After I had gotten my new computer that has Windows XP installed, I decided to download some video from the internet. I found that some of the files didn’t play back properly. The audio portion of the files would play but there was no video. I noticed that the file type that had this problem most often was the *.avi file type. After I had done some searches on the internet and going through a bit of a learning curve, I determined that I didn’t have the codec installed that I needed to play the video. I ended up finding one of the tools that comes with the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack that is called the G-Spot Codec Information Appliance (as best I can tell the name “G-Spot” is derived from the name of the program author, Steve G). With it, I was able to determine the codec that I needed to play back a video. Then I could perform a search on the internet for the codec where I could download and install the codec. I didn’t know about the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack back then but I wished I did. It provides a much simpler alternative in that it already includes most of the popular codecs all in a single package that you install one time. In fact, I would say it includes about 95% of the codecs that you will ever need to play back video. The author also provides regular updates to the codec pack and provides support on a forum that is available on a link from the K-Lite home page.

If you don’t know what a codec is, it is short for "Compressor-Decompressor" or "Coder-Decoder". In order to make video files smaller, all video is compressed in a manner comparable to *.zip files. In order to play the video back, you must have the same the codec that was used to compress the video. Microsoft provides codecs for the media player that comes with Windows, although they don’t provide codecs of other vendors. The *.avi video file type is capable of using numerous codecs that Microsoft does not provide with Windows.

The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack actually has more than just codecs but also comes with the following:

One of the nice things about the download is that you can select items that you want to install. I tried the BSPlayer but didn’t like it and it does not work with the Real and QuickTime Alternatives. However, the Media Player Classic does work with the Real and QuickTime Alternatives and is my favorite media player for video. I have it set as my default player for all video. If you don’t install it, you won’t be able to watch streaming video with the Real Alternative. The Real player has some obnoxious characteristics that are explained well on another site. RealMedia files are quite popular for streaming video on the internet, so I consider the Real Alternative to be quite valuable. The QuickTime player is a good player and doesn’t have the obnoxious characteristics of Real player but I decided to uninstall it because I prefer having as few media players as possible. With the combination of Media Player Classic, Real Alternative, QuickTime Alternative and the codecs in the download, you can eliminate the need for the three players, Divx, Real and QuickTime. To my surprise, the Media Player Classic will even play back Macromedia Flash (*.swf) files. You will however, still need to keep the Windows Media Player that Microsoft provides with Windows. It will play a few file types that Media Player Classic won’t.

In addition to the versatility of the Media Player Classic, one of the main things I like about it is that when you select full screen during playback, the player controls disappear. The controls appear when you move your cursor to the bottom of the screen. Pushing the “Esc” button while in full screen mode returns the player to the small version and pauses it. The visual appearance of the player is very much like the version 6.4 of the Windows Media Player that Microsoft used to provide with Windows; however, the Media Player Classic is not affiliated with Microsoft. It is interesting to note that all Windows distributions still include the old Windows Media Player v6.4. You can run it by clicking Start, Run and entering MPLAYER2.EXE. I think you will find that the Media Player Classic is actually a much better media player than the old Windows Media Player v6.4.

What is the future of streaming video on the internet? Will the internet take over TV? I think internet television will require much more bandwidth than even today’s high speed cable modem. Certainly a step toward internet TV is the development of “Wi-Fi” wireless internet connections. From what I have read, today's Wi-Fi systems are limited to about 100 megabits of data a second, a rate that will support no more than a single high-definition television video stream in the home. If Wi-Fi systems catch on, I would expect developments that would increase bandwidth. It is apparent that CBS News sees a future in streaming video. They have dramatically increased their streaming video content recently. To watch the video, just click on the little TV cameras on their site but expect to be required to watch an advertisement when the video starts.

The K-Lite Mega Codec Pack documentation does not say what systems that it runs under but I read reports that it is compatible with Windows 98, ME, 2000 and XP. The download consists of a single file, klmcodec136.exe, which you double click to install.

K-Lite Mega Codec Pack Home Page

Download K-Lite Mega Codec Pack