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K-Lite Codec Pack is a collection of DirectShow filters and VFW/ACM codecs. They are needed to view and create audio and video files.

The software gets rid of the error that the video format is not supported, installs the player and allows you to encode video and audio using various codecs.

What are codecs

Any information on a computer, including text, photographs, video and sound, can be written as a sequence of zeros and ones. The text can be written down in a very compact form (the entire text part of Wikipedia can fit on a flash drive), while graphics, sound, and especially video take up hundreds or even tens of thousands times more.

Codecs are programs and devices for storing information in digital form (in some format), as well as for compression all this data. All codecs can be divided into two conditional types:

• Lossless compression data (in the so-called lossless-formats). Algorithms similar to those used by archivers when compressing files are used. Video frames encoded in this way will perfectly match the original ones, and will take up less space on your hard drive.
• Lossy audio and video compression ( lossy formats). The most typical example is MP3 music files. Codecs that compress into lossy formats throw out “extra” sounds and image details. Due to the loss of some information that a person most likely will not notice, as well as due to lossless compression algorithms, the file size is smaller than lossless. Lossy encoding has one significant disadvantage: you can overdo it with compression, resulting in files with terrible sound and poor picture.

Among lovers of high-quality sound, debate continues about how best to store music - in lossless or lossy formats. On the one hand, lossless compression allows you to achieve one hundred percent compliance with the original, on the other hand, such an audio library will take up too much space. For videos and photos, the storage problem is also relevant. For example, over the years of its existence, the YouTube video site has changed the codecs with which video stored on servers is compressed several times. As a result, we can now watch video of acceptable quality in 4K resolution, which was impossible to do before, since 4K video simply would not have enough space. hard drives servers.

Types of codecs

There are several types of codecs. Included in various collections different types, K-Lite has them all.

DirectShow filters- modern codec format and more. They are divided into three subspecies. Eat capture filters, which are responsible for receiving data from a file with video, music, and even from physical devices like video cameras. Conversion filters allow you to decode and recode data, apply effects, and so on. Rendering (visualization) filters can display video and sound on the screen, speakers, other devices and save to a file.

All DirectShow filters work in a chain, which allows experienced users to organize automatic video processing. For example, you can take images from surveillance cameras and display them on different screens, while simultaneously adjusting the brightness and contrast on some, take sound from separately connected microphones and save it all into one file with many tracks.

VFW standard codecs(Video for Windows). An older codec format that appeared in 16-bit Windows versions before the appearance of the 95th. They are simpler than DirectShow filters and more limited in capabilities - they cannot be used in a chain. Most often, VFW codecs are needed by video editors to open and save (compress) files.

ACM (Audio Compression Manager) codecs. Same legacy standard as VFW, but for audio. Using these codecs, you can open and compress files into MP3, OGG, AAC, etc. formats.

Codecs can be installed on the system so that all programs can use them, or they can be used in separate software. Codecs can also be a separate program. The most typical example is an encoder. You can't watch a video with it, but you can easily convert it to another format. Such programs are not included in codec packs, because The purpose of the packs is to ensure that multimedia files can be opened in any program.

Codec packs are no longer needed to watch videos.

The problem of playing files is no longer as relevant as it was in the past. Windows times 98/2000/ME/XP. Operating Windows systems 7/8/10 already contain the necessary components, and if they are not there, there are always players with built-in codecs. Such as powerful

But there are still tasks where codec packs are useful: video editing And working with archived video and sound recordings, where files can be of very different formats

There are less popular codec collections:

• CCCP: Combined Community Codec Pack (discontinued)
• Kawaii Codec Pack (development stopped in 2015)
• Codec Pack All-In-1 (the latest version was released back in 2006)

K-Lite Codec Pack is the most popular collection of codecs and the most useful, because it contains not only codecs for opening video and audio, but also for compression, as well as several useful programs and a player. K-Lite is regularly updated, new versions are released, while the authors of alternative packs abandon their work.

There are also two universal DirectShow codecs that solve the same problem without installing codecs from different developers - FFDShow(development stopped, included in the “megaversion” of the K-light pack) and LAVfilters(included with any version of the K-Lite Codec Pack).

