14 DAY TRIAL // There used to be a time when you could see movies only if you had a VCR or went to a movie theater. Computers and Internet sure rocked the entire world by providing easy access to all sort of information for the home user. I guess we can say that the home user is actually the one responsible with the expansion of the Web and all the goodies we benefit from the comfort of our home.
Viewing movies on your PC can nowadays be restricted by one thing and one thing only: the necessary instruments for decompressing the video. If you do not have the right tools chances are you are not going to enjoy movies in certain file formats. Fortunately, all the codecs and packs of codecs you need in order to avoid this are free and a download away.
Locating them on the web is not a chore at all as a simple search will return the desired results instantly. However, there may happen for you to remember a codec or two and the moment you need them may not be adequate for installation. So, here's a simple solution that can check out the codecs installed on your PC and offer a hand in downloading them.
CodecInstaller will also come in handy when figuring out why a video won't play on your computer by analyzing the file and retrieving all sort of information on it. The application is absolutely free to use and it is recommended to beginner users as well as after re-installing your operating system.
The looks are not impressive and nor should they be considering the higher purpose the application has been built for. A simple bar wraps all options up offering quick access to all there is. CodecInstaller can analyze the system in order to check out the codecs that are already installed, both video and audio. The information the user benefits from consists in the name of the filter, developing company, version and driver.
If you find something missing in the list then you should proceed to installing the codecs. The section is easy to handle and provides access to the most common codecs needed by videos. These include the ubiquitous DivX and its open-source counterpart, XviD, as well as FFDShow, Intel Indeo, AC3 filter, Matroska for playing MKV file type, OGG Vorbis, MPEG Layer-3, MusePack or AAC. For all of these CodecInstaller provides download links and a brief description.
If you are not familiar with codec concept and you do not know which ones are installed on your system, take a look in the lower part of the window, at the Installed checkbox. If this is checked, there is no use downloading it again unless you want the latest and the greatest version on the market.
In case you have a video file that does not work properly, analyzing it with CodecInstaller may shed some light on the problem. The process does not take long and the information provided range from the type of file it is, its duration, audio bitrate and channels, and the codec needed to handle that format. The application will not always be accurate when providing the codec needed to correctly play the video file as in some cases it may even fail to provide it.
The application is built to support the analysis of the following video formats: AVI, MPEG, WMV, WMA, OGG, FLAC, MPC, MP3, MP4, WAV, and WX and only for these it will show technical data like framerate, video codec, total number of frames or metadata such as title or name of the album.
As simple and easy to use as it may seem, CodecInstaller brings something for advanced users as well. Filter Mappings Editor has been included in the list of features for allowing you to change the priority of a filter and the types of media it will process. More than this, you can "unregister" a filter which basically removes it from your system and will not be used. The great thing is that a list of other filters that depend in one way or another from the one you want to be removed will be displayed letting your better judgment decide on the action.
Configuring the application is nothing much as all you can do is set the language (this depends on selecting to install all 12 supported languages during software install; otherwise the only option here is English) and setting up the search for automatic updates (once a week, twice a month or once a month). This is set to twice a month by default.
CodecInstaller is extremely easy to handle and the information it procures is lead to installing the right video codecs on your system so that all videos play smoothly and without hiccups or other issues. It is free and can be used for installing the entire set of codecs used with most videos on the web. It can also be used as video launcher (you will have access to some information on the movie like poster, synopsis, IMDb rating, language, duration or list of actors), but for this you will have to configure the codecList.txt file in installation folder and create the videoname.txt file with information on the movie, but this is way more difficult than simply playing the movie with the video player installed on your computer.
The Good
The application does a great job as a source for quickly downloading the necessary codecs for playing video files correctly. It can analyze a video file and retrieve good technical information.
It is very easy to handle and the options it comes with are very useful for determining which video codec you need to play a video.
Each codec it provides a download link to comes with a brief description so that the user learns what it is good for.
The Bad
It would gain more functionality if it would automatically install the video codecs immediately after downloading them.
Sometimes it won't tell you what video codec you need, but this rarely happens.
The Truth
It makes for a very good codec manager and utility for determining the tools needed for playing a video file correctly. CodecInstaller is easy to handle and groups the most used video codecs into an easy to use interface.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
