Codec Install Information

The following is an advanced information about Installing CODECs

Codecs stand for Compression - Decompression routines. Most audio files have a format where sound data is compressed (in some WAV files data is not not very compressed). Compression allows to create high quality records with minimized size (for example a 5 minutes song with 128 kbit/s @ 44 kHz occupies only 4-5 Mb of disk space while the same record in uncompressed WAV files is 40-50 Mb in size). This great benefit is the result of using a psycho-acoustic model when compressing the sound (this model takes into account the properties of human's ear: for example, we don't hear too high or too low sounds or we can't notice a very quiet sound after the loud one, etc.). In order to play MP3-compressed audio it is necessary to decode it. The program which makes such a decode is called an audio-codec. Most players does not contain its own codecs (so it has a cute size in difference from WinAmp - MS Windows Media ).
If you have problems getting audio to play from a file this means that you have not a codec required.



Check your system for Installed CODECs in the following steps:

  • go to Control Panel (Start - Settings - Control Panel)
  • in Control Panel double click Multimedia icon
  • go to the Advanced tab in the opened window
  • the installed codec(s) must be present in Audio codecs list


Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec is required for most MP3 playback -
Lernout and Hauspie for many Audio Applications such as Voice Chat.




So you have to download and install an audio codec for MP3 playback:
Fraunhofer IIS MPEG Layer-3 Codec (227 kb).

MS Media Tools Page

http://www.lhsl.com/default2.htm    Lernout & Hauspie Webpage




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11-01-01