Codecs have been a problem for most users at one time or another. This is because there has never been an 'out of the box' working solution that the average computer user could install and just have everything work properly from the beginning.

There are several decent codec package solutions out there, but none of them did everything I wanted. I was always in need of a tweak, adjustment, or even a re-installation just to get the codecs I needed/wanted and most of the time, the file still didn't play properly.

I've never claimed to be a media guru. My media experience prior to creating these packages was to doubleclick a file I downloaded and hope that it played. So with the help of the MSFN community, I decided to package up the bare minimum of codecs required by most computer users and share them with the rest of the world.

The installer will automatically remove most other popular codec releases from your computer before installing this concise yet comprehensive package. You won't need to make any adjustments or tweaks to enjoy your media content immediately. Windows Media Player and Vista's Media Center will instantly recognize all your files as playable.

Vista Codec Package does not contain a media player software and it will not associate filetypes. With this package installed you will be able to use any media player, limited only by the players' capabilities, to play all movies and video clips. Streaming video is supported in several formats in all popular web browsers.

Users of VCP have the ability to choose what is installed and where to install it using the public redistributable. After installation you can select to remove specific portions without removing the entire package. You can also re-add the removed items at any time.

Note: Some antivirus and antispyware programs flag Vista Codec Package as being infected/malware, although the application is perfectly safe and does not pose a threat to your system. This is called a 'false positive'. The term false positive is used when antivirus software wrongly classifies an innocuous ( inoffensive ) file as a virus. The incorrect detection may be due to heuristics or to an incorrect virus signature in a database. [Similar problems can occur with antitrojan or antispyware software.]

What's New in This Release: [ read full changelog ]

· update Gabests filters 1323
· update ffdshow 3121
· update integrated MediaInfo 724
· add support for ALAC in M4A