Originally posted by: xtknight
ffdshow(+Quicktime Alternative+Real Alternative) can decode everything K-Lite can and it has a much smaller foot print. Additionally, all post-processing can be done in one easy area. Three ActiveX controls versus tens of them. For DVDs you might need to run the
Video Decoder Checkup utility to set ffdshow to be used for DVD decoding. I know ffdshow can decode DVDs, I just don't know if WMP can support it, though I suspect it can. Worse comes to worst, use Media Player Classic. It's not that bad. Far superior to WMP in every aspect IMO.
VideoLAN Client is also awesome but the codecs it uses (ffmpeg) don't use COM or integrate with DirectShow, making it impossible to play the supported files with other media players. ffdshow is basically the same thing as VLC, except with only the codecs. It's a ffmpeg library wrapper, making it so other apps can use ffmpeg to decode formats.
I don't like codec "packs" that distribute third-party things. ffdshow is just a single open source library able to decode a huge range of formats, and it can do post-processing on all of them. It should be able to decode anything you throw at it providing you enable the codecs you need in the options. There is no need for anything else, except for Quicktime Alternative (for Sorenson Video 3) and Real Alternative for the new RV10 codec which I don't believe ffdshow bundles. Get the Haali Media Splitter so you can demux everything (also DirectShow compatible):
http://haali.cs.msu.ru/mkv/ Configure ffdshow, enabling all codecs except the WMV ones (which are better suited to the official WMV decoder). After that you are all set: ffdshow, QT Alt, Real Alt, Haali, config ffdshow. A total of 4 ActiveX libraries and a complete multimedia solution. That's just how I prefer to set things up. The latest ffdshow should even support Quicktime HD (MP4/H.264). Quicktime Alt and Real Alt will give you the browser plugins you need. The setup programs for all these applications should register the codecs on their own for use with any DirectShow media player (every media player for Windows except a rare few such as VLC and "mplayer").