OldFatGuy: Yeah, I get "technically" what they are. what I don't get is why people install their own. I've never had a system yet where I've had to install my own. if you have a sound card (on board or otherwise) they come with codecs, as otherwise they'd be useless. And if they have bugs, they are usually updated, just like video drivers.
So yeah, everyone who has sound uses codecs, what I don't understand is why many choose third party ones. Such as the quote I answered to in which the person said he seconded that particular choice of codecs.
Because they
don't come with windows. For example, if you want to play a video file with an AAC audio track, you'll either need to install a DirectShow codec for it or you'll need a player like VLC which comes with its own bundle of codecs.
Plus, of course, video codec installers can also mess up audio codec configuration.
