you wanted to do encoding without paying for divx."

ah, that'd be why...it's been a while, but i used to do a lot more encoding and i certainly wasn't going to pay for divx when i could get the identically-performing free version instead

3/16/2009 11:46:36 AM

i use xvid because if i have a choice between functionally equivalent FOSS and copyrighted software, i always go open source.

3/16/2009 1:58:51 PM

Quote :

"first, uninstall divx/xvid/any other codec package/etc. then, download and install this: http://www.cccp-project.net/ you should never have to install a codec for anything again. the ffdshow libraries can decode almost every format known to man."

DO NOT INSTALL THE CCCP pack. It's a bunch of shit that you don't need.

Try the xvid.org codec. Also, you can try VLC as your media player.

WMP on Vista64 has some issues, because of the hybrid 64/32 playback.

3/16/2009 3:55:20 PM

the short of it is that you're going to get a bunch of different opinions

i install the k-lite mega codec pack...does it have crap i don't need? yes...do i care? no, why would i? hard drive space is dirt cheap these days, and i'd rather it play EVERYTHING rather than having to search for a codec later...it also comes with media player classic (mpc), which i like better than vlc

http://www.free-codecs.com/download/k_lite_Mega_codec_pack.htm

3/16/2009 3:59:10 PM

^^Noen, will xvid allow for playback of these file types in WMC per chance?

3/16/2009 4:03:40 PM

^^installing codec packs is one guaranteed way to fuck up your system. You end up with directshow filter conflicts, codec conflicts, and it's all virtually impossible to undo.

They are all a bunch of kludged together, outdated codecs and helper apps.

Install the DivX codec, get VLC if you don't like WMP, and you are done. That's the only two things you NEED. The xvid codec is optional, but it might be worth a shot.

3/16/2009 5:30:48 PM

CCCP is quite alright. it doesn't install that much, the majority of it is ffdshow.

i haven't ever had a problem with it on any computer i've installed it on, nor do i know anyone else that has. it's completely unobtrusive and has decoded literally every single format i've ever tried to play. it even has a tool that will remove the remnants of other crappy codec packs and the like from your system before you install it.

you're right, a lot of codec packs are complete crap, but this one isn't. plz2stop spreading misinformation.

3/16/2009 6:21:40 PM

^I've used CCCP for years, and tried installing it a few months ago to solve a particular issue I was having (inserting subtitles into a foreign film), and it ended up clusterfucking my system.

It installs a SHIT TON of stuff, it registers dozens of dll's and codecs (directshow, proxy frameservers, and all the tool apps), and even on the default install you end up with at least 3 conflicts in decoding.

It also does not, ever, cleanly uninstall on Windows systems. It may help remove other crappy codec packs, but it sure doesn't work on itself. There's someone spreading mis-information, but it sure isn't me

You not knowing what you are doing to your system, doesn't mean it's not doing things to your system. And the fact that it works, doesn't mean it works well, or that is works properly. And I can throw you multiple formats just off the top of my head that CCCP doesn't support (because it only really deals with mkv wrapped content, ac3, mpeg1/2, mp3, mpeg4 wrapper content, and ogg).

3/16/2009 9:15:17 PM

i installed cccp once, but i didn't like the fact that i didn't know what all it was installing on my pc. it seems to be the most reputable of the codec packs, but i just felt dirty for it. i usually stick with installing the divx codec and that's usually all i need

3/16/2009 9:31:03 PM

Quote :

"installing codec packs is one guaranteed way to fuck up your system. You end up with directshow filter conflicts, codec conflicts, and it's all virtually impossible to undo."

except that it isn't...i've installed that same pack on nearly 100 machines (7-8 unique configurations) over the past year and not a single conflict has arisen...so while i understand what you're saying, and while i agree that it might have been true 5-10 years ago, my fairly extensive experience thus far says that it's not a big deal

[Edited on March 16, 2009 at 9:43 PM. Reason : *shrug*]

3/16/2009 9:42:13 PM

im just going to stick with divx. no other packs for me.

maybe i'll give VLC a shot

3/16/2009 10:05:48 PM

Quote :

"It installs a SHIT TON of stuff, it registers dozens of dll's and codecs (directshow, proxy frameservers, and all the tool apps), and even on the default install you end up with at least 3 conflicts in decoding."

did you not see the step in the installer where you could choose exactly what you wanted it to install?

Quote :

"It also does not, ever, cleanly uninstall on Windows systems. It may help remove other crappy codec packs, but it sure doesn't work on itself. There's someone spreading mis-information, but it sure isn't me"

if you know what you're doing, it really isn't that hard to track down rogue filters/dlls/etc and remove them yourself if you ever have a need to.

