Thread: Ultimate Windows Codec Pack

First of all, the method of playback is personal preference. If you want a simple all-in-one solution then stick with VLC Media Player or KMPlayer. However, if you want IMHO the best solution then keep reading.

Codec Packs in general suck! They screw up your system, and can cause odd behavior in playback such as video glitches or making audio out of sync. There have been several occasions where users complain about random glitches such as audio being out of sync, yet they play flawlessly on all my computers. Some codec packs are so bad, that you cannot undo the damage and must reformat the system. Also, K-Lite Codec Pack is not a good one, stay away from it. I have seen countless problems with it over the years.

Then what is the solution, smart guy? Easy. Shark007! Shark007 actually develops nightly builds of MPC-HC (Media Player Classic - Home Cinema Edition). Which is my favorite media player. He also works on the x264 codec and I believe helped with XviD development at one point. There is no one with greater knowledge about codecs and video playback then him. He has been doing it for YEARS. He has developed his own "Codec Pack" with the bare essential items required, which are rigorously tested across XP/Vista/W7. It is even better than CCCP. (Yes, really!) I have one friend that is HARDCORE about Anime, was having random issues with CCCP. Everything was solved Shark's codec pack.

It is also worth mentioning that x64 (64-bit) codecs are still premature and even if one has x64 OS, it is best to use x86 player for now.

His official site is Shark007's FREE Codec solutions - Windows 7 codecs.



Windows XP/Vista Installation Guide

1. Uninstall all codecs/codec packs and reboot.
2. Download and install Vista Codec Package.
3. If on Vista x64, also download and install x64 Components.
4. Download and update DirectX.
5. Shark designed his codec packs to be used with any media player. Windows Media Player 11 and Windows Media Center will work great. However, I personally recommend MPC-HC. Download and install it.
6. Navigate to Start Menu > Programs > Shark007 Codecs > Settings Application > Make sure your in the "Help" tab > Check "Shark007 SUGGESTED settings" and then select OK. [Note: If you have Vista, be sure to right click on Settings Application and select "Run As Administrator".]
7. Do the same as above for Settings Application x64, if you installed it on your x64 OS only. It MUST be done in this order, the normal 32bit one first and then 64bit. [Note: Be sure to right click on Settings Application and select "Run As Administrator".]
8. Enjoy flawless playback!



Windows 7 Installation Guide

1. Uninstall all codecs/codec packs and reboot.
2. Download and install Windows 7 Codecs.
3. If on W7 x64, also download and install x64 Components.
4. Download and update DirectX.
5. Shark designed his codec packs to be used with any media player. Windows Media Player 11 and Windows Media Center will work great. However, I personally recommend MPC-HC. Download and install it.
6. Navigate to Start Menu > Programs > Shark007 Codecs > Settings Application > Make sure your in the "Help" tab > Check "Shark007 SUGGESTED settings" and then select OK. [Note: If you have Vista, be sure to right click on Settings Application and select "Run As Administrator".]
7. Do the same as above for Settings Application x64, if you installed it on your x64 OS only. It MUST be done in this order, the normal 32bit one first and then 64bit. [Note: Be sure to right click on Settings Application and select "Run As Administrator".]
8. Enjoy flawless playback!





Update Shark007 Codec Guide

Note: Shark007 apps SHOULD NOT be uninstalled via Add/Remove Programs in the control panel. Instead follow the simple steps below.

1. If not on x64 OS. Skip to step 2. Navigate to Start Menu > Programs > Shark007 Codecs > Settings Application x64 > Make sure your in the "Help" tab > Select Uninstall button. [Note: If you have Vista/W7, be sure to right click on Settings Application and select "Run As Administrator".]
2. Navigate to Start Menu > Programs > Shark007 Codecs > Settings Application > Make sure your in the "Help" tab > Select Uninstall button. [Note: If you have Vista, be sure to right click on Settings Application and select "Run As Administrator".]
3. Now follow one of the guides above that apply to your OS starting from step 2. You can skip the DirectX install part.

I hope this guide benefits others. I have put many hours of research over the years and tried many players/codec packs and this is simply my favorite.



Troubleshooting

Q: Video is still glitching/choppy?
A: Try downloading the latest video card drivers. Uninstall the old drivers, reboot the system and install the newly downloaded ones.

Q: Other problems?
A: Visit Shark007's user forums. He is very helpful on there.

I scrolled around for a bit, and basically that "codec pack" is only a few codecs: ffdshow (which decodes basically anything) and AC3 for sound, Haali Media Splitter (for more intensive decoding), some parts of the MPC codecs and, of course, DirectVobSub for the display of subtitles.

I am sure that he did a great job, but I swear to god (any god of your choosing) that this is the first time I hear of this guy.

This is basically the same thing CCCP ( they can be found here ) is offering for quite some time now. They too offer ffdshow, HMS and DirectVobSub for the subtitles.

And the setup appears to be rather funny, so this does not inspire professionalism.

I am sorry if it seems that I'm flaming your thread, but I'm simply commenting your little tutorial here and possibly giving better advice. In fact I think I'm gonna write my own tutorial on this matter (this is something like my 2nd or 3rd post on tutorials like this).

You have to realize that, just installing those components doesn't mean everything will be fine. Each individual setting is tweaked to enhance playback. Simply look at the Application Settings app and you will see all the different options possible! Shark has spent COUNTLESS hours optimizing this. He is well known in the Doom9 forums.

I agree the setup is a bit cumbersome but it only takes two minutes to do, and works great.

I've tried using Shark007's a few years back but found it hard to tweak things exactly the way I liked them. I might check it out now though as things could have improved.

Personally, I've always used the Standard version of the K-Lite Codec Pack as it's basically ffdshow, DirectShow, DirectVobSub, and Haali Media Splitter all in a tidy package. While the pack comes with Media Player Classic, I tend to just use Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center to play all my media.

Those with x64 operating systems can install a 64-bit add-on which will work with Windows Media Center.

Originally Posted by Wrx_99

I used K - Lite codec pack one time. Never again, will have to think about using Sharky007's pack. Might try it on my laptop first to see how it goes.

I'm curious what you didn't like about it. I've been using it for years with no problems.

I suggest just using ffdshow + using vlc as your player, since all those "codec" packs like k -lite are not even needed.

I'm using Potplayer now, it's a project started by the ex main developper of KMplayer. The player is mainly in Korean but a translated version exists.

It has tons of options under the hood and the interface is fully skinnable. Many artists of DevianArt made skins for it. Icons can also be skinned. For the extreme customizers like me, it's like paradise.

the rather cryptic page to download it in English is here