The popularity of playing
videos on a computer has increased tremendously in the last few years. If
before we only played VCD and DVD movies on our computers, these days movies
can be downloaded from the internet and there are many sites where you can
watch online movies and videos; YouTube probably being the best known and most
popular medium for it.
To watch online videos in
most cases, you only need an internet browser with Adobe Flash player
installed. Video streaming uses flash to bring the video content from the
internet to your PC.
However, if you play a
movie that is downloaded or burned
on a CD or DVD, the requirements to watch a video file
can vary a lot. Of course you need a video player, like the Windows Media
Player, or VLC, but there is more to it. Video files use different compression
standards to reduce the video information to a smaller file size. When playing a
video file, the video data from the file is decoded to its original form, so it
can be played by the media player.
As with many internet and
computer related topics, there is no single standard for video
codecs; there actually are many around. So in order to play a
video file, you need to have the right video (and audio) codec installed. Most
media players come with a standard set of codecs, so the common formats can
often be played without problems.
If the video file uses a
non-standard codec however, things can become difficult. There are codec packs
around that you can download and install, which contain a lot of additional
video and audio codec. K-Lite and CCCP are popular codec packs. These packs,
however, install a lot of codecs, many of which you might never need.
So if you want to install
only the required codecs, it is important to know which codec is used by the
video file. A simple way to find out the details of a video file is to use MediaInfo.
This free and easy to use utility will show you the details of the codecs
required to play the file.
There are a number of
views you can choose from, but just the basic view will already provide the
required details. With this tool, you can now download the required audio and
video codec to play the file without the need to install an excessive amount of
additional codecs. The program actually includes a link to a website where you
can download the codec, but you can also search for the codec name and download
it from another location.
If you do not want to
install additional codecs on your PC, you can also opt to convert all your
videos to a preferred set of audio video codecs. There are many free multimedia
conversion utilities available that can convert your video file to a different
format. If you pick the right one, you can even convert
your video files to play on portable devices, like a PSP or
even your mobile.
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