Useful guides and tutorials related to codecs and multimedia.

How DirectX and Direct3D 11 hand video decoding to your graphics card instead of your processor, and what you need for it to work.

Which media players handle EAC3 audio without any codec setup, which one to avoid on a modern phone, and when to fix MX Player instead.

Get the genuine HEVC Video Extension free - the direct Store link, or the Adguard method when that fails, plus the fix for Windows 10.

Why VLC plays Xvid files without any codec, and what actually fixes playback when an old AVI stutters, shows artefacts or will not open.

Whether you still need to install the Xvid codec on Windows 11, what plays old AVI files without it, and the one case where installing it is still the answer.

A plain-English explainer on Xtream Codes logins and how they differ from a plain M3U playlist link.

How to tell whether your PC decodes H.265 in hardware or in software, and what to change when 4K playback stutters.

A short guide for anyone whose iPhone photos will not open on their PC, batch converting HEIC to JPG in the free XnConvert.

VP9 and H.264 compared on compression, hardware support, encoding speed and licensing, with copy-paste encoder settings and a straight recommendation.

Why Intel Graphics Software installs on any Windows PC but silently refuses to open on most of them, and what to run instead.