| Updated: 08-12-2014 |
Codecs are the most important software element of a computer as a multimedia center. It is thanks to codecs that it is possible to listen and watch audio and video, respectively, with acceptable file sizes.
Tags: Codec pack | download codecs for Windows 7 for free | HD video codecs free download | download codecs for windows xp vista 7/8 - 32/64 bit
What is Codec?
Codec is a program that compresses a digital stream (encoding) and also with the help of which it is reproduced (decoding). The name Codec is derived from the first syllables of these functions.
Codecs come in audio and video formats and are an important part of the media file format. The main task and essence of the codec is to reduce the file size. At the same time, there are different algorithms for performing this task that cope with it with varying efficiency. Do not confuse the concepts of codec and file format. A format is a specific structure for representing digitized sound or image. A codec is a software algorithm that compresses a data stream in accordance with a specific format. That is, the purpose of the codec is to compress, and this can be done in different ways, therefore different codecs (with different degrees of quality) can be used for the same format. Naturally, there is no loss in quality here. However, the algorithms are so good at the task that the losses are often not noticeable. An example of a simple algorithm for compressing audio data is, for example, cutting out a frequency range that is not audible to the human ear, or for example, if 2 sounds are heard, the first is loud, the second is quiet, and it turns out that the ear does not hear the second sound, it is logical that you can do without the second sound. In an image, if there is an advantage of one color in the frame, then it is enough to just describe one point with this color and indicate the places where it is repeated. These are, of course, simple examples; in reality, everything is much more complicated. Now there are lossless compression codecs. The most famous video codecs are DIVIx, Xvid, audio LAme, HD video - AVC (h264).
There are special packages for installing all the necessary codecs into the system. The most popular ones can be downloaded below:
Download codec packs
Both codec packages do their job perfectly. So choose and install any of them.
Problems playing audio video on a computer.
The most common reason for failure to play a particular file is the lack of the required codec in the system. It happens that files with the same extension, but one starts and the other does not, or there may be no sound. The fact is that the encoding of information in them is carried out by different codecs. To obtain a specific format, a specific codec is used. That is, if there are three records in Mp3, each of which is encoded with different codecs. And the system has only one of them, then accordingly only one of these three MP3s will be played. Therefore, it is necessary to have all kinds of codecs installed in the system, then players will not have questions about how to reproduce it. One of the most popular codec libraries is the K Lite Codec Pack. This set must be present for every user and installed immediately on a freshly installed operating system.
Can't play M2TS MKV MP4 MOV MPEG2 FLV...what is a splitter?
The listed formats belong to the category of media containers. Their essence is that they are capable of containing audio and video of various formats. In addition to information about which codec the audio or video was compressed with, the player also needs to know how to open the container. For this purpose, splitters, so-called separators, are also installed in the system, thanks to which the container opens. Each type of container has its own splitter. Some players already contain built-in splitters.
HD codecs. What you need to watch high definition video.
At the moment, HD video encoding is carried out by several codecs.
AVC/H264/Mpeg 4 Part 10 These are all different names for the same codec, which is currently the most popular HD codec. The reason for this is a good compression ratio while maintaining high quality. However, playing video created by this codec somewhat loads the processor.
Mpeg-2 this codec was used in the first Blu-Ray discs. In terms of compression ratio, it is noticeably inferior to AVC, but at the same time it is loyal to computer resources.
VC-1 from the abbreviated Video Codec (also known as WMV3, SMPte 421M), created by such a software “monster” as Microsoft.
H.265 is a new codec designed for UltraHD 4K and 8K (with a resolution of 8192x4320 pixels).
There is also a version of Divix that supports HD.
All the necessary HD codecs and Spliters are available in any of the packages listed above.
Players with codecs enabled.
At the moment, there are many players with built-in sets of codecs and splitters. The most famous are the following:
Gom Player
An excellent player with all the necessary functions... download Gom Player
KmPlayer
The player has long won a place on many computers in the world... download KmPlayer
Media Player Classic
Good media player. Understands a large number of formats... download Media Player Classic
They do an excellent job of opening any formats, work in Windows 7.8 and below, are free and in Russian.
Players for Blu Ray video
For full viewing of Blu-Ray video from the drive (image), for playing the BDMV format (Blu-Ray disc structure) the following are great:
PowerDVD
download PowerDVD
TotalMedia Theater
download TotalMedia Theater
Corel WinDVD
Download Corel WinDVD
Review of the most popular codec packages.
K-Lite Codec Pack- this is perhaps one of the best tools for solving problems with format playback. Being a universal set, it contains everything you need to be able to play even rare files. Among other things, the package includes a set of various utilities for working with media. The package is available in four versions: Basic, Standart, Full, and Mega. Here we will consider the Mega option.
Installing K-Lite Codec Pack
When you run the installation file and click on the Next button, a window appears asking you to select an installation mode: simple or advanced. Let's consider the second option.
After specifying the installation folder, a window appears in which you need to select the components to be installed. At the same time, it is possible to manually select each codec, filter, utility, or use ready-made profiles. 
