New / problem with codecs

[AJ Martinez]

Hi, I'm AJ. I joined because I am having a problem playing some .avi files that I have, and I was hoping to get some help.

The forum description said that I could put this here if I was new / didn't know where to put it, so that's what I did, but I'm sorry if this is in the wrong forum. I just didn't understand the rest of the stuff.

Anyway, this is the issue:

I downloaded the complete series of Gargoyles, and at first none of them would show. So I downloaded xvid and divx, and also went a bit crazy and downloaded a bunch of codec packs, such as cucosoft videoconverter (I don't know where that came form actually, it must have just installed itself); the K-lite codec pack, although I can't find that now; AVI codec pack+; and something called nastaveni. But it only solved some stuff. Now like 70% of the movies should show, but not all of them. So I went into the folder, and then noticed that on the bottom it came with codecs: haali_renderer, gspot, haali_splitter, vsfilter, xvid, ffdshow_video, ffdshow_audio, ac3filter, and divx. So I installed all of those. Now about 75% of the videos are showing. HOWEVER! When I go to watch the ones that are showing, they skip a bit. Like, they will show, and then all of a sudden the picture will freeze but the audio will continue. And then in a moment it will skip forward, the video moving like it's on fastforward to catch up with the audio.

Does anyone know what I should do? By installing all those other codec packs, did I ruin something? Should I uninstall and only keep the ones that came with the video? Does anyone have any ideas?

[pyton357ru]

AFAIK, general rule of thumb is to install 1 (one, une, eine, uno, odnu) codec pack per system. Two and more will conflict with each other.

As for me -- I've been using CCCP http://www.cccp-project.net/ with great success.

[fredfillis]

I think you'll find that most of the experts here would recommend against using any codec packs as a rule. I've had a problem or two with them when I was beginning. Not sure if that is your problem or not.

Where are your videos stored? On an external USB drive perhaps?

[AJ Martinez]

I think you'll find that most of the experts here would recommend against using any codec packs as a rule. I've had a problem or two with them when I was beginning. Not sure if that is your problem or not.

Where are your videos stored? On an external USB drive perhaps?

They are stored on my C drive right now, but because they will be 12.4gb when fully downloaded (I am just waiting for a few more episodes) I will be moving them to my external hard drive.

So since the codec packs are a big no, should I uninstall them all?

[guns1inger]

One codec pack is enough to screw a system. The best method is to work out what codec you need for a given video (g-spot, media info etc will tell you what it is), then install just that codec.

If playback is your number one priority, use VLC instead. It ships with it's own codecs, and can play pretty much anything.

I suggest that if it is at all possible, you revert using System Restore to a point prior to installing any codec packs. Failing that, you can try to uninstall them, but past (and bitter) experience shows that they rarely come away clean. In the worst scenario, a wipe of windows and a fresh reinstall can be the only cure.

[AJ Martinez]

System Restore never works for me, for some strange reason. It always either a) makes no change whatsoever, or will pop up a box saying that it can't restore to that point that I wanted.

So I will try to uninstall the codecs.

[AJ Martinez]

Okay, so I uninstalled those codecs and I installed the VCL thing. But now NONE of my videos will work. There is picture, but no sound. So I think I am going to reinstall those codecs. Maybe if I took this to the tech team at my university?

EDIT: I reinstalled the AVI Codec Pack+, and now they are working again. I do not think I will install the other ones, since this one is working alright.

But I am a huge loser and just downloaded the series "Pirates of Dark Water." And those shows are not working properly, either.

I am using VCL to watch Gargoyles now, but it is still doing that thing where it skips. It does that on more than one episode. Every, I think. So maybe it's the files I downloaded? Or maybe it's the codecs? Or something else? I have no idea.

[fredfillis]

but it is still doing that thing where it skips. It does that on more than one episode. Every, I think. So maybe it's the files I downloaded? Or maybe it's the codecs? Or something else? I have no idea.

My guess would be it's the files you downloaded.

BTW, in my experience, playing video from an external hard drive, especially USB, is a disappointing experience.

[guns1inger]

VLC doesn't need these external codecs unless the files are particularly odd. Use g-spot or media info to determine what codecs have been used. If VLC is having problems then you have much bigger problems that a few videos not playing.