Download to light codec pack standard. What to choose during installation

30.04.2019 Windows 8

K-Lite codec-pack- a time-tested video codec package for Windows, it has been providing comfortable viewing of movies on a computer for more than 10 years.

The program consists of filters and decoders that process media files different formats. It provides playback of video and audio recordings without any “freezes” or errors.

If a movie file does not start on your computer, do not rush to blame the video player for everything. The fact is that initially, together with Windows media player the operating system has the most simple tools for processing multimedia files. Because of this, video playback errors and lack of support for some fairly common formats are likely. To solve this problem, you need to download codecs. One of the best options- this is K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows, designed to make media players stable and fully functional.

The developers of this codec pack offer to download video codecs in four versions:

Basic- the base set, the only one that does not include the MPC-HC player
standard- extended package includes several rarely used decoders
Full- there are additional DirectShow filters here, such as ffdshow and VP7
Mega- most full version, which also includes the ACM and VFW codecs.

The Standard version will be enough for the average user. If you're interested in additional DirectShow filters that offer more fine tuning images and subtitle management, then check out the Full and Mega packages.

During installation, the program prompts you to select the formats and decoders you want to work with, as well as remove "broken" components from other packages. Although, it must be said that, by default, everything is set in the optimal variant, so there is no great need to understand the interface. However, at any time you can call up the menu through "Start-Programs-Configuration".

Capabilities:

set of the most fresh versions decoders;
no conflicts with similar software;
playback of all used formats (including such "hard-to-open" ones as MKV, FLAC, RMVB, HDMOV, TS, M2TS, OGM);
built-in media player Home Cinema;
detection and replacement of damaged or missing decoders;
built-in utility for removing a package (or part of it);
auto update.

Advantages:

elementary installation in a minute;
opening all required video files;
download K-Lite Codec Pack is offered free of charge.

Things to work on:

there is no Russian-language interface, you can choose in Russian only in the menu;
after removal, there are many unnecessary entries in the registry.

It is also important to note that the program gets along well with any media players and works even if you already have similar sets from other developers.

However, if you used one of the four packages presented, and then decided to install another, it is advisable to remove the previous one. For example, you had Standard, but you wanted to put Full. In this case, the authors recommend "demolish" Standard. And in order to clean the registry, use a good one, for example, the CCleaner program.

Unlike a number of analogues, this codec-set excludes conflicts with the components of other packages. And thanks to frequent auto-updates, you will only have the latest versions of codecs.

K-Lite Codec Pack- a well-known and versatile set of audio and video codecs, as well as Direct Show filters and additional tools that will make your player show movies and play music.

K-Lite Codec Pack differs from similar packs because it has no conflicts between codecs, it is easy to install and easy to use - thus it becomes the most popular.

In application, it is quite primitive and convenient, it can be easily found on the website. If the user needs a video codec that can be configured and installed without problems, then this utility is irreplaceable.

Main features of codecs

The program components allow you to view and listen to the known and rarest audio and video formats. They were chosen in such a way that there were no conflicts between them.
Installing the package is quite easy. The user selects the codecs and tools he needs.
The program can be deleted entirely or in parts, without saving the remnants of its location.
Any version is thoroughly tested for the presence of all sorts of conflicts between codecs and other tools.
The utility avoids all kinds of difficulties between the latest and previously installed codecs on the PC.

Codec versions

AT this moment There are 4 versions of the codec pack. The user chooses the most suitable version for himself.

Basic option. It includes all options for playing all known video files. This type of package has a smaller volume.
Standard. Includes everything to play most multimedia files. This version suitable for the most experienced users.
Full. Apart from standard set, it has tools to play additional formats audio. This is a must for professionals.
Mega. This type The package includes all codecs and utilities contained in the complete package, in addition to QuickTime Alternative and Real Alternative.

Benefits of K-Lite Codec Pack

spontaneously updates via the Internet;
when downloading any format, the utility finds a codec for it, and the user will be able to view this media file without any problems;
on your PC will always be installed only latest versions codecs for any format.

When installed on your PC, the utility scans for obsolete codecs and eliminates them to avoid conflicts in the system between versions. All components of this utility are selected in such a way that they interact with each other and with any other player with the greatest efficiency.