To install everything that is in the package, you should select the Lots of stuff profile. The Mega version includes the Media Player classic player, if you do not want to install it, then select the option Lots of stuff (without player) or uncheck the Player line manually in the selection window.
In the additional tasks and options window, you can leave everything by default.
The next window asks you to carefully read the information provided. If you do not install Media Player Classic, then skip this window by clicking Next.
DirectX Video Acceleration
DirectX Video Acceleration was developed by Microsoft and is designed for hardware decoding of HD video, that is, the graphics system will do this, completely freeing the processor from this function. For this, a UDV is used - a special video card unit. Therefore, if your computer is pre-2008, then this window is again skipped. If you don’t know whether your hardware supports DXVA or not, you can still check the Enable internal decoder for H.264 video box. The player itself will determine the desired decoding method.
Miniatures
Here you configure the associations of Explorer icons with various extensions.
The last window offers to install various toolbars, to refuse - check the box in the bottom line. 
Well, the last one will be a window with summary information on the selected installation configuration. Click Install to begin the installation.
To access settings, various installed filters, launch utilities, and more: Start - K Lite Codec PAck .
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K-Lite Codec Pack is a universal set of codecs and utilities designed for playing and processing audio and video files, including only free or open-source software.
Features of K-Lite Codec Pack
- Optimal selection of codecs;
- Ability to detect and remove damaged filters and codecs;
- Compatible with other software packages;
- Advanced installation wizard;
- Complete removal of the package using the uninstaller;
- Frequent updates of software components.
Supported File Formats
- .avi, .divx, .flv, .mkv, .mka, .mp3, .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mpe, .m2v, .mpv2, .mp2v, .m2p, .vob, .evo, .mod , .ts, .m2ts, .m2t, .mts, .pva, .tp, .tpr, .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .mpv4, .m4a, .3gp, .3gpp, .3g2, .3gp2, . ogg, .ogm, .ogv, .oga, .rm, .rmvb, .ra, .ram, .webm, .mov, .hdmov .qt, .flac, .wv, .ac3, .dts, .amr, . amv, .alac, .ape, .apl, .aac, .mpc, .mpp, .xm, .s3m, .it, .umx, .ofr, .ofs.
K-Lite Codec Pack Components
- DirectShow video filters – XviD, On2 VP7, MPEG-2 (Gabest), MPEG-2 (Cyberlink);
- Video codecs – XviD, x264, On2 VP7, Lagarith, huffyuv, Intel I.263, DivX, YV12 (Helix);
- DirectShow audio filters – MusePack (MONOGRAM), WavPack (CoreWavPack), FLAC (madFLAC), Monkey’s Audio (DCoder), OptimFROG (RadLight), DC-Bass Source, AC3/DTS Source (AC3File), AMR (MONOGRAM);
- ACM audio codecs – MP3 (Fraunhofer), MP3 (LAME), AC3 (ffcHandler), Ogg Vorbis, DivX Audio;
- DirectShow source filters – AVI splitter (Gabest), AVI splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Gabest), Matroska splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Matroska splitter (Gabest), Ogg splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Ogg splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS/TS splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS/TS splitter (Haali Media Splitter), FLV splitter (Gabest), CDDA Reader (Gabest), CDXA Reader (Gabest);
- DirectShow subtitle filter – DirectVobSub (a.k.a. VSFilter);
- Utilities – Bitrate Calculator, Codec Tweak Tool, GSpot Codec Information Appliance, MediaInfo Lite, VobSubStrip, GraphStudio, Haali Muxer, FourCC Changer;
- Media Player Classic Home Cinema (included in all package options except Basic, available in 32 and 64-bit versions).
Installing codecs
The installation process of K-Lite Codec Pack is quite simple and intuitive, it will not take much time.
For most users, it is best to leave the settings that will be offered by the wizard during installation unchanged and not experiment with them, leaving all the checkboxes in their places, this will be quite enough for listening to music and watching videos on the computer.
Alternative set of codecs:
Download K-Lite Codec Pack
K-Lite Codec Pack codecs are distributed in versions: Basic, Standard, Full and Mega. Our website presents the latest version of the most complete package (includes more components, supports more formats, etc.) - K-Lite Mega Codec Pack.
Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for free, without registration.
Spoiler (Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for Windows XP)
New versions of K-Lite Mega Codec Pack no longer support Windows XP. If you need to download K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows XP, then use one of the links below:
What's new in version: List of changes
For many modern inhabitants of the planet, a laptop or computer has almost completely replaced the usual TV, because we are no longer satisfied with the mediocre quality of the television picture, we want to see a high-quality digital image and hear excellent sound. In Windows 7 this is quite possible - the main thing is to choose the right set of audio and video codecs.
Windows 7 - what codecs are needed to play video
Few of us have ever encountered a message from our favorite video viewing program like “Unexpected File Format” when trying to launch a multimedia file. The appearance of this message means that the system does not contain the required codec to play media content. And since almost every day computer technologies offer new recording formats that allow you to get very good quality images, it’s good to have on hand a regularly updated package with a current set of video codecs for Windows 7. At the same time, each codec has its own characteristics. For example, a file recorded in the popular MKV format may well contain video materials compressed with a variety of codecs: MPEG, H264, AVC1, WMV, etc.
