Media Player Codec Pack 4.2.4

If you've ever experienced the frustration of attempting to play a media file, only to be confronted with an error message or faulty playback (wrong speed, missing audio, jerky picture) you'll appreciate this compilation of codecs, media splitters and filters. Once this easy-to-install package is on your computer, you'll find that 99.9% of current formats are supported -- though you may still need the appropriate player for some protected media.

The Media Player Codec Pack is a comprehensive collection of codecs and media tools that will allow you to play virtually any modern media format. The codecs are small pieces of software that encode and decode media files so that the player knows how to interpret the data and display the file. Media splitters can help resolve playback problems such as no audio on a video playback, while you can use the filters to remove noise and artifacts from audio and video streams.

The Media Player Codec Pack allows you to play most DVDs, SVCDs, XCDs and VCDs on your home computer. Supported video formats include AAC, AC3, APE, DTS, FLAC, IT, MO3, MOD, MTM, OGG Vorbis, S3M, TTA, UMX, WV and XM. Supported audio formats include 3GPP, AVI, DAT, FLV, MKV, MP4, MPEG, MPG, OGM, PS, TS and VOB. All resolutions including SD (Standard Definition) and HD (High Definition) are supported. Optional extras are available to allow you to play Blu-Ray discs under Windows 7 and Vista.

Pro's: Comprehensive, easy to install

Con's: Does not include some old or obsolete formats.

Conclusion: A versatile collection of tools that will let you play virtually any modern media type.