Quote :

"(because it only really deals with mkv wrapped content, ac3, mpeg1/2, mp3, mpeg4 wrapper content, and ogg)"

how often do you encounter content that isn't in an mkv/mpeg4/ogg wrapper or mpeg1/2?

3/16/2009 10:09:10 PM

lol

3/16/2009 10:09:39 PM

Quote :

"if you know what you're doing, it really isn't that hard to track down rogue filters/dlls/etc and remove them yourself if you ever have a need to."

=/=

clean uninstall

3/16/2009 10:20:16 PM

quite aware of that

3/16/2009 10:23:46 PM

Quote :

"except that it isn't...i've installed that same pack on nearly 100 machines (7-8 unique configurations) over the past year and not a single conflict has arisen...so while i understand what you're saying, and while i agree that it might have been true 5-10 years ago, my fairly extensive experience thus far says that it's not a big deal"

Again, just because you haven't SEEN the conflicts doesn't mean they aren't there. A default install of CCCP generates at least one audio decoder conflict (ac3/mp3), and one video decoder conflict (mkv splitter handling).

The K-Lite pack F.A.Q. section alone shows how ridiculous it is.

Quote :

"how often do you encounter content that isn't in an mkv/mpeg4/ogg wrapper or mpeg1/2?"

I encounter content all the time in avi/wmv/asf wrappers that no codec pack has codecs for. In fact, the two video codecs I use the most at work aren't in K-Lite or CCCP. And of the garbage that comes in both packs, if you don't watch MKV video, you don't need any of it.

3/16/2009 11:00:03 PM

i'm not really a fan of wmv or asf and i don't really know many people who are, especially mac users

most of the stuff that's in an avi wrapper can be played by something that's in the CCCP

i've never had anything whatsoever in an mkv container, and the CCCP has proven to be invaluable to me.

and please don't tell me you're calling ffdshow garbage.

3/16/2009 11:43:24 PM

mac users dont need the CCCP, so I'll stop you right there.

not a fan of wmv? don't know many people who are? what kind of nonsense is that? wmv is, like it or not, the most popular streaming container on the web. It's a fucking phenomenal streaming wrapper, with great flexibility. Quicktime is also pretty damn awesome as a container, and is a close second in terms of usage.

Here's my point. You get either QT or WMV preinstalled on your platform of choice. You can install the one you don't have, for free. You install divx, or xvid as you choose, and VLC if you want a free mpeg1/2 dvd decoder on windows. That's *all* you need as a general consumer. Any other codecs you may need (skipping the pirate ridden mkv format) either come with playback or the authoring software they are licensed to.

ffdshow is great. It's also completely wasted on 99% of people (which is who installs codec packs in the first place). Unless you are a *serious* videophile, it's a giant waste of time for small gains in playback quality, especially if you are talking about HD playback.

3/17/2009 4:34:08 AM

Quote :

"Again, just because you haven't SEEN the conflicts doesn't mean they aren't there."

so what you're saying is that even if there's no noticeable problem, even if no system instability occurs, it's the PRINCIPLE of the thing? i know, for a fact, that over the past year, i've had ZILCH in the way of issues with the k-lite pack...none, zero, nothing...but i should avoid it because YOU say there are invisible ghosties in my computer that are secretly waiting to jump out and eat me?

nah, that's cool...i'll take my EXPERIENCE over the OPINION of a know-it-all (who really doesn't know it all) on tww

3/17/2009 8:04:04 AM

This thread is irrelevant to someone who does not download "backup" movies

3/17/2009 8:16:02 AM

^ not true...i do a fair amount of A/V work, with material from a slew of different sources...which is both legitimate and legal

ibtNoensaysyou'renotthetargetaudienceRAWR

3/17/2009 8:29:31 AM

^you've made your point. no reason to fuel the fire anymore. you are excused.

[Edited on March 17, 2009 at 8:30 AM. Reason : karat]

3/17/2009 8:29:51 AM

Quote :

"no reason to fuel the fire anymore. you are excused."

what fire might that be? you have your answer(s)...YOU are excused, the adults with more knowledge and experience than you'll ever have are arguing and bitch slapping each other while seeing who can piss the farthest

[Edited on March 17, 2009 at 8:33 AM. Reason : .]

3/17/2009 8:32:08 AM

Quote :

"the adults with more knowledge and experience than you'll ever have"

you must be so proud of yourself.

3/17/2009 8:49:12 AM

sometimes...based on your screen name, i suspect you know more about working on cars (or, at least, going muddin'!) than I'LL ever know...so you excusing me from a debate of a topic you likely don't understand past what the first 5 google results gave you is a bit amusing

at least i realize that this has become a thread of silliness...there's very little left in terms of valid information to be gleaned, since the rest is a pissing contest using circumstantial evidence

*shrug*

3/17/2009 9:04:33 AM

windows 7 has native codecs for all this stuff so this conversation will be moot by the end of the year. Or if you aren't a scrub you're already running 7 as your primary os.

