I was going to install K-Lite Codec Pack 2.50 and was told on another board.
"Don't get codec packs, they totally screw up your DirectShow graphs. Ugh. Never install a codec pack. Ever."

First off.. what does that mean ?

and is it true ? Sounds bad..

At first read the pinned topic "Guide to using codecs".

Installing a Pack sure saves time and you got the most common codecs in it.

I wouldnt say never install a codecpack.

There are good ones, like Nimo, the XP Pack or Cole.

K-Lite, for my opinion is a good pack.

I was using it a while ago and nothing happend to the DirectShow.

It CAN happen, that some components dont match with your system.

Not that bad, deinstall it and try another one.

But at least I would recommend to install single codecs, only the ones you need.

First open the files with G-Spot, gives you information if the codec is already installed and what kind of file it is.

Then you can download the neccessary codec here.