USB Stick vs SSD - Which One Should You Actually Buy?
A plain comparison of USB sticks and portable SSDs on real measured speed, capacity, lifespan and cost, with a straight answer for each kind of buyer.
CODECS.COM articles
Guides and News on Codecs and Multimedia
550 guides and news articles on codecs, media players and the tools around them, newest first.
Windows 11 Has Two Media Players and They Do Not Play the Same Files
Windows 11 ships two media players that read two different decoder systems, so a codec pack fixes one and does nothing at all for the other.
What Replaced the Standalone Windows Media Player in 2026
The Windows players and codec packs that stopped updating, when each one really ended, and the small maintained stack that replaced all of them.
How to Create Beautiful Digital Art with AI - Free Tools and Prompts That Work
The free AI image generators that still work in 2026, a simple prompt recipe, how to finish the picture, and what happened to DALL-E.
Windows 10 and 11 Privacy Settings: Stop the Data Collection in 5 Minutes
A five-minute pass through the Windows 10 and 11 privacy switches that actually matter, including Recall, and the two old tips that stopped working.
How to Run Windows 11 From an External SSD - The Portable Setup That Actually Works
A start-to-finish walkthrough for running a full Windows 11 install off an external SSD with Rufus, including the one setting most guides get wrong.
Opus vs Ogg Vorbis: Which Audio Codec Should You Use?
A plain-English comparison of Opus and Ogg Vorbis, covering which one sounds better, which one older hardware still plays, and how to open either file.
Prime Video Is Now Using AI to Make Dubbed Actors' Lips Match the Dialogue
Amazon now reshapes actors' mouths with AI so English dubs line up, starting with Maxton Hall - and unlike last year's anime dubs, the voices stay human.
![How to Add Multiple ISOs to One USB with YUMI exFAT [2026]](/thumb/320x200/1/guides/pictures/multiple-isos-with-yumi-exfat.webp)
How to Add Multiple ISOs to One USB with YUMI exFAT [2026]
Create a multiboot USB with Windows, Linux, and rescue tools using YUMI exFAT - no reformatting required between ISOs.
LG Rejects Spy TV Report as 'Not True' - Here Are the Settings to Turn Off Anyway
LG denies its webOS TVs listen in standby but confirms they scan your home network - what the report found and the five settings worth switching off.
Can You Really Get Windows 11 for Free? 5 Legal Methods That Actually Work
Get genuine Windows 11 without spending a dime through these verified free methods that Microsoft officially supports.
How to Play HEVC/H.265 Files with PotPlayer
Set up PotPlayer for HEVC/H.265 video in four steps, with the free OpenCodec add-on and the fix for the 'not supported in S/W mode' error.
YouTube Subtitle Font: Roboto, Free Download and How to Match It
YouTube captions fall back to Roboto rather than being fixed to it, so here is where to get the font free and how to match the styling around it.
How to Reinstall Default Codecs in Windows 11 and 10 (and the Old XP Method)
Reset or reinstall the codecs Windows ships with on Windows 11 and 10, plus the original Windows XP and 2000 method.
The Rise of AI Slop: What It Is and How to Spot It in a Video File
What AI slop is, what it looks like inside a video or audio file, and how to tell a bad source from a missing codec.
Windows 10 End of Support: What Happened Next, and Where You Stand in 2026
Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, but free security updates now run to October 2027 - here is how to enrol and what your options are.
AAC-LC vs AAC-HE: Which One to Use, and at What Bitrate
AAC-LC and HE-AAC are the same codec with one trick switched on, and the bitrate you are encoding at decides which of them you want.
How to Fix the 'Divide Error in Module IVIAUDIO.AX' Message
Why the divide error in IVIAUDIO.AX happens on WinDVD and Sound Blaster Live systems, and the two commands that stop it.
Why Microsoft Made Windows 10 Free - and Why It Was Never Really Free
The free Windows 10 upgrade was a migration offer rather than a giveaway - who actually paid for it, and what the bill looks like now that support has ended.
GeoVision Files Won't Open? Install the GeoVision Codec and Play CCTV AVI Files
Why GeoVision CCTV recordings play as a black screen on a normal PC, and the two-minute codec install that fixes it.
Latest comments
AllInteresting development with the Fire TV Stick 4K — losing Kodi sideloading is a big deal for a lot of users. For those ...
News: The New Fire TV Stick 4K Can't Run Kodi - Here's Which Fire Stick Still Can 3 commentsThanks genius, it worked for me. v2.4.149.0 on windows 10
Guide: How to Download HEVC Video Extension for Free 181 commentsXMediaRecode gives only the option to Copy (No convert) in Audio Mode drop down. I am trying to convert/recode the EAc3 ...
Team replied Guide: How to Convert EAC3 Audio to AC3 or AAC With XMedia Recode 1 comment