Gizmodo Australia » codecs

Windows 7 Might Block Third-Party Video Codecs

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:20:00 +0000

Something we love about Windows 7 is that it has much better native codec support, like H.264 and AAC. But the price might be high: It looks like Windows 7 might block third-party video decoders.

(Before we jump in, here’s our ultimate codec primer, if all this “code” talk is confusing.) Here’s how a directshow developer lays it out: MPEG-4 and H.264 codecs are hard baked into Media Foundation, and you can’t override them, since Microsoft’s list of preferred codecs in the registry can’t be edited, even in admin mode. Which means basically that Microsoft has “blocked the possibility to use alternate codecs in their applications,” according to the developer, so you couldn’t use them in Windows Media Player or Windows Media Center.

The flip side is that we are talking about a beta (the 7057 build, in between the public beta and the upcoming release candidate), not a final release, so maybe this won’t apply in the final version of Windows if developers bitch loud enough. Also, third-party applications should be able to find a workaround, postulates DigitalWerks, so VLC should be okay. Oh, and with so much codec support built in, it’s likely the average person won’t need third-party codecs anyway.

Still, pretty lame and non-open on Microsoft’s part if it stays this way. [CoreCodec via DigitalWerks via Zatz Not Funny]

HandBrake DVD Ripper Now Converts Any Video File

John Mahoney — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:59:00 +0000

HandBrake has always been the go-to app for ripping your DVDs into MPEG video files for playing back on an iPod or archiving on your network, and now in the 0.9.3 release, the multiplatform app will take any video file as an input source, not just DVDs. That means if you have a tricky video file you need to transcode to play on your PMP, game console or anywhere else, HandBrake has got you covered now.

One hitch is that its internal ability to decode DVDs has been removed. But if you have VLC installed (and if you don’t, you should), HandBrake will just borrow VLC’s DVD decoder and all will proceed as it used to. Download here: [Handbrake via Lifehacker]

Giz Explains: Every Video Format You Need to Know

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:15:00 +0000

Once upon time, video codecs and formats were really only the concern of AV nerds, anime freaks and hardcore not-so-legal movie downloaders. Now, even the most part-time of geeks has to deal with them, whether they’re trying to stream a flick across their house with an Apple TV, dump some video onto their phone or just trying to grab last night’s episode of Dexter because they, uh, forgot to renew their Showtime subscription that’ll work in their media player. It’s messy and annoying, but we’re here to clean it up. Take a deep breath.

Cowon O2 Hands-On: Will Play Your Most Rebellious Media Files

Gizmodo US Edition — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:15:00 +0000

CNET got their hands on Cowon’s new flash-based PMP, the O2, and they think it’s one of the year’s best dedicated media players. The 4.3-inch touchscreen player has a truly ridiculous list of supported codecs, an SDHC slot to expand its internal 8, 16, or 32GB memory, solid (if not too flashy) GUI, and a surprisingly affordable price: only $US219, $US249, and $US299 respectively.

It’ll play every file you throw at it: on the audio front, we’ve got (take a deep breath) MP3, WMA, AAC, AC3, FLAC, OGG, Monkey Audio, and a bunch of others I’ve barely heard of. For video, which is the real draw of the O2, we’ve got AVI, WMV, MP4, MKV, H.264, DivX and XviD, and again, way more. It’ll play videos up to 1,280×720 resolution at 30 FPS. What does that dictionary of acronyms mean? No more converting videos. Ever.

The GUI looks a little dated, awfully similar to my aging D2, but very functional all the same. The O2 has Cowon’s vaunted stellar sound quality, but battery life isn’t all that hot: 8 hours of video, which is great, but only 18 hours of audio, which is below average these days. Still, this looks to be right at the top of the heap of portable video players, if only because it’ll actually play your videos without making you transcode first. The Cowon O2 goes on sale tomorrow (the 25th) in black or white, direct from the manufacturer. [CNET]

Celrun TV HD Multimedia Player Supports Almost Every Codec Under the Sun

Haroon Malik — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:25:00 +0000

The Celrun TV multimedia player comes equipped to the back teeth. The HD multimedia player totes Ethernet, WiFi b/g for basic, network accessible storage; digital and analog TV tuners, IPTV support, DVR functionality, 320GB HDD, two USB ports, as well as RGB, S-VIDEO and HDMI outputs. Add to that the ability to playback H.264, WMV, AVI, Xvid, MOV, VOB, MPEG1/2/4 and a whole host of other supported codecs in between, the Celrun TV is certainly a souped up performer on paper. No idea as yet whether we’ll see it Stateside, but if it does make an appearance, we’ll be sure to let you know. [Akihabara News]