Download the codec pack program. K-Lite Codec Pack: where to download, how to install. Additional Tasks and Options Section

Good day!

Every time you open a multimedia file (music, movies, etc.) they come into operation codecs(special software that converts data, signal).

A lot depends on the choice of codec set: will you open only part of the video files or all of them without exception; will the video slow down? how audio and video will be converted and compressed, etc.

Now you can find dozens of codec sets, but not all of them are worthy of attention (in my opinion). In this article I will recommend several sets that have helped me out more than once in my daily work. So...

One of the best (if not the most!) sets of codecs for working with audio and video files. The set is distinguished by its versatility: it is suitable for both novice users and more experienced ones.

K-Lite Codec Pack supports all the most common video formats: AVI, MKV, MP4, FLV, MPEG, MOV, TS, M2TS, WMV, RM, RMVB, OGM, WebM, etc. The same applies to audio formats: MP3, FLAC, M4A, AAC, OGG, 3GP, AMR, APE, MKA, Opus, Wavpack, etc.

There are 4 options for a set of codecs:

  • Basic and Standard: basic sets, suitable for all novice users (or those who do not encode or convert video files);
  • Full and Mega: large set of codecs. If your videos sometimes do not play (for example, a black screen is shown instead of a picture), I recommend choosing these versions.

There are versions of codecs for absolutely all Windows operating systems:

  • the latest versions are suitable for Windows 7, 8, 10 (moreover, codecs are present in one set for 32/64 bit systems);
  • For Windows 95/98/Me - select version 3.4.5;
  • For Windows 2000/XP - version 7.1.0 (for Windows XP SP2+, by the way, you can try to install a modern version of the set).

Important! When installing the MEGA pack, select the "Lots of stuff" option in the settings - this way you will have all the necessary codecs in the system to watch ANY video files..

Installation option for the MEGA pack codec set - Lots of stuff

Note! By the way, the set of codecs includes an excellent video file player - Media Player Classic(I recommend!).

Media Player Codec Pack

A free and fairly large package of codecs designed for ordinary home PCs (laptops). After installation, as a rule, the user does not need to install anything else: all video and audio files will open and play without problems.

It is also worth noting its simple installation: a minimum of actions is required from the user! The codec is distributed in three versions: minimal set (Lite), standard (Standart) and extended (Plus).

Supported video files: DivX, XviD, x264, h.264, AVI, MKV, OGM, MP4, 3GPP, MPEG, VOB, DAT, FLV, PS, TS, etc.

Supported audio files: AC3, DTS, AAC, APE, FLAC, TTA, WV, OGG, Vorbis, MO3, IT, XM, S3M, MTM, MOD, UMX, etc.

After installing Media Player Codec Pack - you will be able to open and view ~ 99.9% of files (including formats: XCD, VCD, SVCD and DVD).

Pros:

  • support for a huge number of multimedia file formats;
  • the set of codecs is completely free;
  • ease of installation and configuration;
  • large set of tools and fine tuning.

Minuses:

  • no Russian language support;
  • in some cases it is necessary to configure the sound (apparently a set of codecs cannot configure “contact” by default with some versions of audio drivers);
  • Before installing the set, you must completely remove previous codecs (to avoid conflicts and incorrect operation of this set).

ADVANCED Codecs for Windows 10/8.1/7

The famous codecs from Sharkey are more famous and popular abroad than in our country. The set of codecs is simply excellent, as the name suggests, it will work on Windows 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

About what ADVANCED Codes supports all popular (and not so popular) video and audio formats, there’s probably no point in saying it.

But it’s worth mentioning some significant advantages (this is not found in any other set of codecs):

  1. This set does not contain any video players - i.e. it does not change file associations in Windows and all your files will be played in previous programs;
  2. this package includes codecs for playing streaming video, which can also be watched in a browser (that is, online video, which is popular at the moment);
  3. The program installer will automatically (i.e. you don’t have to delete anything before installation) will remove all old codecs and make all the necessary changes to the Windows registry! Once the codecs are installed, your programs, such as Windows Media Player, will automatically use the new codecs from that set;
  4. During installation, you can choose not only which codecs are needed, but also the installation directory for each. After installation, those codecs that you no longer need can be easily removed (or add missing ones). In general, the installer in this program is extremely convenient!

By the way , it is worth mentioning that this set of codecs is completely free!

StarCodec

Another free codec package (developed by Koreans) for high-quality playback of audio and video files. Its main advantage: its uniqueness, the fact that this package contains everything you need to work with video, so to speak, “all in one”!

Supports a huge variety of video files : DivX, XviD, H.264/AVC, MPEG-4, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MJPEG, WebM, AVI, MP4, MKV, MOV, FLV, RM, FourCC Changer, MediaInfo, etc.

Supports a huge variety of audio files : MP3, OGG, AC3, DTS, AAC, FLAC, etc.

It is worth adding that all the necessary codecs for 64-bit systems are also included in the set. Windows OS supported: 7, 8, 10. The set of codecs is constantly updated and expanded.

Note! Another good thing about this set is its lower requirements compared to other sets. Those. You can try installing it and using it on old PCs (laptops).

