Minimal MPEG-2 Codec Installation

[neumannu47]

Since I do not know well how to manage video codecs, I get MPEG-2 files to play by installing way too many codecs. As a matter of course, I install ffdshow, Stinky's Codec, Nero (if it installs a codec), WinAVI, and several others. Eventually MPEG-2 files will play.

Now I am building a new computer for my daughter. She does not need all of these applications, but she does want to be able to play a DVD on her computer. So my question is, how can I install JUST the MPEG-2 codec that is needed to play DVDs without installing every codec I have? How would someone who knows what he's doing approach this problem? I would like to install one or two codecs and be done with it. She will want to use Windows Media Player, so suggesting Media Player Classic will not be a solution.

My hope is that someone has worked through a routine to allow smart installation of codecs instead of kitchen-sink approaches.

[Krispy Kritter]

All you need for DVD playback is an mpeg2 codec. You can find several in the Tools section under codecs.

*note - you may also need to install an AC3 codec for proper audio playback.

[redwudz]

You might try just using ffdshow. It's not a codec pack, which can cause problems, and handles quite a few formats, including MPEG-2. I would also recommend adding VLC Media Player for playing most any format without adding codecs. If you need Quicktime, Quicktime Alternative. For Real video, Real Alternative. With just those four, you should be able to play most any format out there.

[lordsmurf]

Too many codecs can ruin a system (to the point of having to reinstall the OS! yikes!).

Use VLC.

[neumannu47]

You might try just using ffdshow. It's not a codec pack, which can cause problems, and handles quite a few formats, including MPEG-2.

So here I am, building another computer and having the same challenge to play MPEG-2 in Windows Media Player. I understood the post above to say that installing ffdshow would allow WMP 11 to play MPEG-2. When I start WMP, instead of getting the "you need a codec" message, the error now is "Windows Media Player cannot play DVD video. You might need to adjust your Windows display settings. Open display settings in Control Panel, and then try lowering your screen resolution and color quality settings." My other idential computers (IBM 8189) have no problem playing MPEG-2 video at 1024 by 768, which is the resolution setting for this computer. Lowering the resolution to 800 by 600 (yuck!) did not help.

My identical computer sitting beside this one plays MPEG-2 just fine. However, as I originally posted above, the reason a working codec is installed is that I installed a number of codecs, including Stinky's, ffdshow, Nero, and others. Is there a way to find out which codecs are called into action on the working computer and then copy that codec to the new computer?

[Safesurfer]

If the system is XP, you might try using the Microsoft Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility which as well as discovering available MPEG-2 codecs will determine whether or not the decoder is compatible with Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

[neumannu47]

I use that utility which does report a number of codecs as installed on the working computer. However, the utility reports that none of them is compatible, which is not true because the computer does play MPEG-2.

Stinky's doesn't work, either.

GSpot (to the extent that I understand what it reports) says that the working computer is using avmvdec.ax to play MPEG-2 on the working computer even though the Microsoft Video Checkup Utility says that the codec is not compatible with the WMP 10 synchronization filter. (Apparently that doesn't matter.) If I copy that codec to the correct folder on the new computer, how do I register it?

[jman98]

I'm not a big fan of using Windows Media Player for anything but Windows Media. I'd suggest that you follow redwudz' excellent suggestions. VLC doesn't install any codecs - they're all built into the player. It can play DVDs fine and should not give you that absolute nonsense that Windows Media Player is telling you. WMP is probably having a codec isssue and it's too stupid to figure that out, so it told you the wrong thing to fix for the problem.

[neumannu47]

I'm not a big fan of using Windows Media Player for anything but Windows Media. I'd suggest that you follow redwudz' excellent suggestions. VLC doesn't install any codecs - they're all built into the player. It can play DVDs fine and should not give you that absolute nonsense that Windows Media Player is telling you. WMP is probably having a codec isssue and it's too stupid to figure that out, so it told you the wrong thing to fix for the problem.

While I understand and agree with most of what you say, WMP is the desired player for this particular user, right or wrong. The members here are technically sophisticated and able to solve what should be a simple issue. As I said, I have "solved" it on every other XP computer I've built, but I have done so by installing a bunch of junk that should not be installed.

In the past, there have been a lot of creative solutions, such as installing a particular program that includes an MPEG-2 suitable codec. If I knew which program (AVS Media, WinAVI, Nero, whatever) would solve the problem, maybe that could be one solution. My objective is to obtain a "best practices" approach to installing the absolute minimum number of codecs that enable Windows Media Player 11 (good or bad) to play MPEG-2. While I am confident that there is a post somewhere on the Internet that provides a perfect solution to this all-too-common problem, Google is NOT my friend!

[Safesurfer]

GSpot (to the extent that I understand what it reports) says that the working computer is using avmvdec.ax to play MPEG-2 on the working computer even though the Microsoft Video Checkup Utility says that the codec is not compatible with the WMP 10 synchronization filter. (Apparently that doesn't matter.) If I copy that codec to the correct folder on the new computer, how do I register it?

Start>Run>regsvr32 avmvdec.ax

[neumannu47]

Problem solved. Before you posted, I downloaded and installed DXMan, copied avmvdec.ax to \windows\system32, dragged and dropped avmvdec.ax onto DXMan, and registered it. Now the MPEG-2 file plays in WMP. Maybe I'll go back and play with GSpot a little more to try to determine if there is anything I installed that I can remove that I should not have installed. Thanks for the help. If I learn anything that could be helpful to others struggling with this problem, I'll post it here.

One more question: Where can I get (buy, if necessary) an MPEG-2 decoder that the XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility will not report as not being compatible with the synchronization feature of WMP 10?

[Safesurfer]

One more question: Where can I get (buy, if necessary) an MPEG-2 decoder that the XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility will not report as not being compatible with the synchronization feature of WMP 10?

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/player/plugins.aspx#DVDDecoder

My system uses the Cyberlink and it is identified as compatible.

Glad you got it working!

[neumannu47]

Follow up: After I got it working, I installed GSpot on the new computer to see what's going on. It checked a vob file on the DVD I was playing, and it checked an MPEG-2 (mpg) file that I copied to the hard drive. In both instances, GSpot reports that the video of the file is played using Ligos MPEG Splitter (Mpeg2Parser.ax) to Ligos MPEG Video Decoder (Mpeg2Decoder.ax) to Video Renderer (quartz.dll). If I am not mistaken, these codecs are the ones installed by Stinky's. If that is correct, the Stinky's codecs did not start working until I registered avmvdec.ax. Now I think I know that is not correct, but I'm just the messenger. Probably the only way to know for sure is to start fresh.

Since I didn't reboot or do anything else after installing the avmvdec.ax codec, this situation totally baffles me. While I am quite experienced at PC maintenance and configuaration, this entire codec situation totally baffles me. Why so complicated?

EDIT: Before shutting down the new computer with a sense of accomplishment, I tried playing the DVD again. Now I am getting the same error messages as before. GSpot says that the vob file has the proper codecs installed and will play the DVD in the preview window, but the disk is not playing in WMP. It seems that GSpot is not accurate in reporting what WMP will use to decode and render the DVD. The mpg file on the hard drive plays fine.

ANOTHER EDIT: As it often happens, I got confused somewhere along the way. Previously I had installed DScaler and removed it. Just for grins, I installed it again, and now the DVD plays. There is still a question as to what the minimum installation requirements are, but at least I hope I am closing in on a solution. Plus, but using TweakUI to create an AutoPlay handler pointing to Media Player Classic, my aversion to using a non-WMP player may be decreasing.