K-Lite Codec Pack

Where to download K-Lite

All versions are suitable for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10, both 32 and 64 bit.

There are four variants of the K-Lite Codec package:

1.Basic contains everything you need to play all common video file formats. Simply put, with it you will open AVI, MKV, MP4, OGM and FLV. This option is for those who like a small package with no bells and whistles. It's small, but it solves most problems with opening video files. The universal Lav Video codec is used for playback.

2.Standard contains several additional functions compared to the base version. But the most important thing is that it has a built-in simple and convenient Media Player Classic player. The madVR DirectShow filter is also built-in, which, in conjunction with Media Player Classic, gives better picture quality compared to the system filter (when the picture is stretched, it turns out to be O better clarity).

3. Included Full(full) DirectShow filters have been added compared to the standard version, including the popular universal ffdshow filter. It has not been developed for a long time, unlike LAV Video, but it supports more formats and is able to replace more codecs. Also included in the full version is the GraphStudioNext program. This is a powerful tool for codec and filter developers, which is included in the codec pack so that the user can see which system components are used to open a particular multimedia file.

4. Mega-option is the most complete K-Lite collection. Option for working with video. It contains standards codecs VFW And ACM For video and audio encoding and editing.

What to choose during installation

At the beginning of the installation, you can select a mode: Normal or Advanced. The difference is that in Advanced mode a step for selecting components (“Select components”) will appear. All other sections of the installer will be identical in both modes.

Installation Preferences section

At the very beginning of the installation, the installer will ask several questions.

Preferred video/audio player- which player to prefer for opening multimedia.

Preferred video/audio decoder- which decoder to prefer (leave LAV video decoder, description will be below).

Create file associations- open files in the selected player.

Install MPC-HC as a secondary player- if another is selected, install Media Player Classic anyway.

Install codecs only for MPC-HC- install codecs only for Media Player Classic (some will still be installed as system codecs for everyone).

Amount of components to install- options for a set of codecs, the middle point is optimal. In Advanced mode, you can refine the set at the component selection step.

Install VFW codecs for video encoding- install codecs for encoding, i.e. creating videos.

Install only 64-bit components- install only 64-bit codecs, 32-bit programs will not see them.

Select Components Section

If you bet Basic or Standard, at this step you can click the “Next” button. There are few components, there is nothing to choose from.

IN Full And Mega There are significantly more codecs. Most likely, you know what you are doing if you choose these versions, but for those who are curious, I will tell you in more detail what is in them.

Right at the beginning of the installation, you can choose whether to install only codecs for playback, whether to install a player, or select your own set (Custom Selection item).

Let's go through all the points.

MPC-HC is a Media Player Classic player. Functional player with many useful options. There are two versions to choose from, the difference is in the bit depth. It’s better to choose only one that matches the bitness of your Windows. Perhaps in the future the authors of the pack will switch to another player, because the development of Media Player Classic seems to have stopped in July 2017.

In the section DirectShow video decoding filters there are modern codecs for video playback in any players, including standard Media Player and Windows 10 Video Player. The choice is given:

1. Filter LAV Video- standard for Basic and Standart versions of the pack, it supports H.264, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, VC-1, WMV and several other less popular formats. This best choice, because the project is actively developing, all errors found are quickly eliminated and, in general, the codec decodes popular formats without problems.
2. Filter ffdshow- outdated at the moment decoder, its development has been discontinued. Supports H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, VC-1 and others. The decoder has one interesting feature: in the ffdshow settings you can enable image processing, making it brighter, increasing sharpness, turning it sideways, and so on. If you don't have filters in your player, but you need them, then decoding video via ffdshow will help you.
3. Xvid- for (de)coding MPEG-4 files. You can choose if for some reason you are not satisfied with LAV and ffdshow, but you can leave the above codecs for processing other formats.
4. Microsoft- the item is needed so that the selected format is still decoded by the codecs built into Windows.

Component selection options affect not so much the choice of what to install, but how codecs should behave. If the package version contains LAV Video and ffdshow, they will be installed in any case, they will simply not be used for formats where a different codec is selected.

Chapter DirectShow audio decoding filters contains codecs for sound playback.