There is no need to specify any special settings and parameters; for most users everything will work by default (i.e. immediately after installation). However, for advanced users there is room for fine tuning. In general, the set is very interesting and deserves respect.

CCCP: Combined Community Codec Pack

Website: http://www.cccp-project.net/

A specific set of codecs. Created, for the most part, for playing anime (+ support for subtitles; in these videos, not all players are able to read subtitles).

Main features of the set:

  • contains only the main codecs (not all): this way, greater compatibility is achieved between distributed anime videos. In addition, the risk of conflicts between different codecs is reduced;
  • simplicity and ease of installation/uninstallation. The developers thought through and made the wizard in such a way that even someone who just sat down at a PC yesterday can handle it;
  • support for all popular versions of Windows: XP/Vista/7/8/8.1/10;
  • The last update of the set was in 2015. (in principle, this is not so important for codecs).

Supported media formats:

  1. Video: MPEG-2, DivX, XviD, H.264, WMV9, FLV, Theora, Generic MPEG-4 ASP (3ivx, lavc, etc.), AVI, OGM, MKV, MP4, FLV, 3GP, TS.
  2. Audio: MP1, MP2, MP3, AC3, DTS, AAC, Vorbis, LPCM, FLAC, TTA, WavPack

Popular formats that are not supported:

  1. QuickTime .qt .mov (can be played after installing QuickTime);
  2. RealMedia .rm .rmvb (can be played after installing RealPlayer).

XP Codec Pack

A good alternative to the K-Lite Codec Pack and Media Player Codec Pack. Despite the name ( note: XP is present) - codec package supports all the latest Windows OS: XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

The set has a well-implemented installer: you will be asked to select video filters for installation (DVD, msdVR, LAV Filters, Real, xy-VSFilter, xySubFilter); You will be asked to specify audio codecs: AC3 Filter, LAV Audio, FLAC, Monkey Audio, MusePack, OptimFROG, TTA. In principle, if you don’t know what to choose, you can leave everything by default and click the “next” button - the program is configured in such a way that in this case everything will work out of the box for you.

Note! The list of tools installed along with the codec package includes the Codec Detective utility, which is designed to show you all installed codecs in Windows, as well as tell you which of them are not working correctly and conflict.

Matroska Pack Full

A good universal set of codecs. Special attention it contains two formats: MKA and MKV (many modern high-quality films today are distributed in this format!).

Matroska also handles subtitles very well: you can even watch tricky Korean videos with subtitles (including the ability to load external subtitles).

Key Features:

  • compactness of the package with a wide variety of video filters, support for most popular video files;
  • support for the MKV format in full (many other packages have problems when working with this format);
  • in addition to MKV, playback of audio files is supported with FLAC encoding (lossless!);
  • there are no unnecessary additional applications in the codec package (which they love to add to all other similar sets);
  • codecs work in any player ( note: which supports DirectShow);
  • VSFilter - special. a module that allows you to load any subtitles;
  • All versions of Windows are supported: XP, 7, 8, 10 (32/64 bits).

What else can I recommend:

  1. Ace Mega Codec Pack- a huge set of codecs, probably the largest! There is only one small detail - it has not been updated for a long time (since about 2006). So, it's not very relevant today unless you want to install it on an old PC;
  2. DivX(developer's website:) - one of the most popular codecs. If you want to get the most new version this codec - I recommend downloading it from the official website. By the way, many who encode video files recommend downloading only the specific codec you need and not using sets at all;
  3. Xvid(developer's website:) - another very popular codec; many films and videos on the Internet are encoded with it. In some cases, it provides better compression than the previous one (but in my opinion, this codec uses more PC resources for compression and is slower);
  4. x264 Video Codec(developer's website:) - an alternative codec to the Mpeg4 and Divx format, allows you to compress and encode video into the H.264/AVC format. It features high compression quality, coupled with a good picture. In general, a worthy competitor to previous codecs.

That's all for me today.

Product Information
Name: K-Lite Codec Pack
Version: 14.0.0
Platform: x32/x64
Interface language: Russian, English, etc.
Release year: 2018
Developer: K-Lite Codec Pack
Medicine: Not required

Description:
K-Lite Codec Pack is the most popular free package of codecs, DirectShow filters and related tools. It is characterized by the absence of conflicts between codecs, ease of installation and use. Allows you to view and listen to all popular and a large number of rare video and audio formats.

Key benefits of K-Lite Codec Pack:
Internal compatibility of components. The K-Lite distribution is always tested for compatibility by specialists. When installing codecs yourself, it’s easy to end up in a “Codec hell” situation, since many filters don’t get along with each other. To eliminate conflicts, you need to look for the cause of the “evil” and use special utilities to remove one or another component.
Good compatibility with Windows. Apart from the aforementioned lack of conflicts, the package is easy to completely remove from the system without leaving a trace. During installation, K-Lite checks for other codecs on the system and suggests using them during installation, among other options. Also at the installation stage, a search is made for faulty codecs and it is proposed to fix them.
Flexible setup. There are 5 package options available for download with different configurations; 3 installation modes and profiles are also offered. For each multimedia format, you can select the appropriate decoder from the available options; by default, K-Lite selects the most optimal one. For Windows users 7 and 8, a special utility, Preferred Filter Tweaker for Windows 7 and 8, is provided to configure preferred codecs bypassing the OS.
Regular updates. The user does not need to monitor the update of each audio or video codec or other components: K-Lite always contains current versions.

