Top 3 Codec Packs

Digital media has come a long way since the early days, when all one had to wonder about was the MP3 format. Today we have to deal with innumerable audio/video formats. The scenario has gotten so bad, that there are 6 versions of one common codec which offer virtually the same functionality i.e. codecs based on the MP4 format. If that was not bad enough, developers often come out with new “version numbers” of an existing codec that will break functionality with older products and cause all sorts of other problems such as garbled video and missing audio.

To combat this, a new breed of software programs commonly called “codec packs” came up. These programs often bundle all the required codec’s into a single installer and combine it with existing media player software. Though this takes the guesswork out of which codec is needed to play a file, it gives arise to another problem. Most users who install these Codec packs are cluttering their systems with software libraries, they will never need. In some cases, these codec packs have actually been known to compromise system stability or cause lockups/slowdowns.

Thankfully all is not lost. A few enthusiasts recognizing these problems came up with well designed installers that only integrate codecs that you will actually require. At the same time many companies who have commercial products in this space, have started offering individual codecs for free of charge use.

Keeping this in mind we have selected 3 different bundles for our feature. The first pack offers just a basic set of codecs for the casual movie watcher. The second pack is a little more comprehensive and offers a wider selection of codecs. It is aimed at the user who regularly watches movies and recreational videos. Our final selection is a mega collection pack. It comes with everything you will ever need and more.

Here is our list:

DivX Codec Pack

Publisher: Divx
File Size:23751 kb
Download Link: 1

This one really needs no introduction. No other codec/format has had such a world-wide impact (outside MP3) on AV players, PMPs, mobile phones and a host of other devices, like DiVx has. So much so, that it is often credited as having ushered in the digital media as a legitimate alternative to TVs, given birth to a whole new era of piracy and led to the creation of DRM and organizations like the MPAA (in America). Furthermore its success has led to industry heavy-weights developing their own competitors in the form of Microsoft’s WMV format, RealVideo from Real Networks and Apple’s QuickTime.

Now in its 6th generation, the current DiVx free package offers support for full HD playback and easy encoding. It offers a free version which is fully backward compliant and can play other MP4 formats too (This is possible by enabling it from within the Directshow Tab). Furthermore it allows dvd authoring now and is fully capable of generating custom menus and author tabs.

Combined Community Codec Pack (CCCP)


Publisher : Combined Community Codec Pack
File Size: 6066 Kb
Download link: 1
As content download has become more popular over the years, it has led to the creation of a new
generation of fans who not only appreciate Japanese anime content but take existing works such as Hellsing or Naruto and translate them into the English Language allowing a whole legion of fans to enjoy these works. This practice is simply called “fansubbing”

The CCCP pack was created by people who are active in the “fansubbing” community. It was designed to eliminate a lot of the problems that other codec packs caused by disabling unneeded codecs, be light-weight and flexible by offering a selection of the most commonly used formats and generally be usable by people even with limited technical knowledge.
K-Lite Full Codec Pack


Publisher: Codec info

File Size: 12518

Download link: 1

The grand-daddy of them all, K-Lite codec pack is one of the oldest and generally well-known packs. It offers the largest collection of decoders and as compared to the other packs featured here also comes with a selection of encoders and image resolution “tweakers”. The full codec pack also utilizes Media player classic and is optimized around it.

This pack fills out a variety of roles as it is aimed at the multimedia enthusiast and for people who are either looking into getting into their own encoding or power users who like to customize the viewing quality of a certain codec by means of the various customization programs. It is around this codec pack that freeware encoders such as Virtual Dub have sprung up.