Changing Video Encoding

I first mentioned the open source application, Handbrake, in the Tip of the Night for November 23, 2015, as a means to add captioned text to a video. Handbrake can also be used to change the codec for multiple video files.

When you click on the Source button on the toolbar, you'll see you have the option to process an entire folder of video files.

Handbrake allows you to convert to the common H.264; H.265; MPEG-2; and MPEG-4 codecs.

The MPEG-2 codec will encode a video in less time than the other options, but will also generate a larger file.

How to Install New Codecs

The Tip of the Night for April 13, 2018, discussed video codecs, and how to detect when Windows is missing a codec. If you don't have the necessary codec, you can download it for your system.

The example discussed on April 13th concerned a Lagarith codec. The Lagarith developer makes 32 bit and 64 bit versions available on its site. As Microsoft makes clear on its site, 32 bit codecs will not function on 64 bit operating systems.

After the zip file for the Lagarith codec is downloaded and the contents are extracted, the codec is installed by clicking on the install.bat file. You must be logged in as the administrator for the operating system in order for the installation to be completed. It's not sufficient to right click on the file and select 'Run as administrator'.

Video Codecs

Many video files are transferred and stored in a compressed format. Codecs are necessary to both compress and decompress the video files. A standard Windows 7 operating system will contain a codec pack that will include many common codecs such as, HEVC x265; x264; MPEG4 and MPEG2. HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) is x264 is actually just an encoder. Codecs may be lossy (the compression method will be imperfect and discard some original data) or lossless and allow for a perfect reconstruction.

When open a video file in Media Player or QuickTime you may get messages like these:

Such messages can be an indication that video codecs are missing. You can find out which codec you need for a video file using the free program, Video Inspector. This simple program will list the codec needed for any video file that you select with it.

In the first example, the selected file is a common MPEG 1 file and my Windows 7 OS already had the necessary codec. The second selected file was compressed with a Lagarith codec, that specializes in the lossless compression of RGB color.