How to install video codecs.

Download K-Lite Codec Pack free latest version

Download in Russian the latest version for Windows 7, 8, XP, Vista and Windows 10 on this page of the site https://freeinstall.ru/multimedia/kodeki/k-lite-codec-pack.html. The link to download the program leads to the official website. The FreeInstall.ru website keeps track of all new versions of programs so that you have latest version K-Lite Codec Pack.

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.

Softina eliminates the error that the video format is not supported, installs the player and allows you to encode video and sound with various codecs.

What are codecs

Any information in a computer, including text, photos, video and sound, can be written as a sequence of zeros and ones. The text can be written in a very compact form (the whole text part Wikipedia), and graphics, sound and even more so video take up hundreds of places and even tens of thousands times more.

Codecs are programs and devices for storing information in digital form (in any format), as well as for compression all this data. All codecs can be divided into two conditional types:

Lossless data compression (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 take up less space on your hard drive.
Lossy compressing audio and video ( lossy formats). The most typical example is MP3 music files. Codecs that compress to 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 that of lossless. Lossy coding has one significant disadvantage: you can overdo it with compression, resulting in files with terrible sound and a bad picture.

Among lovers quality sound disputes do not subside over how best to store music - in lossless or lossy formats. On the one hand, lossless compression allows you to achieve 100% compliance with the original, on the other hand, such an audio library will take up too much space. For videos and photos, the problem of storage is also relevant. For example, over the years of its existence, the Youtube video site has changed several times the codecs that compress the video stored on servers. As a result, now we can watch videos of acceptable quality in 4K resolution, which was impossible to do before, since 4K video simply would not have enough space for hard drives servers.

Types of codecs

There are several types of codecs. In various collections included different types, K-Lite has them all.

DirectShow Filters- modern codec format and more. They are divided into three subspecies. There is capture filters, which are responsible for getting data from a file with video, music, and even from physical devices like camcorders. Transform Filters allow you to decode, recode data, apply effects, and so on. Render filters (visualizations) they can output video and sound to the screen, speakers, other devices and save to a file.

All DirectShow filters work in a chain, which allows advanced users organize automatic processing video. For example, you can take a picture from surveillance cameras, display them on different screens, while adjusting brightness and contrast on some, take sound from separately connected microphones and save all this into one file with many tracks.

VFW codecs(Video for Windows). An older codec format that appeared in 16-bit Windows versions before the advent of the 95th. They are simpler than DirectShow filters and more limited in their 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 old standard as VFW, but for audio. With these codecs, you can open and compress files in MP3, OGG, AAC, and other formats.

Codecs can be installed in the system so that all programs can use them, or they can be used in separate software. Codecs can be separate program. The most typical example is an encoder. You can't watch a video with it, but it's easy to convert it to another format. Codec packs do not include such programs, because the task of packs is to make multimedia files open in any program.

You don't need codec packs to watch videos

The problem of playing files is no longer as relevant as in Windows times 98/2000/ME/XP. Operating Windows systems 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 tasks where codec packs come in handy: video editing and work with the archive of video and sound recordings, where files can be of various formats

There are less popular collections of codecs:

CCCP: Combined Community Codec Pack (development discontinued)
Kawaii Codec Pack (development stopped in 2015)
Codec Pack All-In-1 (the last 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 "mega version" of the k-light pack) and LAVfilters(included in any K-Lite versions Code Pack).

K-Lite Codec Pack

Where to download K-Lite

All versions are suitable for Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and 10 of both bit depths - 32 and 64 bits.

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, it will open AVI, MKV, MP4, OGM and FLV. The option is for those who like a small package without the bells and whistles. It is small but solves most of the problems with opening video files. Used for playback universal codec Lav video.

2. standard contains several additional features compared with basic option. But the most important thing is that a simple and convenient Media player is built in. Player Classic. There is also a built-in DirectShow filter madVR, which, in conjunction with Media Player Classic, gives better picture quality compared to the system filter (when stretching the picture, it turns out to be about greater clarity).