1. LAV Audio- the same as LAV Video, a modern universal DirectShow filter. Supports AC3, DTS, E-AC3, MLP, LPCM, TrueHD, AAC, FLAG, OGG Vorbis, MP1, MP2, MP3, WMA, etc. formats.
2. ffdshow also present in the list, it can play AC3, DTS, E-AC3, MLP, LPCM, TrueHD, AAC, FLAG, OGG Vorbis, MP1, MP2, MP3 and, importantly, uncompressed PCM audio (.wav files). As with video, filters can be applied to audio.
3. AC3Filter- for decoding AC3, DTS, E-AC3, TrueHD, LPCM, AAC and MPEG. This DirectShow filter holds the record for the number of audio processing settings. You can amplify the sound, compress dynamic range, adjust the delay of individual audio tracks (necessary if the speakers are at different distances so that the sound waves reach the listener at the same time), carry out mixing in real time... There are a lot of possibilities and most of them are not needed by the average user.

IN DirectShow source filters You can select video source filters. They are needed not for decoding codecs, but for opening containers - files, inside of which there will be video with sound. For example, the file extensions AVI, MP4, MKV indicate different containers.

1. LAV Splitter- for AVI, MP4, Matroska (MKV), MPEG-TS (MTS), MPEG-PS (PS) and others. When you select LAV Splitter as the standard source filter, you will be able to change audio tracks on the fly in any player via the LAV Splitter icon in the tray.
2. Haali Media Splitter- a once popular filter, it was used to turn on subtitles in unsupported players and switch audio tracks. Now it has been replaced by LAV Splitter as more functional.
3. DC-Bass Source Mod- needed to support OptimFROG files (extensions .ofr .ofs) and open tracker music (.it .mo3 .mtm .s3m .umx .xm).

In the section DirectShow subtitle filter there is only one point DirectVobSub. This filter will allow you to automatically connect subtitles from video files of the same name. It is not relevant now, because popular players already support subtitles stored both inside video files and external ones with the .srt extension.

Chapter Other Filters includes two DirectShow visualization filters for displaying images in players.

1. MadVR- a very powerful filter that allows you to qualitatively scale the image and, what is important, make the frame change smooth.
2. Haali Video Renderer- a filter whose development has long been discontinued, does not really work, it is unclear why it was included in the K-Lite Codec Pack.

IN VFW video codecs There are codecs of the Video for Windows standard. If you use old video editing software or VirtualDub, then you need them.

1. ffdshow VFW interface- VFW part for ffdshow, which I mentioned above. Allows you to save in FFV1, HuffYUV, DV and MJPEG.
2. Xvid- a free compatible alternative to the once popular DivX (MPEG-4).
3. x264VFW- for encoding video in the H.264 format, which is the next evolutionary step after MPEG-4.
4. huffyuv- lossless codec for encoding and decoding video files of the same format.
5. Lagarith- modified huffyuv, compresses stronger, no data loss either.

ACM Audio Codecs needed for audio compression.

1. MP3 (LAME) is a popular MP3 codec for audio compression in programs such as VirtualDub. It will only be installed if there are no other MP3 codecs in the system.
2. AC3ACM- for AC3 format. AC3 has two features: there can be many audio tracks and the technology is protected by patents. Because of this, many players on phones do not support the AC3 format. There are no problems with this in Windows players.

In the section Tools there are utilities.

1. Codec Tweak Tool- a program for reconfiguring codecs and resetting their settings. In it you can replace LAV with ffdshow without reinstalling the K-Lite Codec Pack.
2. MediaInfo Lite- for display detailed information about codecs inside multimedia files.
3. GraphStudioNext- a very powerful utility for DirectShow filter developers. In the K-Lite Codec Pack, it is most likely included because of the function of viewing which filters are used when opening a particular file.
4. Haali Muxer- a utility for packaging individual audio and video files into Matroska containers (.mkv).
5. VobSubStrip- a tool for solving a specific task: extracting subtitles for a specific language from files in .idx and .sub formats.
6. FourCC Changer- a program that changes the label about the codec used in video files. This is useful if the required codec is not used when opening a video file.

IN Explorer shell extensions Windows Explorer extensions are located.

