Most of those who watch video on a computer or use household players for this, drew attention to the fact that for some films and videos, one of the main conditions for correct playback is the support of Xvid Video Codec. What is it, try to find out. Running a little ahead, it should be noted that almost all modern hardware and software players, as well as video processing programs, had such support initially.
Xvid Video Codec: what is it?
In general (as far as video is concerned), Xvid is a universal set of codecs for video compression.
Few users pay attention to the fact that the abbreviation Xvid itself is the opposite name of the compression standard - DivX. However, unlike this suite (which was developed exclusively for use on Windows and Mac OS X operating systems), the Xvid codec is open source software and is distributed under the free GNU license. This makes it possible to use the kit in any OS known today, including UNIX-like systems (in particular, Linux), as well as on most mobile platforms. The presence of the source code speaks for itself: anyone who wishes can make their own changes to the codec structure, for example, to improve it or improve compression algorithms.
A bit about development history
Now a little about the history of creation and the main purpose of the Xvid Video Codec. What is this in terms of software? This is a set of directives for compressing video originally recorded in MPEG-4 format. The appearance of the Xvid codec itself dates back to 2006 (it was then that the first release was released). In 2008, the kit received support for 64-bit systems and is now used almost everywhere. But here there were some incidents. Since DivX video compression technology is patented, and Xvid applies, in general, the same processing principles, using the kit in some countries is, to put it mildly, illegal or illegal. Nevertheless, this does not stop either users, or manufacturers of household appliances, or developers of software players and applications for working with video.
The nuances of playing video encoded in Xvid: programs and decoding issues
For all this, another aspect related to video decoding during playback should be taken into account. Some uninitiated users mistakenly consider Xvid a video format, which, of course, is fundamentally wrong.
Since the principle of compressing a video signal is very similar to the technology used for DivX, in essence the video is the same compressed material in MPEG-4 format with the only difference that it can be decoded using any ASP-compatible decoder (Advanced Simple Profile) using the FFmpeg or libavcodec libraries. On compatible Xvid players, you can also play files encoded with DivX, for normal playback of which some functions are not supported. On the other hand, it is believed that on DivX-certified devices the decoding of video compressed using Xvid may not be performed correctly.
Universal packages for use on Windows systems
This was a summary of the Xvid Video Codec. What kind of technology is, apparently, a little clear. Now let's focus on the most famous software. There are a lot of codec sets for Windows or any other operating systems. Despite some illegality of using the technology itself, many developers include its support in their own software products.
The most striking representative is the popular K-Lite kit, which is available in several versions. To install absolutely all known codecs and decoders in the system, it is best to use the Mega Pack, which, like all the rest of this line, is distributed free of charge. Only when installing it should be noted all the items that will be present in the list of components offered for integration into the system. A lot of other specialized packages can be found on the Internet, but according to most experts, this one is the most comprehensive and one-of-a-kind.
Note: some software players do not require the installation of additional sets at all, since initially they contain everything necessary for the correct playback or video processing. In particular, this applies to the popular VLC player.