Shark007 Codecs is the portable option among Windows codec packs, running from a folder instead of an installer and restoring Explorer thumbnails.

FFmpeg is the command-line multimedia engine that most other conversion, encoding and streaming tools on this site quietly run on.

MPC SubtitleSource is the DirectShow source filter that makes external subtitle files loadable by any Windows player.

MPEG Splitter is the DirectShow filter that opens MPG, TS, M2TS and VOB files and separates their audio and video streams.

VLC is the media player most people end up with once a video refuses to open in anything else.

Kindle Comic Converter is the free, open-source tool that reformats CBZ, CBR, PDF and image folders into ebooks that fill an e-reader screen properly.

Image Toolbox is a free open-source Android photo editor that bundles dozens of professional editing features - crop, filters, OCR, background removal, EXIF editing, format conversion, and PDF export.

ffWorks is the Mac entry in the video converters category, a paid FFmpeg front end that converts, trims and colour-grades video without the command line.

dBpoweramp Music Converter is the paid all-rounder of the audio encoders category, pairing a multi-core format converter with an AccurateRip-verified CD ripper.

Smarters Player Lite is a free lightweight IPTV player from the IPTV Smarters team for Android and Apple devices.

Microsoft's free Media Foundation decoder for Dolby Digital AC-3 and Dolby Digital Plus, the direct replacement for the codec Windows 11 24H2 no longer includes.

SubtitleYC turns burned-in video captions into editable SRT or ASS subtitle files using OCR that runs on your own PC.