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None of the MPEG-2 codecs recommended on the WMP help page are available free.
Without installing a codec pack, or (at this stage) installing another media player, are there any recommended free MPEG-2 codecs out there that will give me DVD playback in WMP 11?
Claification:
I'm looking for just the specific codecs that will do the job rather than an all encompassing codec pack which may have unforseen detrimental effects.
pelms
Posted 2009-10-08T13:23:15.160
Reputation: 8 283
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I came accross the GPL MPEG-1/2 DirectShow Decoder Filter which gives DVD playback in WMP.
The only possible problem was a warning from the Windows XP Video Decoder Checkup Utility that it does not support synchronization - not a problem for me.
pelms
Posted 2009-10-08T13:23:15.160
Reputation: 8 283
You should consider marking your answer as accepted if it actually solved your problem. – alex – 2009-10-09T11:01:16.300
@alex: Just leaving it for a while in case anyone knows of anything better. – pelms – 2009-10-09T11:59:25.933
That's a good idea. I wanted to suggest that as well. – alex – 2009-10-10T06:08:15.310
I installed this codec, but I still do not have sound with DVD's in windows media player. – systemovich – 2010-01-03T00:25:14.850
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Most MPEG-2 codecs are hard to find by themselves, as nowadays most people just download codec packs and don't bother with individual codecs. You can download such a codec pack and then extract the ones that interest you.
The latest K-Lite pack contains two MPEG-2 codecs:
If you want a very complete codec pack, use the K-Lite Mega Codec Pack. It is the K-Lite variant with the most codecs. However, as far as MPEG-2 codecs are concerned, only these two codecs are included in all K-Lite versions.
To find a codec's filename, you can use InstalledCodec :
InstalledCodec is a small utility displays the list of all Codec drivers and DirectShow filters currently installed on your system. For each component the following information is displayed: Display Name, Type, Disabled Status, Installed/Modified Time, Description, Company Name, Filename, and more...
Installing a codec is normally only a matter of copying it to its place (normally system32) and issuing regsvr32 on it. See this guide:
How to install/uninstall DLL and AX codec/filter files
harrymc
Posted 2009-10-08T13:23:15.160
Reputation: 306 093
He just said in a comment he doesn't want a codec pack. – alex – 2009-10-08T18:20:22.187
He edited that AFTER I gave my answer. So I edited my answer as well. – harrymc – 2009-10-09T06:07:44.003
1"Without installing a codec pack" was in the original question :¬) – pelms – 2009-10-09T08:15:02.610
Installed and uninstalled, just to get the codecs. Also, the installation is fully parametrized, so one can just install the minimum. – harrymc – 2009-10-09T13:16:18.780
My answer has been deleted since it did not answer your question. – alex – 2009-10-09T06:22:22.320