How do I tell what codec was used to compress a file or what codecs are installed on my computer?
A. There isn’t an absolute way to do this, but the following are your best options: • To determine what codec was used with a specific file, play the file in the Player, if possible. While the file is playing, right-click the file in the library, and then click Properties. On the File tab, look at the Audio codec and Video codec sections. • Use a non-Microsoft tool, such as GSpot Codec Information Appliance or Sherlock–The Codec Detective. Note that a file can be compressed by more than one codec. For example, one codec might be used to compress the audio portion of a file and another codec might be used to compress the video portion of a file. If you have the right audio codec installed on your computer but not the right video codec, when you play the file you’ll probably be able to hear the sound but you won’t be able to see the picture.