3/17/2009 10:19:13 AM

i'll use win7 when microsoft allows me to configure it in a way that best suits MY needs and wants...until then, i stick with what improves MY workflow and efficiency...right now, it's a free and fully functional codec pack that causes NO problems whatsoever on my XP or vista machines

DOES win7 support .mkv natively? does it play .flv files in WMP, natively? it also plays 3gp/3g2 natively in WMP? i'm not being sarcastic, i'm just curious

[Edited on March 17, 2009 at 10:35 AM. Reason : .]

3/17/2009 10:31:55 AM

it doesn't support mkv because mkv is a total shit container.
It probably wont ever support flv because thats flash and MS doesn't want to help adobe
I haven't tried 3gp but i doubt it supports it. Thats about the only missing thing that would be nice to have.


Also, windows 7 owns. i dont remember what your particular grief was, but if it was whining about the quicklaunch bar they put that back in in later betas. Although tbqh if you have enough shit in your quicklaunch that it wont work in the new taskbar i think you're being ridiculous.

3/17/2009 10:41:13 AM

Quote :

"windows 7 has native codecs for all this stuff so this conversation will be moot by the end of the year."

and yet,

Quote :

"it doesn't support mkv because mkv is a total shit container. It probably wont ever support flv because thats flash and MS doesn't want to help adobe I haven't tried 3gp but i doubt it supports it. Thats about the only missing thing that would be nice to have."

so, what you meant to say is "windows 7 doesn't actually support anything more than vista did, so your codecs and/or codec packs will still be necessary to do what you want/have to do"

Quote :

"Also, windows 7 owns. i dont remember what your particular grief was, but if it was whining about the quicklaunch bar they put that back in in later betas. Although tbqh if you have enough shit in your quicklaunch that it wont work in the new taskbar i think you're being ridiculous."

there were a couple of issues i had...i sent them into microsoft, detailed them in the thread, was told that microsoft knows better what i want/need than i do, and then promptly restored my vista install so i could actually accomplish things...i'll do what i did with vista - wait till sp1 comes out and then finally get an OS that works the way it should have at release, with the features and functionality it should have had from day one

but we digress...i'm glad it works for you, and i understand that win7 is what vista SHOULD have been all along...but in the context of this thread, it's irrelevant because microsoft/wmp is useless for anyone who doesn't fall in the "basic user" category

3/17/2009 10:47:24 AM

Quote :

"it doesn't support mkv because mkv is a total shit container. "

lolwut
since when is mkv shit?

also, i will give win7 credit because it includes an h.264 codec, but that's all it's got in addition to vista that i know about. correct me if i'm wrong.

3/17/2009 10:57:32 AM

mkv is a terrible format and no one should support it, so you cant really fault them there. And even if you really do want to watch your gay animes in wmp, divx 7 has mkv support.

no flv is political.

3gp is probably just lack of demand.

3/17/2009 10:59:59 AM

never watched anime in my life, i'm not sure where that came from...

p.s. mkv isn't a format, it's a container for formats like ogg. you never really specified why you think it is shit.

[Edited on March 17, 2009 at 11:05 AM. Reason : i guess technically speaking, format ~= container... but still]

3/17/2009 11:04:03 AM

Its shit because its open source. Theres no accountability for the standard. Its up to "the community". Thats not any good for something that needs to be supported by large companies. Its the same as all open source software. Maybe later some company like redhate or novell will pick it up and turn it into a real standard, but until then it will continue to enjoy the same shit status as most open source software.

I mean you might think its super for your hd tv rips, but there are better standards to use. The fact is, mkv is only used because its not mikkkkkkro$$$$$oft. Not because of any technical advantages.

Its like someone built a car in their garage out of ductape and coathangers. Thats great if it can get you from point a to point b, but the rest of us are going to use something a little more solid.

3/17/2009 11:12:54 AM

codec packs are for n00bs who don't know wth they are doing.

as Noen has pointed out, this process is quite simple

3/17/2009 11:26:43 AM

^^ i'm still confused...how is .mkv NOT solid? i understand that your points thus far have consisted of "open source sucks because then people who don't rake in $texas for development contribute to said development" and "it's like a crappy car", but those really aren't reasons, they're just talking points of no value

and yeah, i know what you mean...every time i open some shitty open source software on like audacity or gimp or openoffice or blender or pidgin or truecrypt or firefox or thunderbird, i just want to beat the shit out of a penguin

don't even get me started on shitty open source operating systems like ubuntu...it's just makes my blood boil!