Windows 7 and audio codec support
While listening to our favorite music, we don’t even suspect that audio codecs compress the sound file so that when it is transmitted over a communication channel or stored on the hard drive in Windows 7, it takes up as little space as possible. There are different models of audio compression, but they all implement the idea of removing redundancy from an audio file - information that can be eliminated without noticeable loss of sound quality and speech intelligibility. Without going into details of compression algorithms, we can divide codecs into those that compress the signal without loss of quality (FLAC, WavPack, TTA) and those that work with deterioration of the resulting sound (MP3, OGG, WMA and some others).
We offer 2 different codec assemblies
It immediately becomes clear to any user that it is not entirely convenient to download individual codecs every time problems arise. For the convenience of our users, we provide the opportunity to download codecs for Windows 7 in the two most popular editions. Better known today is the K-Lite Codec Pack, which, according to the developers, contains everything necessary to play all popular video file formats. This is probably true, since even the basic package supports many different formats, including AVI, MKV, MP4, FLV, M2TS, RMVB and this is not a complete list!
Another popular codec package - Advanced Codecs (ex Win7Codecs) not only contains all the necessary codecs - AMR, DivX, MPC, MKA, OFR, APE, etc., but also during installation will slightly clean the computer, removing earlier versions of those included in it composition of codecs, replacing them with their own in order to ensure compatibility.
Attention! For those installing STANDARD/ADVANCED Codecs, adware will be offered during installation; to avoid installing it, click Skip, not Next.
Windows 7 Codecs– a free set of various multimedia codecs for playing almost any files. Assembly Windows 7 Codecs includes almost all popular codecs, which allows you to play any files without any problems. The program has a multilingual interface and is installed automatically in full, however, if you only need certain codecs, the program will allow you to install them. A separate feature of the Windows 7 Codecs codec assembly is the fact that the program itself analyzes and installs only the latest codecs. In addition, the program does not change file associations and their structure. Another feature of the Windows 7 Codecs package is automatic connection to all popular players and full compatibility with them. In principle, these codecs are built into the system and can be used by any player. For more advanced users, you can record this codec package along with the distribution of the Windows 7 operating system, which allows you to avoid installing this package every time you install the operating system.
- Multilingual and simple interface.
- Clear and simple installation.
- Flexible settings that allow you to install both part of the codecs and the complete assembly.
- Ability to burn a set of Windows 7 Codecs directly to a disk with the Windows operating system.
- The most complete and up-to-date collection of codecs.
- The program does not change the structure and associations of files.
- Analysis of installed players and automatic connection to them.
- Ability to work with both 32-bit and 64-bit players.
- There is support for the Russian language.
Disadvantages of the program
- Has closed source code.- There is no portable version.
- The installer may contain third-party advertising.
- Processor with a clock frequency of 2200 MHz or more powerful.
- RAM 256 MB or more.
- Video card with video memory of at least 64 MB or more powerful.
- Free hard disk space from 70 MB.
- Any sound card compatible with the system.
- 32-bit or 64-bit architecture (x86 or x64).
- Operating system Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
Multimedia Codecs: Comparison Tables
| The name of the program | In Russian | Distributions | Installer | Popularity | Size | Index |
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 56.4 MB | 100 | ||||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 25.5 MB | 100 | ||||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 4.5 MB | 83 | ||||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 10.2 MB | 98 | ||||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 25.6 MB | 98 | ||||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 10.7 MB | 91 | ||||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 33.1 MB | 96 | ||||
| No data | ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 7.7 MB | 86 | |||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 6.6 MB | 85 | ||||
| ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ | 2.3 MB | 86 | ||||
K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows 7 is rather the most popular program with a set of audio and video codecs, as well as a filter for additional programs. The standard application plays most media files.
Simple and convenient to use.
Using the codecs that are in this program, you can freely download and play absolutely any video format - the codec can handle all formats. At the same time, it is very simple and convenient, very easy to set up, and does not cause any difficulties in use.
Pros of the program:
- Ability to successfully listen to and view many formats.
- Windows compatible. The codec package can be completely removed from your computer.
- The program contains not only codecs, but also some additional programs, for example: Media Player Classic and others.
- The package is regularly automatically updated via the Internet, which will allow you not to search for new versions of the product.
- You can customize the installed program to suit yourself.
- The program is intended for both novice users and more advanced users.
- Even a simple package contains everything you need to listen to the most popular video formats.
- Codecs have been carefully selected.
One of the main advantages of the program is that it is automatically updated from the Internet, so you don’t have to monitor it. You don’t have to worry about which format to download, the application will select the codec itself, and you can enjoy watching the media file.
You will always have the latest versions of codecs. The app doesn't just contain everything. Everything in the program is selected, as efficiently as possible and interacts not only with each other, but also with any player.
During installation of the program on your computer, the program will scan your computer for outdated codecs and remove them so that there is no conflict between versions.
