Codec hell

[Claudius-07]

Ok so I managed to fubar my Windows 7 premium 64bit installation by trying to get my codecs working correctly. I was trying to use Windows Media Center to work properly with all my movies. I read about getting MKV to work in WMC, then using CoreAVC, then getting FFDSHOW to be used for some but not all... then I read that you have to have 32 AND 64 bit codecs. Anyhow after 1 day of going nuts of installing... now NOTHING works. I can't play DVD files (live VOB I mean)... MKV's play like they are 1 frame a second, most DivX files crash. I know.. I know.. I should have left things well enough alone.

So I went and uninstalled everything that was even remotely codec related.
Would someone know of a trustworthy utility that can clean out bad codecs? Or somehow to bloody set it up to DEFAULT like it was when Win 7 was freshly installed. Am I wasting my time?? Do a fresh install?

 

[Modelworks]

All that is required to play MKV natively in WMC is to install the splitter and a registry entry.
Save as a .reg file:
http://www.hack7mc.com/upload/v7-WMP11-MKV-MKA-x64.reg

install it by double clicking it.

Download and install the splitter
http://haali.su/mkv/MatroskaSplitter.exe

Thats it, MKV should now playback like anything else.

 

[Claudius-07]

Thanks.. that works.. like a charm. DVD's and VOB's still tell me I cannot play them which is pissing me off. Oh well at least most of my collection is in MKV. Thanks

 

[simonizor]

Or you could just use vlc as the player built into WMC is a steaming pile of shit...

 

[Fallen Kell]

You need to configure FFDShow from the sounds of it. There is a tab right at the top named "codec" or something like that. In there you can set exactly what codec you want to use for each file format that FFDShow processes. Sounds to me like you want to take a look at the setting for MPEG2. There are some tutorials around. Specifically I would look at this one on avsforum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1172653

 

[sivart]

I used Shark's codecs (from a clean install -- no codec installed) and haven't found a file it won't play yet. So far, no Blu-ray rips in my library.

http://shark007.net/

there is a x64 package if you need that, too.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I use k-lite full + k-lite 64-bit. Works like a charm. Additionally, it will attempt to detect and fix or remove old broken/removed codec entries. I've tried Sharky's as well...and they're based off the same stuff, but I've been a fan of k-lite for a long time now. Streaming MKVs with 5.1 ac3 (not dts) to my 360 extender works as well.

64-bit of k-lite (or sharky's) is required, as WMC is 64-bit, and needs the appropriate 64-bit codecs (well, needs the splitters/filters...the actual codecs being used are still Win7's). Like IE, WMP comes in x32 and x64 flavors, and x32 is the default version.

 

[zylander]

I used Shark's codecs (from a clean install -- no codec installed) and haven't found a file it won't play yet. So far, no Blu-ray rips in my library.

http://shark007.net/

there is a x64 package if you need that, too.

Same here, sharks codec pack is the SHIT! It will play EVERYTHING.

 

[Caladin2]

Good info TY!

 

[AnitaPeterson]

Mirillis Splash is also a good MKV player...