A codec is a device or computer program to encode a data stream for transformation, storage or encryption and/or decode it for playback or editing. Most video software can only work with some formats and if you want it to work with the unsupported formats, you have to download and install the necessary codecs.

There are individual codecs and codec packs that include all codecs. How to choose when you face so many codecs and codec packs available online and your computer may already has dozens of codec files? Following are some points for your to refer to:

1. Install only the right codecs that are needed and do so from individual codecs not from a codec pack. This leaves less chance of different codecs running into each other. You can find all the codecs you’ll need here.

Although codec packs are a quick fix, for you don’t need to find the right one from other places and just one pack gives you all, codec packs may damage existing codecs and systems because too many unneeded things are installed at a time in a machine. So codec packs sometimes cause more problems than they fix.

2. If you are a noob without knowledge of what codecs to install for your specific needs, or you are too lazy to find exactly what is needed and think of installing a codec pack with most codecs to get things done once and for ever, you can install a good codec pack widely regarded as the one with least side effect like ffdshow.

Some formats you can’t find individual codecs for like H264, also use FFDShow. When you install FFDShow, deselect all file types except the only ones you need to decode when configuring; otherwise you can have the same conflicts you’ll find with most codec packs.

3. The alternative to installing codecs for your video player is to use such players capable of playing most formats as KM Player, VLC Media Player and MPCHC, for those uncommonly used formats are not worth installing codecs for. If you need Real or Quicktime player, use Real Alternative and Quicktime Alternative that don’t have all the extra components that the official players install. I think the best solution to a problem is to give people what they need not what they want for people may not be always aware of what they need, so I recommend this way which is simpler and easier than installing extra codecs.

For example, you may want to play VOB files on your Windows Media Player which has always struggled with DVD and mpeg-2 playback because Microsoft didn’t want to include licensed mpeg-2 playback in Windows, you can install ffdshow with all codecs, but the better is to install MPEG2 codec like Stinkys MPEG2 Codec for the specific playback of VOBs, and the best alternative way is to use VLC Media Player/ MPCHC for playback the VOBs and almost anything else.

Note: If you don’t want to be bothered with downloading the extra codecs for your video converters or editors to work, check our video converters with all codecs built-in and a bunch of features including simple video editing.

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