^ or for people who need more than the default...or for people who want to make sure they can play everything without having to manually search out the random codec they need on some random occasion...just because y'all are l33t and haven't used a codec pack in a decade doesn't mean they have no value

[Edited on March 17, 2009 at 11:39 AM. Reason : .]

3/17/2009 11:26:51 AM

oh please, there's only like 4 codecs out there that 99.999% of people use, i'm not going to chance conflicts and incorrect renderers "just in case" there's a random codec i need.

FWIW, i've used k-lite and CCCP in the past and never once did either of them work right. they may have worked right in one application, but screwed up in the next. anything over WMP 6.4 and the codecs either didn't play or would give me horrible artifacts... i mean they couldn't even handle divx right.

3/17/2009 12:46:00 PM

1.) i agree with you about the 99%...most people don't need any more than what's on their computer by default, but they aren't the people who download codecs outside the windows prompt, so i think it's really a silly argument to make

2.) as noted before, over the past YEAR, i've installed k-lite mega on nearly 100 machines of 7-8 different configurations (from hardware to software) and not a one has had ANY noticeable problems...i've been using k-lite for at least 3 years and have personally never experienced a single issue...again, i'm going to take my extensive experience in this area and, for me, it trumps every dissenting opinion in this thread...you probably just happened to have the one computer that has problems, because given the number of downloads versus the number of serious (non-user) problems, it works just fine for everyone else

3.) why would you ever use wmp? i can understand old people or n00bs using it because they don't know any better, but what possible reason would you have for running that over mpc or vlc? i guess you might manage your music in there, but i can't for the life of me think of any other reason

i can't speak to cccp, since i've only installed it once, years ago (i think)...also, the machines i install k-lite on have media player classic set as the default, so maybe k-lite conflicts heavily with pre-installed media players (except winamp, that's always worked just fine with k-lite installed)...i think, though, that if you use the codec pack as intended (as an all-in-one codec/player package), it works flawlessly for all but a tiny group

[Edited on March 17, 2009 at 1:34 PM. Reason : .]

3/17/2009 1:31:31 PM

Quote :

"Its shit because its open source. Theres no accountability for the standard. Its up to "the community". Thats not any good for something that needs to be supported by large companies. Its the same as all open source software. Maybe later some company like redhate or novell will pick it up and turn it into a real standard, but until then it will continue to enjoy the same shit status as most open source software."

i don't think you quite understand the open source model
there is accountability... even moreso than closed source applications, i'd say, because there aren't political barriers or stockholders to please... it's the same idea as wikipedia - yes, some things will be messed up, but inevitably, someone will come along and fix it.

your "its shit beacuse its open source" statement is ridiculous.

who is this "redhate" you speak of?

3/17/2009 4:14:25 PM

Quote :

"3.) why would you ever use wmp?"

because it's one less program i have to install, and most major codecs work fine with it, i also use WMP because it's built-in to Vista Media Center, while I know alternatives exist, it's all I need and does everything I want it to and again, less applications to install... IIRC, WMP 6.4 is bundled with K-lite and CCCP as I recall as "their" media player of choice. (WMP 6.4 = MPC)

Quote :

"you probably just happened to have the one computer that has problems"

i've had this issue on multiple computers, but nearly all of them are computers that were not "clean" installs, meaning there most likely was an overlap on existing installed codecs causing the problems.

3/17/2009 4:27:42 PM

Quote :

"who is this "redhate" you speak of?"

They call that a pun

Or a typo

Either way, you fucking got him, man

3/17/2009 4:29:55 PM

i was trying to decide if it was a pun or not

i figured due to the idiocy of his other statements, however, that it was a typo

3/17/2009 4:31:21 PM

no theres no accountability. The idea that its going to be completely problem free because anyone can read the source is retarded. So is the idea that it doesn't need support because you can just read the source and fix it yourself.

If I have problems with mkv playback who do I talk to? I can come out to internet forums and listen to a bunch of tards tell me I should use 10 different codec packs and 4 different media players.

If I want to distribute content in mkv, how can I be sure that the version Im using will work with everyones computers?

If I want to create a hardware device to play mkvs, how can I be sure the format wont change in a few weeks?

Which one am I going to pick when development inevitably forks because anime faggot A doesn't like the name of the subtitle parsing class the anime faggot B just commited.

It suffers from the same problems as the rest of linux. There are a hundred different distros and they all do shit differently. No one want to support that crap. No one wants to write end user code for that crap. Theres no accountability except in a few very specific projects that have the most strict controls. No suprise that those projects usually have real companies backing their work.

Really my grief with mkv is that its a waste of time. wmv (and mov if ur gay) are both better formats, proprietary or not. Any company whos going to distribute legit content is going to use one or both. MKV isn't even an afterthought.

3/17/2009 4:37:08 PM