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Check for and add missing Video Codecs

I do not like Codec packages. You may ask why that is the case and my answer would be that they tend to install more than is needed to run the videos on your computer. There are also lots of fake codec packages out there that install viruses and trojans on your system.

A much better solution is to check which codec is missing to play a video and install only that codec. I reviewed several programs that could do that but never on that was as easy to use as AVIcodec. You can load files or entire folders into AVIcodec by dragging and dropping them into the main program window or using the buttons to open the files and folders this way.

The videos will be analyzed as soon as they have been added and the codec used for video and audio is displayed. This is giving you the main information about the codecs of the files. If you select a file in the list detailed information are displayed at the bottom and this is where it gets interesting.

Check for and add missing Video Codecs

The three rows File, Video and Audio list information about the file. The important information however is the last word in the video and audio row which either says Supported or Unsupported.

Supported means that a codec that can play the audio or video is installed on the computer. Unsupported however means that no codec was found and this is the reason why the video is not playing properly.

A click on the WEB button on the right side of each line loads a website that has the codec. Just download and install the codec and you are good to go and can view (and hear) the video without problems. Links are leading to the official websites of the codecs as far as I can tell which means there is no (well almost) chance that you will download a virus or trojan.

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Related Articles:

Find out which audio or video codec is missing
Video Inspector Displays Video Codecs Information
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Which Codecs do I have installed ?
SMPlayer Uncommon Codecs Package



About the Author:Martin Brinkmann is a journalist from Germany who founded Ghacks Technology News Back in 2005. He is passionate about all things tech and knows the Internet and computers like the back of his hand. You can follow Martin on Facebook or Twitter.

Author: , Thursday January 3, 2008 -
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Responses so far:

  1. mac says:

    where is the dl link for the software?

  2. Martin says:

    mac sorry, added it.

  3. Chris says:

    i use gspot (a detailed alternative to AVIcodec) to check individual video files to see which video/audio codec is missing…

    http://www.headbands.com/gspot/v26x/GSpot270a.zip

    regs

    Chris

  4. Martin says:

    Chris Gspot is an excellent piece of software but I think AVIcodec is suited better for users with little knowledge and experience.

  5. Jesse says:

    In theory, doesn’t VLC play all codecs?

  6. gokudomatic says:

    other solution: use a codec embedded player like vlc or mplayer based players.

  7. Yonoz says:

    You could try the open source option: ffdshow tryouts. I’ve been using it for a while without a problem. Easy install and forget operation, while at the same time customizable. Active development.
    http://ffdshow-tryout.sourceforge.net/

  8. Jojo says:

    I use the K Mega Codec package and have never had any problems running anything:
    http://www.codecguide.com/

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