So with the discovery that an accessible illegal DC++ network is running on the res servers, the temptation of downloading tons of pirated goodies is looming over my head once more. Already I’ve grabbed a couple of last years best anime series that I missed out on as well as some choice MP3 pickings. I also picked up Ugly Betty for Chantelle, a series that were both quite enjoying (Its just started airing on MNET I believe).
Anyway, the above leads me to the topic of this quickfire post, namely video codecs. – As anyone that downloads video files will know, the vast assortment of video codecs out there is a major headache. As there is no video standard, files are compressed using almost every codec under the sun, making playing back multiple files somewhat of a mission if you don’t have all the necessary codecs on hand.
Fast forward to the advent of codec packs, installers that bundle together the most widely used codecs. These codec packs install all the necessary playback software youll ever need, configure them that nothing clashes and also throw in one or two nifty tools, just in case youll ever need it.
Now there are literally dozens of such codec packs out there, but the one I’ve grown to trust and love is one brought out by the CCCP Project – The Combined Community Codec Pack. It was created by a group of fanatics who basically cobbled together a list of the most widely used compressors used by anime subbing groups and created a pretty infallible pack that is yet to let me down.
You can download it (and get more information regarding it) from: http://www.cccp-project.net/