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Codecs

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mxppy
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Codecs

Hi, i'm new here, and after looking around i am unable to find a codec app or something that would allow me to gain the effects of a codec pack like K-Lite. I think it would be a great addition to the many things available to portable apps. This is because many things like the video players are unable to play many types of videos with the standard windows codecs, and this can be a problem, because many computers where you many want to use your portable apps on will not have many other codecs. This is not really a problem if you also have a codec pack installer on your memory stick/ipod/etc.., unless you are useing a computer such as those at work or school which don't allow you to install things. If there is some way around this that I am missing please be nice enough to tell me quietly...

P.S. I did check other posts for things like this and the only one I found was condoned for using pirate software. I do video things which require me to take the files home and encode them there so they are readable for computers with standard codecs.

Bahamut
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VLC

VLC has support for pretty much everything, so that's your best bet. MPlayer has support for a lot of codecs as well. Both are available as portable apps here. Unless you want to decode some exotic/rare/goofy format, either one should do just fine.

Vintage!

NathanJ79
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VLC is a good equivalent

I've used the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack for years on my home computer, and will probably continue to do so for the foreseeable future, as it really does play everything you throw at it, in any media player that uses Windows codecs.

However, I haven't seen anything that VLC can't play. VLC doesn't use codecs because codecs have to be in the system folder, and as (the topic creator) says, you can't install a codec pack at school or at work. So you use VLC, which seems to be the best workaround. And it works perfectly. I used to dislike VLC's interface, but I got used to it. Now Alt+Enter in Media Player Classic seems like too much work, I just want to hit F.

steve_gutry
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VLC will only play common formats.

VLC will only play common formats and yet people still persist in saying that it plays every file type when in fact it can't. I know that it can have some additional codecs added to it but even then it still can't play everything.
I have been using kmplayer with the klite codec pack for a long time but now I have found a huge improvement with the smplayer. If you have a file that it can't play then all you do is add the required codec. Another good option is media player classic.

Check out the threads below.

https://portableapps.com/node/18796

https://portableapps.com/node/18920

https://portableapps.com/node/18978

NathanJ79
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Of course nothing is going to

Of course nothing is going to play every file type, just that it hasn't failed me. Maybe I only deal with common file types - that's entirely possible. VLC is just a better one-stop solution. The first two links you posted mean nothing to me here (though I did comment in the second one, at least) but the third one is very interesting. I see you've got a portable MPC-HC with all the codecs from a codec pack. That's pretty good, and as I'm using a 16GB flash drive, size and space saved aren't an issue.

linuxx
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VLC and common formats

FWIW, these play .rm files portably:

KMPlayer
Media Player Classic
MPC - Home Cinema
SMPlayer
XMPlay
Winamp (but not portably)

VLC does not.

NathanJ79
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Got me there

You got me there. My... disdain... for RealNetworks goes so far back I don't remember what it's all about, so I avoid RealMedia wherever possible. I had no idea VLC couldn't play it.

Strange that VLC doesn't support what is unfortunately a common enough format, but I do wonder why they don't, after all this time.

I will then refrain from saying VLC plays just about everything. Thank you for updating my (rather limited) knowledge on multimedia formats.

steve_gutry
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Hi Nathan

I hate RealNetworks also, but the file format is quite popular mostly in the Asian countries because of the small files sizes that you can get. There is also enough free software around to encode & play without having to use the Real products, which as you know have a habit of spying on people.

richard.a
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Real Player

There could also be a licencing /licensing (according to where you live in the world) problem with Real.

Agreed on the previous comments. I think the spyware is probably not there any more, though, it had as much publicity as the Sony root-kit.

I have seen versions of the Real Player available in the BSD and Linux communities, but they appear not to have been ported universally for the reason I suggested, remembering forum topics over there over several years.

Saying that, I'm pretty sure that MPlayer in the PuppyLinux community will play Real files these days, so if MPlayer there is MPlayer here, maybe the solution might be upgrading to a later version?

Richard

Have you noticed editing is always needed for the inevitable typos that weren't there when you hit the "post" button?

Bahamut
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Goofy/exotic proprietary format

Other than RealMedia, I think the only other format it has problems with is the very latest versions of WMV (and those eventually get supported). It seems like MS keeps changing the format just to keep other players from supporting them. I think VLC even plays VC-1 now, but I'm not sure.

VLC can handle all common formats and almost all goofy/exotic/rare formats. I don't think anyone is claiming that VLC can play absolutely everything, and I think many people have known that VLC can't handle RealMedia. It's a great player, and anyone who doesn't encounter such files regularly should be perfectly happy with it.

Vintage!

NathanJ79
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Also

As an additional point, anyone running Portable VLC should probably have a Plan B just in case VLC gets funky. I had a DVD that VLC didn't like. So I played it in MPlayer and it was fine. So I have VLC and SMPlayer. I've also got Coolplayer++ and XMPlay, but I think those are audio-only. And when I get some time off I'm going to try to get a portable installation of Media Player Classic Home Cinema up and running, too. Never hurts to have backup.

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