The most complete codec packs

The current wide variety of multimedia formats has become an issue when playing audio or video files. We often download videos from the internet which use different codecs and we do not always have the proper codecs to play them. How many times did you download an audio or video file just to see you couldn´t play it? Next, we will give you a short review detailing four different codec packs: K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, Codec Pack de ELISOFT, Combined Community Codec Pack and Vista Codec Package.

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack is one of the most complete codec packs up to date. It includes three codec packages: K-Lite Codec Pack Full, QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative.
Among the included codecs, we can find the most popular ones such as Divx and Xvid required for playing any DVD, as well as other multimedia formats such as MP3, MP4, MPEG, Realmedia, QuickTime and more. But that´s not it, it also offers several applications and players such as BSPlayer, Media Player Classic and Gspot codec detector.
Installation is completely customizable, this means the user selects which codecs he wishes to install. K-Lite Mega Codec Pack has several installation alternatives: K-Lite Codec Pack Basic contains only the most essential things. Standard contains everything you need to play all the commonly used formats. This package should be enough for the average user; and Full contains even more codecs. What´s more, K-Lite Mega Codec Pack detects broken codecs and filters too, eliminating them from the system and installing new ones.

ELISOFT Codec Pack

ELISOFT Codec Pack is known for its adaptability since it´s compatible with all operative systems, featuring an easy installation and un-installation.
It contains all the standard codecs to play most audio and video formats. It also includes filters to improve image and sound quality.
ELISOFT Codec Pack features the possibility of analyzing and repairing damaged video files.
ELISOFT Codec Pack enables users to play video file with several audio tracks, as well as inserting subtitles and other useful tools.

What´s special about this Pack, is that both DirectShow filters and codecs can be enabled or disabled from the program.

Combined Community Codec Pack

CCCP is a compilation of codecs originally made for playing anime videos. CCCP is simple, light-weight, safe and reliable.
Before installing CCCP, the installer detects possible codec issues with your system -previously installed codecs that is – avoiding further codec troubleshooting.
Apart from having standard codecs such as Divx, Xvid and AVI, CCCP offers free audio and video players and an application for making movie subtitles.

Vista Codec Package

Vista Codec Package is one of the first codec packages made for Windows Vista for playing non-standard multimedia files. It doesn´t contain any player, it´s just a codec pack.
One of its important features is the possibility of playing FLV files, a flash video format used by YouTube among other flash sites.
This pack includes support for all existing audio and video formats for playing the most popular codecs such as xvid and DivX and even several less common formats. We recommend installing only one codec pack at a time. In case you fell like trying another one, uninstall the current codec pack and only then proceed to installing another. Quicktime and Realmedia formats are also supported in this release, allowing video to be streamed in most cases. Although not as comprehensive as the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack, this may be suited to users looking for a lighter option that will allow more flexibility of the codecs installed.

As you´ve seen in this short review, there is not a huge difference among these codec packs, which in fact are most popular ones. For that reason you will have to choose the most suitable for your needs. In our opinion, the most complete and full-featured codec pack is Combined Community Codec Pack. Why? Because it´s small and compact, containing only what is needed for most videos; it intentionally disables support for many codecs it considers unnecessary. It thus can potentially avoid problems caused by inappropriate combinations of filters by providing an all-inclusive playback solution. Additionally, unlike many competing packs, CCCP is designed around decoding rather than encoding, and as such doesn’t include many video encoders that other packs do.
Still, other packages might suit yours needs better or you may find them easier to work with, give them a try.

Nowadays, the variety of multimedia file formats available requires specific codecs in order to play most multimedia files. Let´s see what this codec pack called CCCP has to offer.

One of the most practical ways to avoid the trouble of installing permanent audio and video codecs on our PC is by getting one of the so-called “packages” or codec pack. With them, we can simultaneously manage those codecs required by multimedia files while using a multimedia player.

CCCP is a complete codec pack which was initially designed for the reproduction of anime videos, and now it has become one of the most popular codec packs in the world. Unlike other packs, CCCP only installs on our system the necessary codecs, taking a minimal disk space while avoiding compatibility issues with other codecs on our system. CCCP is the most compatible codec package since it will display a warning in case we have an older version of a codec, and will attempt fix or install it.

CCCP does not only guarantee codec quantity and quality, but also features two multimedia player Media Player Classic and Zoom Player Standard – which can be optionally installed. CCCP includes among its features two complete multimedia players: Media Player Classic and Zoom Player Standard. With these players you can take full advantage of the codecs included in the package, such as: Haali Media Splitter (DirectShow filter for MKV, MP4, OGM and AVI), VSFilter (for SSA/ASS, SRT y VOBSUB subtitles), Ffdshow CCCP (for H.264/AVC, DivX and vid) and WMV9VCM (for Windows Media).

Even when multiple technical configuration options in every codec pack tends to be troublesome for inexperienced users handling multimedia files, in CCCP a we find a simple window´s system enabling optimal audio and video configuration in each PC. CCCP has an official website including a forum to exchange different opinions and find out about the latest news related to the world of codecs.

In short, for those users who want to avoid complex operations requiring codec administration, maybe Combined CCCP is the best download choice: small in size, simple, complete and safe.

So, now that you know, if you need to play multimedia play without running into unexpected issue or codec incompatibility, CCCP is without a doubt the perfect codec solution for playing audio and video files.

Download CCCP