As many users of Windows Vista have found out, videos downloaded from the internet will not always play. This is often due to the lack of appropriate codec, which decodes the data in to something that you can watch in a media player.

There are hundreds of codecs available, often presented in codec packs to download. Not all of these are stable or present the best possible playback options. This article will show you the best codec packs available for Windows Vista, as well as an easy alternative that can play almost any media file. Many of the packs will also allow DVD playback, which some Windows Vista versions cannot do out of the box.

K-Lite Codec Pack

The K-Lite Codec pack is the most popular codec pack available at the moment and works flawlessly on Windows Vista. The main benefit of this package is that you can choose the broad type of pack you wish to install (either Basic, Standard or Full). Most users will want to install the standard package, as this should play almost any video file available. If you find a video format that is not supported, it is easy to re-install the full pack at a later date. The full pack is primarily designed for people that need to encode as well as decode (for example, in a movie making package), so is overkill for the vast majority of users.



K-Lite Tweak Tool

Something that will appeal to many internet users is the built in support for Quicktime and Realmedia videos. Normally you would be required to install separate players from each company to play these formats, both of which are known to include unnecessary bloat! Instead, K-Lite installs only the plugins required to play these filetypes online.

Media Player Classic is installed alongside the codecs, which provides a simple yet functional media viewer for video files. This is a "lite" version of the usual windows media player which may be better suited to some users. This is one of the most comprehensive and well tested codec packs, and updates are frequently released so it is likely that this package will continue to remain the most popular and best supported package for some time yet.

Download K-Lite from Softpedia. Please note that this software includes the option to install the Yahoo toolbar.

Vista Codec Pack

The Vista Codec pack was designed to include a selection of codecs that will play most media files both 32 and 64 Bit versions of Vista. No media playing application is included, however any installed media player should be able to take advantage of the codecs.



Vista Codec Installation Options

Quicktime and Realmedia formats are also supported in this release, allowing video to be streamed in most cases. Although not as comprehensive as the K-Lite codec pack, this may be suited to users looking for a lighter option that will allow more flexibility of the codecs installed.

Download Vista Codec Pack from Softpedia.

VLC Media Player

Although the VLC media player isn’t a codec pack in itself, it is free, open source media player that works on many platforms. It is very light weight and comes with a number of built in codecs that can play many media files (including DVDs).



A full table of supported filetypes is available on the VLC website. This media player does not support "RealMedia" files at the time of writing, however quicktime MP4, MOV and 3GP are supported. This free player is a real gem, and should be on an essential downloads list. The vast majority of media files will play on this open source software, which is free of any bloat often associated with media players.



VLC Media Player

Conclusion

A summary of Vista Codecs

Out of the two popular codec packs, the K-Lite package is the current leader in terms of compatibility and would be the recommended download for users looking to play video files that they do not have codecs for. However, it is recommended that if you can play all video files at the moment then you do not need a codec pack yet. Be sure to install only 1 codec pack, as multiple packs could cause conflicts.

The VLC media player is a fantastic bit of free software, coming self packaged with almost every codec you would need. If you are not comfortable installing a codec pack, then this bit of software is strongly recommended. It is easy to use, very light weight and can play the majority of video files that Windows Media Player can’t use out of the box (including : DVDs, MP4, MOV, FLV etc...).

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Media Player Classic is a compact media player for Microsoft Windows that looks and feels like Windows Media Player 6.4 It's small and lightweight, but it supports many video file types. Media Player Classic integrates most options and features found in modern media players, including support for:

• MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 playback


• DirectShow, QuickTime and RealPlayer architectures


• Matroska and Ogg containers


• TV tuners

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RealPlayer has always enabled you to play RealAudio (*.ra) and RealMedia (*.ram) files.

• Download videos from thousands of Web sites with just one click


• Build your own video library and playlists


• Play all major audio and video formats


• Flash Video support


• DVD, SVCD, VCD burning and video recording

RealPlayer for personal use includes audio CD burning capabilities, DVR-style playback buffering, multimedia search, Internet radio, a jukebox-style file library, an embedded web browser (using Microsoft Internet Explorer), and the ability to transfer media to a number of portable devices, including Apple's iPod, MP3 players, and Windows Media devices.

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Windows Media Player for Windows XP offers great new ways to store and enjoy all your music, video, pictures, and recorded TV. Play it, view it, and sync it to a portable device for enjoying on the go or even share with devices around your home, all from one place.

• Simplicity In Design - Bring a whole new look to your digital entertainment.


• More of the Music You Love - Breathe new life into your digital music experience.


• All Your Entertainment in One Place - Store and enjoy all of your music, video, pictures, and recorded TV.


• Enjoy Everywhere - Stay connected with your music, video, and pictures no matter where you are.

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The K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of DirectShow filters, VFW/ACM codecs, and tools. Codecs and DirectShow filters are needed for encoding and decoding audio and video formats. The K-Lite Codec Pack is designed as a user-friendly solution for playing all your audio and movie files.

With the K-Lite Codec Pack you should be able to play all the popular audio and video formats and even several less common formats.

The K-Lite Codec Pack has a couple of major advantages compared to other codec packs:

• It is updated frequently. So it is always up-to-date with the newest and/or best components.


• All components have been carefully selected for specific purposes. It is not just a random bunch of stuff thrown together.


• It is very user-friendly and easy to use.


• The installation is fully customizable, meaning that you are able to install just those components that you really want.


• The customization abilities even go beyond the component level. Some components are able to handle multiple formats. You can specify exactly which components should handle which formats. The pack can thus be fully tweaked to your own specific needs and preferences.


• Uninstallation removes everything that was installed by the pack. Including all registry keys.


• It is extremely easy to make a fully customized unattended installation with the integrated wizard.


• It does not contain any bad, buggy or unstable codecs.

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JetAudio is integrated multimedia software made up of a single compact rack. Not only does it play various music and video files, it also has features such as CD burning, recording, and conversion to other file formats.

You can create your own Internet broadcast by using JetCast, provided with JetAudio, and you can play all major file formats, including WAV, MP3, MP3Pro, OGG, WMA, MPEG, AVI, WMV, MIDI, RM, and video and audio CD tracks.

• Supports All Major File Formats


• Audio CD burning


• Recording


• Tag Editing including multiple file tag editing


• Multi-channel sound ouput


• Crossfade


• Skin


• Media Center window with Device Manager


• Subtitles


• Internet CD Database


• Convenient album management & Playlist


• Utilities


• Conversion


• Audio CD Ripping


• Internet Broadcasting


• Various sound effects


• Plus many more features!

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