3. Included Full(complete) 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 in full version GraphStudioNext included. This is a powerful tool for developers of codecs and filters, 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-variant is the most complete K-Lite compilation. Video option. It contains standards codecs VFW and ACM for encoding and editing video and sound.

What to choose during installation

At the beginning of the installation, you can select the mode: Normal or Advanced. The difference is that in advanced mode the component selection step appears (“ Select components"). 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 you a few questions.

preferred video/audio player- which player to prefer to open multimedia.

Preffered 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- codec set options, the middle point is optimal. In Advanced mode, you can refine the set at the component selection step.

Install VFW codecs for video encoding- put codecs for encoding, i.e. video creation.

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.

AT Full and Mega There are many more codecs. Most likely you know what you are doing, since you choose these versions, but for the curious I will tell you more about what is in them.

Immediately at the beginning of the installation, you can choose whether to install only codecs for playback, whether to install the player, or select own set(Custom Selection item).

Let's go through all the points.

MPC-HC- this is media player Player Classic. Functional player with many useful options. There are two versions to choose from, the difference is in bit depth. It is better to choose only the one that matches the bit depth 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. You can choose from:

Filter LAV Video- standard for Basic and Standard 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 found errors are quickly eliminated, and in general, the codec decodes popular formats without any problems.
Filter ffdshow- an obsolete decoder at the moment, its development has been discontinued. Supports H.264, MPEG-4, MPEG-2, VC-1 and more. The decoder has one interesting opportunity: in the ffdshow settings, you can enable image processing, making it brighter, sharpening, turning it sideways, and so on. If you don't have filters in your player, but you need them, then video decoding via ffdshow will help you.
Xvid- for (de)coding MPEG-4 files. You can choose if for some reason LAV and ffdshow do not suit you, while the above codecs can be left for processing other formats.
Microsoft- the item is needed so that the selected format is decoded by the codecs built into Windows as before.

The component selection options affect not so much the choice of what to install, but how the codecs should behave. If the package contains LAV Video and ffdshow, they will be installed anyway, they will simply not be used for formats where another codec is selected.

Chapter DirectShow audio decoding filters contains codecs for sound playback.

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, and more.
ffdshow it is also on 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 in the case of video, filters can be applied to the sound.
AC3Filter- for decoding AC3, DTS, E-AC3, TrueHD, LPCM, AAC and MPEG. This DirectShow filter holds the record for the number of sound processing settings. You can amplify the sound, compress dynamic range, adjust the delay of individual audio tracks (required if the speakers are on different distance so that the sound waves reach the listener at the same time), to conduct mixing in real time ... There are a lot of possibilities and most of them are not needed by the average user.

AT 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, AVI, MP4, MKV file extensions speak of different containers.

LAV Splitter- for AVI, MP4, Matroska (MKV), MPEG-TS (MTS), MPEG-PS (PS) and others. By selecting LAV Splitter as the default source filter, you can change audio tracks on the fly in any player via the LAV Splitter tray icon.
Haali Media Splitter- once a popular filter, it was used to enable subtitles in unsupported players and switch audio tracks. Now it has been replaced by LAV Splitter as more functional.
DC Bass Source Mod- needed to support OptimFROG files (.ofr .ofs extensions) and open tracker music (.it .mo3 .mtm .s3m .umx .xm).

In chapter DirectShow subtitle filter there is only one item DirectVobSub. This filter will allow you to automatically connect subtitles from the files of the same name with the video. 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.

MadVR- a very powerful filter, allows you to scale the picture with high quality and, what is important, make the frame change smooth.
Haali Video Renderer- a filter whose development was stopped a long time ago, not really working, it is not clear why it is included in the K-Lite Codec Pack.

AT 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.

ffdshow VFW interface- VFW-part for ffdshow, which was mentioned above. Allows you to save in FFV1, HuffYUV, DV and MJPEG.
Xvid is a free compatible alternative to the once popular DivX (MPEG-4).
x264VFW- for encoding video in H.264 format, which is on the next evolutionary stage after MPEG-4.
huffyuv- lossless codec for encoding and decoding video files of the same format.
lagarith- modified huffyuv, compresses more strongly, there is no data loss either.

ACM Audio Codecs needed for audio compression.