Comparison of package versions:
Basic contains all the main codecs for playing media resources on a PC. This is the lightest and simplest package with which you will be able to watch/listen to music and movies using any player convenient for you. There are DirectShow audio/video decoding filters (LAV Audio and Video), DirectShow source and subtitle filters (LAV Splitter and VSFilter), the Codec Tweak Tool utility, as well as Icaros ThumbnailProvider and Icaros PropertyHandler extensions.
Standard also includes Media Player Classic HomeCinema, DVD MPEG-2 decoder (opens up more options when playing DVDs), MediaInfo Lite utility, which displays detailed information about the media file.
Full Compared to the standard version, this includes madVR - a high-quality renderer, the GraphStudioNext diagnostic utility and additional DirectShow filters.
Mega contains ACM and VFW codecs, DirectShow filters, additional utilities. During installation, you will be offered a video player to choose from: Media Player Classic HomeCinema or Media Player Classic Regular

K-Lite Codec Pack Basic - contains everything you need to play the most common video files, such as AVI, MKV, MP4, OGM, or FLV. This package has smallest size.

K-Lite Codec Pack Standard - has everything for playing most multimedia files. This package will be sufficient for the needs of a more experienced user.

K-Lite Codec Pack Full - in addition to the codecs, filters and tools that are included in the standard set, it also contains everything necessary for video and audio encoding. May be useful for advanced users and professionals.

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack - This version of the package contains all the codecs and programs that are included in the full version, plus QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative.

Details:

Package Features:
Latest versions of the best codecs.
All components are selected so that there are no conflicts between them.
Installing the package is very simple; if you wish, you can select only those codecs and tools that you really need.
At any time, you can completely or partially remove a package without leaving any traces of its existence, including registry keys.
Each version of the package is thoroughly tested for possible conflicts between codecs and other programs.
K-Lite Codec Pack tries to avoid problems between new and existing codecs on your computer, and can even solve some of the existing ones.

K-Lite Codec Pack - download K-Lite Codec Pack

K-Lite Codec Pack (K-Lite Codec Pack) is the most popular and universal set of free codecs for viewing and processing video and audio files. Codecs play any files and are suitable for all versions Microsoft Windows.

Surely every user, sooner or later, has encountered such a problem as when watching a video there is no sound, or the opposite situation, when you start a video, there is no image, but there is sound. This just means that your system does not have a suitable codec (decoder) to play the audio or video stream.

You can solve the problem very simply - install a universal set of codecs, restart your computer and enjoy the video with sound, and of course the image. It is in such situations that the K-Lite Codec Pack is needed; you can always download it directly from our website.

The set of codecs includes a large number of free splitters, compressors and decompressors distributed under an Open Source license or freeware. Among them, there is also a popular free player for audio and video files (note that the player is not included in the Basic set).

K-Lite Codec Pack - difference between codec versions

There are four versions of KLCP codecs, differing in the components included in them:

  • Basic - contains basic decoders, no built-in player
  • Standard - contains basic decoders, MPC-HC player
  • Full - contains an expanded set of decoders and an MPC-HC player
  • Mega is the most full version, contains decoders and encoders plus Media Player Classic Home Cinema

You can download K-Lite Codeс Pack codecs for various versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system from the file archive located on our resource, using the direct links provided at the bottom of this page.

K-Lite Codec Pack - installing the update

Package updates called Upgrade are also periodically released, allowing you to update the Mega and Full sets to the next intermediate version, usually this is the Beta version of the KLite Codek Pack. Due to their low popularity, we have stopped posting them on our resource.

Please note that the latest released versions of the codec package for Windows XP are 10.4.0, for Windows 95/98/Me - 3.4.5, for Windows 2000 - 7.1.0, later releases will not work in these operating systems systems.

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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 a 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 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 a picture from surveillance cameras, display them on different screens, simultaneously adjusting the brightness and contrast on some, take sound from separately connected microphones and save it all into one file with multiple 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. OS Windows 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 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 in any K-Lite versions 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 basic 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 chapter 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 is the best choice because the project is actively developing, all errors found are promptly eliminated, and in general the codec decodes popular formats without any problems.
  2. Filter ffdshow- the decoder is currently outdated, 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 your player does not have filters, but you need them, then video decoding 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 the 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), mix 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 (.ofr .ofs extension) and open tracker music (.it .mo3 .mtm .s3m .umx .xm).

In chapter 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 chapter 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 codes 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 the 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- in the menu by right click mouse, a new “MediaInfo” item will appear to easily open video and music files in the MediaInfo program.

Hardware acceleration section

Here you configure hardware acceleration of 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 selection preferences soundtrack. 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.

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:

  • support in English;
  • Availability updated versions codecs;
  • easy installation, in which it is 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.