Video files and codecs
If you downloaded a video file before and tried to view then only got audio (sound), you probably didn’t have the required codecs to play that video.

Most videos available online to download require codecs because they are compressed, basically to provide the same quality with less size, examples for video compressions are DivX, XviD, or just a video converted to FLV (flash video), usually FLV videos have poor quality but the file size is very small.

The reason most people use such compressions is to save time uploading the video and make it available online, which is great for the downloader.

There are a lot of codec packs available, most of them are free, from our experience we found K-Lite Mega Codec pack to be the best one, it installs all the required codecs you need to play almost any video file, and it’s very easy to use.

Some people don’t like to install codec packs, they prefer to install each codec by itself, for example they download the latest DivX and install it, then XviD, so on and so forth, if you’re just looking for a way to enjoy watching videos without any hassle, then we recommend K-Lite, they frequently update their codecs and they provide a free media player with the package.

You can also install VLC Media player, it’s free, and it plays almost all video files without having any codecs installed.

If you’re a Linux user, the process of playing videos is a bit easier for you, when you try to play a video and a codec is required, the media player automatically notifies you of the missing codec and asks you if you would like to install them, then all you have to do is accept, after that the codecs are downloaded and installed automatically for you.