Codecs are used for the encoding and decoding of streaming media. The word "codec" stands for COmpressor/DECompressor. Why do you need codecs? Because people encode their audio/video data in a format that requires a codec for the purpose of compression. In other words, by using a codec, a video file that would typically be enormous, could be compressed down to a much smaller size. The smaller the file, the faster the downloading/uploading/burning process. Codecs are absolutely necessary for anyone that plans to download audio and/or video data from torrents. I have split this guide into two sections, audio and video.

  So you downloaded a film you really wanted to see and were totally looking forward to watching it, but when you opened it up, you seen video but heard nothing. No problem, there is a good chance that we can get the audio to work simply by installing a filter that can translate the audio. The following download should fix this problem:


Click here to download AC3Filter (433 KB)

  After installing that, you can alter several playback settings through the AC3Filter configuration menu, which you can find in the control panel. A common problem is that the sound is not loud enough. You can easily fix this through the AC3Filter config menu.

  If you still cannot hear the sound after installing AC3Filter, contact me and I can investigate the issue further. It could be that you have corrupt data, or that you are using a crappy player.

  There is nothing worse than downloading a film and only being able to hear it! Rippers encode video to compress it; make it much smaller than the source. This is why you viewers need codecs to be able to interpret this compressed data and give you the resulting stream (hopefully, in excellent quality). The two major video codecs that are commonly used today are DivX and XviD. You can even get DVD players that are compatible with DivX and XviD compression (and they are not expensive). I personally prefer to use XviD because it is open-source software and history has proven to me that it is definitely faster and better performing than DivX


Click here to download DivX (about 15 MB)
Click here to download XviD (628 KB)

  There is also a newer compression called H.264 that is supposed to be the best compression, but I have yet to see it become as popular as the two noted above. I have downloaded a move encoded with this before, and it was a bitch to find a free codec for this, but I did find one. Download it below if you have a video encoded in H.264 and are having problems viewing it.


Click here to download x264 (429 KB)

  If you are still having video playback problems, contact me and I can investigate the issue further. Look into VLC Media Player first; it typically handles video files very well.

  Codecs are practically a necessity for anybody who downloads any torrent containing video content. Compression is used to speed up the process of file transfer. I hope you have found this information in this guide useful. It was last updated April 24th at 8:27 PM.