I am new to DVDs, and was wondering if there is a registry on a computer that lists all the codecs installed.
Plus, what is the difference bw a divx (or any codec for that matter) and the .avi, .mpg or .mov formats. I am still not 100% clear on the difference.
I will keep searching the forum for insight. Thank you.
The first thing to understand is that there is a difference between a codec and a container format. AVI and MOV are containers. They can contain many types of video streams in them. There is no telling what codec you need to decode the contents of some random AVI or MOV. But MPG and DIVX are formats. You need the MPEG-1 codec (which is included in practically every desktop OS) or MPEG-2 codec to decode MPG and a DIVX codec to decode DIVX video (which is often contained in an AVI container.)
As to determining whether or not DIVX is installed, just look in the Add/Remove programs listing in your control panel and see if it is there.
Honestly though, there is a big cesspool of MPEG-4 decoders right now: DiVX, XviD, 3ivx, etc…
This is a big mess and if you’re not looking to create videos, then the best solution IMO is to avoid it and just get the excellent and free ffdshow decoder which decodes all XviD, DIVX, 3ivx, etc with a minimum of fuss.
I checked it says K-Lite Codec Pack installed. Any idea if this is any good?
Is there anything wrong with installing another codec pack over the first, or would I have to uninstall the above and then install the new one.
P.S. I have a new computer with Window’s Media Player 10. Therefore, did I get a bunch of codecs with that program.
Thanks, again.
@JM I see that you are in Ontario, where abouts? I’m in Richmond Hill.
It depends on which version of the K-Lite pack you have, but if it is the latest, then you do have divx encoding installed.
If you are installing a new version of some codec, it’s ususally a good idea to uninstall the old one first. Though most installers will act intelligently if there is an old version installed.
As to my location, I am in a small town to the West of you.
Cheers. Thanks for the advise.
I will do the obvious and try to run a known divx codec file and see what happens. If no picture than I will install the file you suggested.
Get hold of a program called Avicodec. This will both list all the video & audio codecs installed plus , by loading an avi file into it , tell you what codecs the file is using. Just type in the name to google to find it. Gspot is another useful program. Both are freeware.