# Codec help

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/codec-help/351865>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 8, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/codec-help/351865 "2006-04-08T15:59:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2006, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/codec-help/351865/1 "2006-04-08T15:59:45Z")

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Despite being pretty well versed in the art of computer maintenance the intricacies of some types of audio and video playback are not my forte.

I have a need for a decent codec to play standard US DVD’s. I don’t mind paying a few bucks but I need some kind of broad based solution thats going to work 95+% of the time for various media players. Any reccomendations and clarification would be highly appreciated since searching for codecs returns about a billion hits many of which are useless and I would prefer not to spend money on the wrong stuff.

I understand that its an interpreter of sorts (coder/decoder) for a video file format, I’m just not understanding why there seems to be thousands for seemingly the same thing but rarely exactly what you are looking for.

help please.

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**Author:** ![Surbey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@Surbey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surbey)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/codec-help/351865/2 "2006-04-08T18:12:25Z")

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Download the Kazalite Codec Pack. It comes with Media Player Classic and will play almost every DVD. That is what I use when I want to play DVDS on my computer.

Here is the link[Kazalite Codec Pack FULL Version](http://web.volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/winnt50/driver/video/klcodec271f.exe)

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**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/codec-help/351865/3 "2006-04-08T19:47:13Z")

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With any luck this may do the trick:  
[VideoLAN](http://www.videolan.org/) .

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**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/codec-help/351865/4 "2006-04-08T20:11:21Z")

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> [@Surbey](#):
>
> Download the Kazalite Codec Pack. It comes with Media Player Classic and will play almost every DVD. That is what I use when I want to play DVDS on my computer.
> 
> Here is the link[Kazalite Codec Pack FULL Version](http://web.volftp.tiscali.it/pub/pc/windows/winnt50/driver/video/klcodec271f.exe)

I’m going to give this a try when I have a chance, ty.

> [@](#):
>
> Myglaren With any luck this may do the trick:  
> VideoLAN .

TY but i don’t want a player, I need codecs to replace aftermarket or bundled codecs on customer machines after a reformat/reload of windows. when apparently the default media player codecs dont work with legit production DVD’s

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**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\
**Post date:** [April 8, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/codec-help/351865/5 "2006-04-08T23:06:29Z")

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OK, I imagine the K-lite pack should do the trick in that case.