Best Codec Pack for Windows 7

[YTBOY83]

for some people, choosing to disable uac can cause weird issues like this. If you have disabled uac, i suggest that you uninstall the codecs, re-enable uac, reboot your system and then re-install the codecs.

Respect to shark as, also other packs.

 

[Wishmaster]

Pixilated Videos may have nothing at all to do with Codecs.

If the encoder was poorly setup, or used far too low of a bitrate for the resolution it will appear pixilated or blocky no matter what you play it back with.

Is there a way to fix this then? A solution to this problem?

If the cause is due to poor quality video, it depends on the video source.

If this is a BluRay/DVD you ripped yourself, try upping the settings and most importantly bit rate, and recode from the original source again.


If you downloaded the movie from somewhere, NO.
Recoding to higher bitrates and better settings will only make it worse.

The only proper way to fix it is recode from the original source.

Although I highly recommend Sharks Codec package, as with any codec, the quality of the output will depend on exactly what they are decoding.
If they are decoding a poor quality video, the decoded playback will look bad as well.
This is not a problem with the codec.

 

[WolfSoul]

There's a coder/decoder/player and it's free, called Super Figured I'd mention

 

[Shark007]

There's a coder/decoder/player and it's free, called Super Figured I'd mention

Installation of the software known as 'SUPER' is a sure-fire way to break video playback.
It dumps a crapload of codecs into the system32 directory.

 

[WolfSoul]

Ok might avoid that then.. I think I will have a shot at yours

 

[an4rew]

I stopped using these codec packs a few years ago.

MPC x64
CoreAVC (shareware)

The best in my opinion.

 

[Shark007]

I stopped using these codec packs a few years ago.

MPC x64
CoreAVC (shareware)

The best in my opinion.

VLC works too, but maybe you did not notice this is posted in the Media Center forum.
How does your opinion get video's to playback in Media Center?

 

[an4rew]

I stopped using these codec packs a few years ago.

MPC x64
CoreAVC (shareware)

The best in my opinion.

VLC works too, but maybe you did not notice this is posted in the Media Center forum.
How does your opinion get video's to playback in Media Center?

I had to disable the Microsoft decoder via registry so CoreAVC was the default.

Windows 7 Media Center – CoreAVC and AC3Filter, and some useful plugins « A Million Monkeys

 

[Shark007]

I had to disable the Microsoft decoder via registry so CoreAVC was the default.

After I hacked the registry as per your link,
1. I still cannot get FLV files to work in Media Center. Can you help with that?
2. While you're at it, my m2ts files ripped from blu-ray's also fail to play in Media Center, please tell me how to fix that.
3. Seems I can no longer playback evo files that I ripped from my old hd-dvd's, can you help with that too?
4. Several of my AVI's have multiple audio tracks, how do I play those in Media Center with your hackjob?
5. I have an MKV in a foriegn language with English subtitles, how do I get the subtitles working in Media Center?
6. All of the above contain AVC video so your 'paid' solution to use coreavc should work with everything. How do I use coreavc to playback files in Media Center for filetypes that are not mkv?
7. When using the Shark007 codecs, I can use the Windows Explorer Preview Pane to preview mkv's, flv's or even flac audio, please tell me how to do this without the codecpack.

Of course, all of the above is possible when choosing to install the Win7codecs.

I can go on . . . but I'll wait for you to solve these issues without the Shark007 codecs.

 

[WolfSoul]

Why's UAC needed to install.. ok I can under stand the whole "security" crap but personally I don't wanna be notified a million times on my own personal computer which I use at home where I live alonehttp://www.free-codecs.com/download/vista_codec_package.htm

 

[Seventy Nine]

Why's UAC needed to install.. ok I can under stand the whole "security" crap but personally I don't wanna be notified a million times on my own personal computer which I use at home where I live alone

You can put the UAC back to whatever settings you want immediately after installing the Shark007 codecs so no problems on that count.....

 

[ajfudge]

Hi. Newbie here, so please be kind.
This post has no connection to the last reply in this thread.
But I have a question that may sound rather silly.

A few months back (say, 10 months??) I installed a rather handful of codec packs. Some of those are already mentioned here (Shark007, K-Lite, CCMP, ffdshow, etc.). I didn't uninstall any of those, and there's this one that even asked me to uninstall another codec pack (I don't know what for, vanity issue? lol).

Anyway, as I've mentioned, I've been using these codec packs for 10 months now and nothing seems wrong and all. Video and audio playback is smooth sailing. But now that I've read some of the posts here, I'm rather bothered. Is it actually safe to install all those codec packs (and I assume they run at the same time too when called for by the machine). Now I realize, is there any compatibility issues that arose from having done this?

I was just discovering my machine then, and was rather astounded by the ever growing space that Windows left with my machine so I thought I'd rely to third parties to make my machine a little less incomplete, so forgive my folly.

Thank you.

 

[Shark007]

depending on the order of installation, you may only have the Shark007 codecs installed.
The Shark007 installer automatically cleans other codecpacks from your system to avoid pontential conflicts.

 

[Ponmayilal]

..... Is it actually safe to install all those codec packs (and I assume they run at the same time too when called for by the machine). Now I realize, is there any compatibility issues that arose from having done this?....

Too many codec packs can only spoil the broth and a definite no, no.

Though Shark007 codecs may clean others as mentioned by him above, I would prefer to go one step ahead and uninstall all the codec packs manually (including the Shark007 codecs), scrub the system clean and then install only the latest Shark007 codecs.

Before you scrub your system clean, do create a system restore point and take a system image and save it to an external HDD, just as a matter of abundant caution.

 

[christantoan]

OK
I've tried Shark007's codec pack and I satisfied with it (my previous codec pack was K-Lite Mega Codec Pack)

 

[ajfudge]

@Shark007 and Ponmayilal,

Thank you for responding.
Now the problem is, I can't remember all of the codecs that I installed. Is there a way for me to view/monitor these non-native codecs that I installed? I'm afraid I might leave something behind once i start un-installing them.

 

[hybridfan]

K lite had no issues what so ever and plays what I need it to.

 

[Mashed1316]

Shark007's Codec Pack, 'nuff said.

Best codec pack i've used. it's free. it won't mess with your registry. and plays (almost) everything you throw at the WMP/WMC.

By "Almost" i mean: i had issues with .mov files, but there's a really good explanation from Shark007 himself.

The actual contents within the MOV (or any media file) file can be very different from one file to the next.

 

[sanjeewawga]

Is Shark007's is Better than K-lite codec??

 

[D247]

IMHO Shark's pack is more stable and less likely to screw up your existing W7 codecs. I have installed 3 versions of the drivers now and haven't had a hitch. SOmeone posted earlier that you need to install the shark codec pack as well as a player, which is retarded because that is the point of installing the codec pack in the first place. I am using Shark's Codec pack and watch any format I want with WMP with no problems.