Shark007, a fellow member of MSFN Forums makes this codec pack. It contains everything you need to playback audio and video files in Windows Media Player and Media Center.

All codecs are set to their default settings and it does not contain any extra media player, so you can use whatever you like to play media files. It supports Windows XP as well despite its name.

When dealing with codecs, more does not equal better.
Having the least amount on your system is the best configuration.
This is exactly what the Vista Codec Package does for you.

Windows Media Player and Vista Media Center will be able to play all your files.

Shark007 updates his pack very often to correct issues or include new versions of the codecs. There is an entire forum section devoted to this codec pack. You can get more information about the codecs included and get troubleshooting tips there.

Vista Codec Package does not include any QuickTime components ut Shark007 makes an addon that supports full browser playback and download of QuickTime files. This addon is called QuickTime Lite for VCP.

I have always preferred to use only the codecs i need and i recommend that you do this as well, but if you don’t have the time or knowledge, Vista Codec Package can fill this for you.

Website Download Vista Codec x64 Components

Use QuickTime Alternative for playing videos and as a plugin for viewing streaming media in your favorite browser. It now includes MOV DL Tool, which is great because it gets launched when you click QuickTime links and lets you download the video file or stream it normally.

Say no to Apple’s invasive, slow and bloated player.

There is another package called QT Lite. The only difference is that QT Lite doesn’t include Media Player Classic, a great multimedia player. I recommended it as a video player. Its light, fast and has tons of features.

iTunes users:

Shark007 from MSFN Forums has an iTunes installer that doesn’t install the official QuickTime Player and works if you have QuickTime Alternative installed. He keeps it updated to the current version of iTunes. You can read more about it here. I really dislike iTunes but that’s a different story.

Website Download

SMPlayer is an open source, multi-platform video/audio player, focusing in video features.

It uses the well-known (at least in the open source field) command-line player MPlayer. This means SMPlayer doesn’t need external codecs in order to play the files. This is great because it saves you time and troubles when playing less-known formats.

Note: If you are using Windows Vista, the default settings of SMPlayer will disable Aero temporarily while playing files.

For it to work well with Aero, go to Options - Preferences. In the General tab, select gl or gl2 in the Output Drivers: Video drop down list. Aero won’t be disabled anymore.

Website Download

SMPlayer is an open source, multi-platform video/audio player, focusing in video features.

It uses the well-known (at least in the open source field) command-line player MPlayer. This means SMPlayer doesn’t need external codecs in order to play the files. This is great because it saves you time and troubles when playing less-known formats.

It comes second in my list of favorite video players, just behind the venerable Media Player Classic. I will talk about more about codecs and players in a later guide i’m working on.

Note: If you are using Windows Vista, the default settings of SMPlayer will disable Aero temporarily while playing files.

For it to work well with Aero, go to Options - Preferences. In the General tab, select gl or gl2 in the Output Drivers: Video drop down list. Aero won’t be disabled anymore.

Website Download

Xvid.org has released an updated 1.1.3 version, dated 12.04.2008. This update contains a fix for a security vulnerability, so it is a must to update to this version.

For those of you who don’t know nothing about Xvid, it is a codec (Encoder/Decoder) for playing or converting avi files.

This is the most popular video codec today. If you download movies or videos in avi format, you need this codec in order to take advantage of its features.

To read more about video codecs, here is an article in wikipedia that covers the topic.

Website Download

There is a new version of QuickTime Alternative.

It contains fixes for several vulnerability bugs found in the last version of Apple Quicktime.

Use QuickTime Alternative for playing videos and as a pluging for viewing streaming media in your favorite browser.

Say no to Apple’s invasive and bloated player.

There is another package called QT Lite. The only difference is that QT Lite doesn’t include Media Player Classic, a great multimedia player. I recommended it as a video player. Its light and has tons of features.

Website Download

QuickTime Alternative allows you to play streaming QuickTime content without the need to install the original Apple QuickTime and all its annoyances. This will also enable the playback of QuickTime video files in all major players out there.

Download

If you have ever felt in need to install QuickTime from Apple to play streaming video or to view offline videos in your computer with its player, you don’t need to install it at all. There are better alternatives.

QuickTime Alternative has been around for a long time freeing many people from installing Apple Quicktime player which is a real example of what not to do when developing players. The resource usage is huge, it adds endless entries in your registry, tries to start when you computer boots up, needs an internet connection to look for updates, and the list goes on…

QuickTime Alternative has two versions. The difference is that the Lite version doesn’t include Media Player Classic (MPC) which a terrific video player for all of your needs. I strongly recommend to get the normal version of QuickTime Alternative and to try MPC to view videos with it. You won’t be disappointed. If you only need to view QuickTime videos in streaming site, download the Lite version.

iTunes users:

Shark007 from MSFN Forums has an iTunes installer that doesn’t install the official QuickTime Player and works if you have QuickTime Alternative installed. He keeps it updated to the current version of iTunes. You can read more about it here. I really dislike iTunes but that’s a different story.

Normal | Lite