MP3 (LAME) is a popular MP3 codec for audio compression in programs such as VirtualDub. It will be installed only if there are no other MP3 codecs in the system.
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. AT Windows players there are no problems with this.

In chapter Tools utilities are located.

Codec Tweak Tool- a program for reconfiguring codecs, resetting their settings. In it, you can replace LAV with ffdshow without changing K-Lite installations Code Pack.
MediaInfo Lite- to show detailed information about codecs inside multimedia files.
GraphStudioNext- very powerful utility for developers of DirectShow filters. In K-Lite Codec Pack, most likely, it is enabled due to the function of viewing which filters are used when opening a particular file.
Haali Muxer- a utility for packing individual audio and video files into Matroska containers (.mkv).
VobSubStrip- a tool for solving a specific task: extracting subtitles for a particular language from .idx and .sub files.
FourCC Changer- a program that changes the label of the codec used in video files. Useful if the desired codec is not used when opening a video file.

AT Explorer shell extensions Windows Explorer extensions are located.

Icaros ThumbnailProvider allows you to view the contents of video files in popular formats in thumbnail view.
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.

AT 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 goes wrong with them (damaged or missing files and entries in Windows registry), they can be removed. The same feature is available in the Codec Tweak Tool.

Additional Tasks and Options section

On the next step The installer will specify a few settings.

Their number will differ depending on your choice in the previous step. Most of the settings are clear, based on their names, I will only talk 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 has been installed.

Windows Media Player: register supported file formats- standard windows player Media will open formats supported by installed codecs.

Optimized preferred decoders settings: the installer will tweak the system codec settings to the optimal values, according to the authors of the K-Lite Codec Pack. You can change them later manually using the Codec Tweak Tool.

Add to Explorer context menu- in the right-click menu will appear new item"MediaInfo" to easily open video and music files in MediaInfo.

Hardware acceleration section

Here you can configure the hardware acceleration of video decoding. This is important for watching movies in high definition.

You can select the decoding method (universal and hassle-free - DXVA2 copy-back), as well as enable acceleration only in the Media Player Classic player (the “Only use hardware acceleration in combination with MPC-HC” item).

MPC-HC configuration section

Appears when Media Player Classic is selected.

The important option here is the choice of video renderer ("Video renderer"). If you bet madvr, choose it, otherwise the optimal will be Enhanced Video Renderer (Custom Presenter).

Section Preferred language(s) for audio and subtitles

Here you can set your preferences sound track. 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 turn on. If not, then English and Russian subtitles (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 the Control Panel - Default Applications.

Depending on the checked checkboxes, additional steps will appear, where you can select in detail the associations of the program with file types.

Audio Configuration Section

Here you can select the type of your columns.

Thumbnails section

Last step. Here you can specify which videos to display in thumbnail view.

After installation

Restart your computer, otherwise some codecs will not work correctly.

If you need to change some settings for codecs and filters, there will be a K-Lite Codec Pack folder in the Start menu with shortcuts that open settings and utilities.

14.8.4

Free download the most popular set codecs

K-Lite Codec Pack is the most popular set of video and audio codecs. Codecs are necessary for playing video and audio files, and this set is designed to play all, anyhow common, formats. Standard Tools operating system Windows and most popular players already contain the most popular codecs, but not all of them, and sometimes they are not enough to play some videos. After installing the K-Lite Codec Pack, any player installed on the system will support additional formats.

In general, this set is addressed to those users who constantly watch videos in different, including less common, formats. K-Lite Codec Pack has everything you need for high-quality video viewing.

K-Lite Codec Pack is very easy to use, updated regularly, contains all the necessary codecs, works great with all popular video players, uninstalls without any problems, has many users and any problems are found and fixed very quickly.

You can download K-Lite Codec Pack in 4 various versions: Basic, Standard, Full and Mega. These versions differ in the set of codecs included in them. Most users will be fine with the Basic version, which includes only the essentials. This version is unlikely to be useful to those users whose player already contains built-in codecs. The Standard version has additional codecs and a wonderful video player. The Full version contains many rare codecs. The Mega version is a combination of two packages: K-Lite Codec Pack Full and Real Alternative (used to play RealMedia files).

