Useful guides and tutorials related to codecs and multimedia.

229 guides on codecs, media players and the tools around them.
Screenshot of how_to_play_youtube_videos_with_av1_codec.htm

How to Enable AV1 on YouTube (and Whether You Should)

28 Aug 2026 53.338 views
How to switch YouTube to the AV1 codec, verify it is really being used, and check whether your machine can decode AV1 without stuttering.
0 READ
Screenshot of complete-android-version-history-every-os-release-explained.htm

Android Version History: Every Release from 1.0 to 17 Explained

28 Aug 2026 23.082 views
Every Android release from 1.0 to 17 with dates and features, plus which versions still get security patches and which to avoid buying in 2026.
0 READ
Screenshot of microsoft-photos-colors-washed-out.htm

Why Your Images Look Faded in Microsoft Photos (and How to Fix It)

27 Aug 2026 79 views
Why the same image looks washed out in Microsoft Photos but perfectly normal in Paint, and how to fix the colour profile behind it.
0 READ
Screenshot of how-to-install-lame-mp3-encoder-on-windows.htm

How to Install LAME MP3 Encoder 4.0 on Windows 11 and 10

27 Aug 2026 6.422 views
A plain-English walkthrough of every way to get LAME MP3 Encoder 4.0 running on Windows, from the command line to Audacity to no install at all.
0 READ
Screenshot of making_media_work__what_you_need_to_know_about_media_foundation.htm

What Is Media Foundation? Why Your Windows Videos Will Not Play

27 Aug 2026 13.405 views
What Media Foundation is, how it differs from DirectShow, and why Windows ships without the codecs it needs to play modern video.
0 READ
Screenshot of what_is_the_use_of_powertoys_.htm

What Is PowerToys? Every Utility, and the Ones Worth Enabling

27 Aug 2026 8.803 views
A tour of every Microsoft PowerToys utility for Windows 10 and 11, which four to enable first, and the ones that earn their place in a media workflow.
0 READ
Screenshot of how-to-blur-or-remove-backgrounds-with-hypic.htm

How to Blur or Remove Backgrounds with Hypic on Android

27 Aug 2026 30.387 views
A screenshot walkthrough of Hypic's Mosaic and Cutout tools, the two free ways to blur a background or remove it entirely on Android.
1 READ
Screenshot of how-to-access-iphone-file-system-on-pc-with-3utools.htm

How to Access Your iPhone File System on PC With 3uTools

26 Aug 2026 7.048 views
A step-by-step guide to browsing and exporting iPhone folders from a Windows PC with free 3uTools, and opening the HEIC and HEVC files that come across.
0 READ
Screenshot of why-blackmagic-design-gives-away-professional-software-for-free.htm

Why Blackmagic Gives Away DaVinci Resolve for Free

26 Aug 2026 8.161 views
The real reason DaVinci Resolve costs nothing, what Blackmagic gets back through hardware and Studio licences, and where the free version actually stops.
0 READ
Screenshot of how-to-convert-eac3-audio.htm

How to Convert EAC3 Audio to AC3 or AAC With XMedia Recode

26 Aug 2026 16.627 views
EAC3 track will not play on your TV or phone? Convert it to AC3 or AAC free with XMedia Recode, keeping the video untouched so it takes minutes, not hours.
0 READ
Screenshot of how_to_view_avif_image_files_on_windows.htm

How to View AVIF Files on Windows - 3 Fixes That Work

26 Aug 2026 152.195 views
Three free ways to open AVIF images on Windows, from a browser workaround to the AV1 Video Extension, plus a fix for the IrfanView AVIF.DLL plugin error.
2 READ
Screenshot of elevate_your_nikon_workflow_with_these_recommended_software_solutions.htm

Nikon RAW on Windows: Which Codec or App You Actually Need

25 Aug 2026 6.070 views
A plain-English guide to picking the right free Nikon tool on Windows, whether you just want RAW thumbnails or a full editor.
0 READ
Screenshot of mp4_splitter__a_filter_for_playing_mp4_files.htm

How to Configure MP4 Splitter for Smooth, Stutter-Free Playback

25 Aug 2026 7.246 views
A four-step walkthrough for wiring the free MP4 Splitter DirectShow filter into MPC-BE, for MP4 files that stutter, black-screen or refuse to open.
0 READ
Screenshot of what_s_the_difference_between_decoding_encoding_recoding_and_transcoding.htm

Encoding, Decoding, Transcoding and Remuxing Explained

24 Aug 2026 96.001 views
The five things you can do to a video file, and why four of them cost you quality that the fifth does not.
0 READ
Screenshot of is_dts_better_than_aac_.htm

Is DTS Better Than AAC? Why That Is the Wrong Question

24 Aug 2026 16.394 views
Why DTS and AAC are not really rivals, and what to do when your TV refuses to play a DTS track.
0 READ
Screenshot of how-to-play-mkv-files-on-windows-11.htm

How to Play MKV Files on Windows 11 (and Why Some Refuse)

20 Aug 2026 546 views
Windows opens MKV on its own, so when one refuses to play the fault is a track inside it - here is how to find which one and fix it.
0 READ
Screenshot of what_codecs_should_i_use.htm

What Is a Codec? The Plain-English Guide

19 Aug 2026 267.066 views
What a codec actually is, why everything you watch is compressed, and whether you still need to install any.
0 READ
Screenshot of how_to_install_uninstall_dll_and_ax_files.htm

How to Register and Unregister DLL and AX Codec Filter Files

19 Aug 2026 648.528 views
The one command that installs a DirectShow filter on Windows, plus the elevation and 64-bit rules that stop it working.
10 READ
Screenshot of flac__the_lossless_audio_codec_demystified.htm

FLAC Explained: Play, Convert and Archive Lossless Audio

18 Aug 2026 24.016 views
The lossless format explained in plain terms, with the players that handle FLAC out of the box and the free encoders worth using to build an archive.
1 READ
Screenshot of best-lame-mp3-encoder-settings-for-music-podcasts-audiobooks.htm

Best LAME MP3 Settings for Music, Podcasts and Audiobooks

18 Aug 2026 8.211 views
One table of LAME VBR settings for music, podcasts and audiobooks, and where to enter them in LameXP, winLAME, Audacity and CDex.
0 READ