Frequently Asked Questions
Codecs
Why do I need to know about codecs?
The Windows 7 operating system includes codecs for most commonly used video files.
However, there are many different types of media files available that are not natively supported by the OS.
Such media files require the end user to install 3rd party DirectShow codecs so that they can be processed by TriDef 3D Media Player.
What is a Codec?
A codec is an acronym for coder-decoder.
A codec is a technology for compressing and decompressing data. It is common to use compression on digital media files in order to reduce download times and storage space. Compressed media files are decompressed during playback using either the CPU or using hardware acceleration on a graphics card, for example.
A DirectShow codec is required for both compressing and decompressing the media. Common audio codecs include: MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV and PCM. Common video codecs include: H.264, Divx/Xvid and MPEG-2.
(Also see What is a codec? from Microsoft's website)
What are some of the more popular video codecs used on the Windows platform?
XviD, DivX, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, H.264 (MPEG-4 AVC) and MJPEG are some common examples. There are many resources available on the internet discussing these formats in detail such as fourcc.org and Wikipedia.
How can I tell which codec I need to play my files?
Over the years there has been a proliferation of audio and video formats. Many media containers allow any codecs to be used for the embedded audio and video data. This approach is flexible and has allowed many new codecs to flourish. However, it also means it is not unusual that a media file cannot be played because of missing codecs.
There are two solutions to this problem.
The most common approach is to download a DirectShow "codec pack" which contains popular splitters and codecs.
To find the most recent popular codec packs simply Google "DirectShow codec pack".
The second approach is to identify the specific codecs used within the media file and then download the necessary codecs. Determining what audio and video codecs are used within a media file can be difficult. This information is often not available from the file properties page and it is necessary to download an application that can analyse the media file. To find such applications Google "DirectShow codec identifier" or download one of these applications:
Such applications typically identify the codecs used in a particular media file and provide suitable download links for installing the necessary components to play back the video file.
Where can I download some of the more popular codecs from?
Please refer to our links webpage, which contains a Codecs section for download links.
Why can't I play a particular media file in TriDef 3D Media Player?
TriDef 3D Media Player has built in support for several media file types. A broad range of additional video files can also be played if the appropriate DirectShow filter is installed.
Why can a particular video file be played back by WMP or Arcade, but TriDef 3D Media Player can’t play it?
TriDef 3D Media Player depends on the Windows OS to support media formats.
The Windows 7 OS does not support all media formats supported by WMP or Arcade, as these products include additionally licensed 3rd party codecs.
If the format is not supported, please try to install appropriate DirectShow codec for this format.
What is DirectShow?
DirectShow is a multimedia framework which is part of Microsoft's Windows Operating System.
TriDef 3D Media Player, like many other Windows based media players, uses the DirectShow framework to simplify the decoding and playback of audio and video formats.
What is the difference between a codec, a container and a file format?
Audio and video content is typically encoded in a single media file for simplicity and for performance optimization. A file containing both audio and video is referred to as a media container. During playback it is necessary to separate the audio and video from the media container into separate streams for playback.
In order to play a media file with DirectShow it is necessary to have both a splitter to extract the audio and video from the file as well as a codec for both the audio and the video streams to successfuly play the media.
TriDef 3D Media Player recognises a list of common media file extensions including: .mpg, .wmv, .avi, .m4p, .mov
The file extension relates to the media container used to store the media. For example, .avi files contain Audio Video Interleaved (AVI) files. These files can contain data that is compressed by any number of different codecs, including MPEG-2, DivX or XVid. AVI files can also contain data that is not compressed by any codec. Consequently, you may be able to play some AVI files and not others, depending on which codecs were used to compress the file and which codecs you have installed on your computer.
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