1. Icaros ThumbnailProvider allows you to see the contents of video files in popular formats in thumbnail view.
2. Icaros PropertyHandler allows you to view the width, height, frame rate, duration in the properties of files with extensions .flv, .mkv, .ogm, .rmvb, .webm, .ape, .flac, .mka, .mpc, .ofr, .opus, .spx , .tak, .tta, .wv.

IN Miscellaneous there are two options - Detect broken codecs And Detect broken DirectShow filters, which include checking codecs and DS filters already installed in the system. If something is wrong with them (damaged or missing files and entries in Windows registry), they can be deleted. The same function is available in Codec Tweak Tool.

Additional Tasks and Options Section

In the next step, the installer will clarify several settings.

Their number will differ depending on your choice in the previous step. Most of the settings are clear based on their names; I’ll tell you only about the most important ones:

Reset all settings to their defaults- reset all codec settings. Useful if you update the codec pack from old version or an alternative one has been installed.

Windows Media Player: register supported file formats- standard Windows Media Player will open formats supported by installed codecs.

Optimized preferred decoders settings: The installer will adjust the system codec settings to optimal values, according to the authors of K-Lite Codec Pack. You can later change them manually using the Codec Tweak Tool.

Add to Explorer context menu- a new “MediaInfo” item will appear in the right-click menu to easily open video and music files in the MediaInfo program.

Hardware acceleration section

Here it is configured hardware acceleration video decoding. This is important for watching high definition movies.

You can select the decoding method (universal and problem-free - DXVA2 copy-back), and also enable acceleration only in the Media Player Classic player (item “Only use hardware acceleration in combination with MPC-HC”).

MPC-HC configuration section

Appears when you select Media Player Classic.

An important option here is the choice of video renderer (“Video renderer”). If you bet madVR, choose it, otherwise the optimal one will be Enhanced Video Renderer (Custom Presenter).

Preferred language(s) for audio and subtitles section

Here you can set your preferences for choosing an audio track. The settings in the screenshot below are the most universal for a Russian-speaking user.

If there is a Russian track in the video, it will be included. If not, then English and subtitles in Russian (if available).

File associations section

Allows you to specify which player to use to open audio and video files.

Due to the peculiarities of assigning file associations in Windows 10, this step may not affect the choice and you will have to assign programs manually through Control Panel - Default Applications.

Depending on the checked boxes, additional steps will appear where you can select in detail the associations of the program with file types.

Audio Configuration Section

After installation

Restart your computer, otherwise some codecs will not work correctly.

If you need to change any codec or filter settings, there will be a K-Lite Codec Pack folder in the Start menu with shortcuts to settings and utilities.

Each user is faced with the need to play movies, music, videos from his camera or mobile devices and other media files. And the codecs available in the system do not always allow you to play all audio and video formats.

For example, issues often arise with the playback of MKV, MP4 and MOV formats. Therefore, so that you do not have to waste time converting these files into an easy-to-read AVI format, we advise you to download for free new version Media Player Codec Pack.

Possibilities:

• DVD-Video playback;
• opening audio and video files in any player;
• opening of XCD, VCD, SVCD formats;
• ten built-in utilities for configuring audio and video.

Working principle:

To be able to play any media formats, you need to install the Media Player Codec Pack on your computer. How do codecs work? Just restart your computer after installing this media kit and try opening any audio and video files using any player on your system.

It should be noted that the Media Player Codec Pack is suitable for Windows 7, 8, XP, and Vista, so if you have one of these operating systems- you can safely install these codecs and use them to play media recordings. In addition to the codecs themselves, the program has a large number of utilities and filters for setting up audio and video configurations: AC3Filter, ffdshow Audio, ffdshow Video Configuration, LAV Splitter Configuration, etc.

Pros:

• support for any audio and video formats;
• the presence of a large number of additional utilities for fine-tuning the playback of media files;
• the ability to download free Media Player Codec Pack to your computer;
• easy installation of codecs.

Cons:

• built-in utilities have an interface in English;
• Special knowledge is required to fine-tune audio and video;
• To install a new set of codecs, it is recommended to remove existing codecs on your computer.