What's new in K-Lite Codec Pack 14.8.4:

List of changes for the Basic version:

List of changes for Standard, Full and Mega versions:

Updated Media Player Classic to version 1.8.4.19.
Updated LAV Filters to version 0.73.1-31-g54d0a.
Updated Codec Tweak Tool to version 6.3.7.
Updated GraphStudioNext to version 0.7.1.53.
Updated DirectVobSub to xy-VSFilter version 8.2.0.802.
Added XySubFilter 8.2.0.802.
Fixed issues with streaming video playback.
Added launch option DirectX web installer. This only works when DirectX is missing or damaged.
Added new option to associate files with the common .video extension.

K-Lite Codec Pack is a universal set of codecs and utilities designed to play and process audio and video files, including only free or open source ( open source software) software open source.

Features of K-Lite Codec Pack

Optimal selection of codecs;
Ability to detect and remove damaged filters and codecs;
Compatibility with other software packages;
Advanced installation wizard;
Complete removal of the package by the uninstaller;
Frequent updating of software components.

Supported file formats

.avi, .divx, .flv, .mkv, .mka, .mp3, .mpg, .mpeg, .m1v, .mpe, .m2v, .mpv2, .mp2v, .m2p, .vob, .evo, .mod , .ts, .m2ts, .m2t, .mts, .pva, .tp, .tpr, .mp4, .m4v, .mp4v, .mpv4, .m4a, .3gp, .3gpp, .3g2, .3gp2, . ogg, .ogm, .ogv, .oga, .rm, .rmvb, .ra, .ram, .webm, .mov, .hdmov .qt, .flac, .wv, .ac3, .dts, .amr, . amv, .alac, .ape, .apl, .aac, .mpc, .mpp, .xm, .s3m, .it, .umx, .ofr, .ofs.

K-Lite Codec Pack Components

DirectShow video filters - XviD, On2 VP7, MPEG-2 (Gabest), MPEG-2 (Cyberlink);
Video codecs – XviD, x264, On2 VP7, Lagarith, huffyuv, Intel I.263, DivX, YV12 (Helix);
DirectShow audio filters - MusePack (MONOGRAM), WavPack (CoreWavPack), FLAC (madFLAC), Monkey's Audio (DCoder), OptimFROG (RadLight), DC-Bass Source, AC3/DTS Source (AC3File), AMR (MONOGRAM);
ACM audio codecs - MP3 (Fraunhofer), MP3 (LAME), AC3 (ffcHandler), Ogg Vorbis, DivX Audio;
DirectShow source filters – AVI splitter (Gabest), AVI splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Haali Media Splitter), MP4 splitter (Gabest), Matroska splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Matroska splitter (Gabest), Ogg splitter (Haali Media Splitter), Ogg splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS/TS splitter (Gabest), MPEG PS/TS splitter (Haali Media Splitter), FLV splitter (Gabest), CDDA Reader (Gabest), CDXA Reader (Gabest);
DirectShow subtitle filter - DirectVobSub (a.k.a. VSFilter);
Utilities – Bitrate Calculator, Codec Tweak Tool, GSpot Codec Information Appliance, MediaInfo Lite, VobSubStrip, GraphStudio, Haali Muxer, FourCC Changer;
Media Player Classic Home Cinema (included in all package options except Basic, available in 32 and 64-bit versions).

Installing codecs

The installation process of K-Lite Codec Pack is quite simple and intuitive, it will not take much time.

For most users, the settings that will be offered by the wizard during installation are best left unchanged and not experimented with, leaving all the checkboxes in their places, this will be enough to listen to music and watch videos on the computer.

Alternative set of codecs:

Download K-Lite Codec Pack

Codecs K-Lite Codec Pack are distributed in versions: Basic, Standard, Full and Mega. Our site contains the latest version of the most complete package (includes more components, supports more formats, etc.) - K-Lite Mega Codec pack.

Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for free, without registration.

Spoiler (Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for Windows XP)

New versions of K-Lite Mega Codec Pack no longer support Windows XP. If you need to download K-Lite Codec Pack for Windows XP, then use one of the links below:

What's new in version: List of changes