Reliable Codec Packages...

Snag one of the excellent K-Lite Codec Packs, they have worked perfectly on my machine. The Mega Codec pack includes alternatives to Real and QuickTime. I'd suggest going through and only picking what you're going to use, otherwise you'll waste space on codecs and utils that never get any use.
I recommend you check the following (on the Mega Codec Pack):
--Media Player Classic
--XviD VFW (not DirectShow) filter
--QuickTime and Real Alternative
--AC3 Filter
--FFDShow

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Mucknuggle

Eww. It has too much useless stuff. Get the Combined Community Codec Pack.

Just select what you want and the K-Lite Pack will be all muscle and no fat. Really it doesn't take much to configure it properly.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by spikeh

Both DefilerPak and CCCP basically installs the same core components: ffdshow, Haali's filter, and VSFilter; except CCCP also includes WMV9, Gabest's MPEG2 decoder (not sure why) and two DirectShow players.

CCCP is however, configured in a way so that all the components are fuctioning together in harmony with the players; though I do not know if DefilerPak is configured in a similar fashion. Therefore, I would recommend CCCP as the most compatible codec pack; but there would be nothing wrong with using DefilerPak, either.

Packs such as the K-Lite pack or Nimo should be avoided if possible. They install far too many codecs and filters which are also left with the default options, causing compatibility issues. It would be fine if one knew what they were doing and chose the correct components and configured it properly, but for the majority of people who just hammer Next at the installation screen it breaks compatibility.

VideoLAN is able to decode most formats without the hassle of installing anything else. (And because of this I found it the most versatile in Linux.) But I didn't like the fact that their subtitles were too plain and I never managed to get it to display a small border around the subtitles.

That's the thing though, I configure the Mega Codec Pack every time. The fact that I don't have to install the bloat of QuickTime and Real sold me on the idea of using K-Lite's Mega Codec Pack.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by a_rse_bandit

I was using CCCP and Defilerpak for a while but then when I tried using Virtualdub I found that mysteriously there was no way to encode anything in xvid or divx or whatever. What ever happened to all those encoder codecs I had when I had K-lite codec pack? Dunno but when I reinstalled K-lite codec pack again I was able to encode shit again.

So what codec pack out there will let me encode and decode all I need? I'm listening.

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack should have all your encoding needs. Just disable any video codec related DirectShow filters (minus ffdshow, it shouldn't interfere with any video codecs), and then install the VFW versions of the codecs you want to use. Since I only use XviD, I saw no reason to go much further than that (I also installed the VFW version of DivX to get the v6 playback features).

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?