Summing up the review of this set of codecs, we can say that we were pleased with its functionality: the utility not only supports almost all media formats, but also has a large number of filters and small programs for fine-tuning the playback of audio and video files. We advise you to download the latest version of Media Player Codec Pack for free and be able to configure the opening of media recordings on your computer depending on your preferences. As an analogue of Media Player Codec Pack, you can use the more popular, but no less functional set of codecs K-Lite Codec Pack.

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 software open source.

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

One of the most popular free packages codecs. Includes all used decoders, DirectShow filters and related tools. If you are faced with the fact that your player cannot open a movie or audio track because it “does not understand” a specific format, install the K-Lite Codec Pack. Analogues of this product are often characterized by the fact that they do not provide for codec conflicts. So with the package in question this does not threaten you.

Ease of installation and use are a couple more advantages for which millions of advanced users choose the K-Lite Codec Pack. Downloading this proven software for free for Windows will be especially interesting for those who like to download videos from torrent tracks and web services like YouTube and VKontakte.

Possibilities:

• contains all the latest versions of the best multimedia codecs;
• no conflicts between components and other software;
• provides playback of both popular formats such as AVI, MKV, MP4, WMA, MP3, WAV, and “problematic” ones such as FLV, MPEG-2 for DVD, Wavpack, WEBM, FLAC, OGM,TS, M2TS, 3GP, RMVB;
• selection of certain codecs at the discretion of the user;
• partial removal or complete (without any traces);
• detection and removal of damaged filters and codecs;
• includes Media Player Classic and Media Player Homecinema (except Basic version);
• regular update.

Working principle:

A codec package is a necessary element for high-quality playback of multimedia files on a computer. It happens that users install the first package they come across, and then have to suffer from the fact that some formats do not play or take too long to open. With this software you can be sure that this will not happen.

The second adds an MPEG-2 decoder to them for full DVD viewing and Media Player Classic and Media Player Homecinema.

The third and fourth are intended for advanced users and offer additional DirectShow filters that may be needed for professional video stream processing.

Pros:

• simple installation;
• Four versions of the package are offered;
• ensures playback of all modern formats used;
• K-Lite Codec Pack can be downloaded for free.

Cons:

• It is not yet possible to download K-Lite Codec Pack in Russian.

If you value comfort when watching movies and listening to music, we recommend getting the K-Lite Codec Pack. You can download the Basic, Standard, Full or Mega version with one click. Each of them takes up very little disk space, but guarantees the launch and high-quality playback of multimedia files.

A popular selection of codecs, filters and functional tools that are used for high-quality viewing of multimedia files in MKV, MP4, FLV, MPEG, MOV, TS, M2TS, RMVB, OGM, WMV, 3GP, WEBM, FLAC, Wavpack formats.

Description of K-Lite Codec Pack

The software package is characterized by codec compatibility, ease of installation and management, which increases its rating among similar products. Codec Pack is offered in 4 versions:

1. Basic - supports the minimum required set of options for playing multimedia formats. Codecs for playing almost all multimedia formats in any media player. And support for all the minimum required functions.
2. Standard - differs from the previous edition by the presence of the MediaInfo Lite tool (viewing detailed details about video and audio files), which allows detailed playback of video and audio files; madVR renderer, which significantly improves picture quality.
3. K-Lite Codec Pack Full - equipped with the GraphStudioNext utility, which performs scanning, analysis and visual display, and also offers to expand the range of DirectShow filters.
4. K-Lite Mega Codec Pack is a universal edition that includes all the functions and utilities of other editions and is supplemented with ACM and VFW codecs.

Features of K-Lite Codec Pack

The package consists of 32-bit and 64-bit codecs, so it is used with the same quality in x86 and x64 versions of Windows OS. Its features:

• English language support;
• availability updated versions codecs;
• simple installation, which makes it easy to select the desired codecs and tools;
• the ability to delete a complete package or its fragment;
• checking each version of the kit for the presence of possible conflict situations between codecs and other programs;
• compatibility with new and previously installed codecs on the PC.

Updates to codecs, tools or additional utilities are instantly included in the latest build. Latest version The required edition of K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows can be downloaded for free on our website without registration.