The CD Turns 44: Sony's $3,700 First Player, and How to Rip Your CDs for Free Today
Sony's first CD player turns 44 - how the disc led to MP3 and LAME, and the free tools that rip your CDs today.
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Codecs and Multimedia News
286 news articles on codecs, players and multimedia software, newest first.
DivX for Mac Still Can't Play HEVC - What Mac Users Can Use Instead
DivX 11.16 for Mac still can't open HEVC video or HEIC photos, nearly two years on - and the free Mac players that can.
The New Fire TV Stick 4K Can't Run Kodi - Here's Which Fire Stick Still Can
Amazon's $60 Fire TV Stick 4K runs Vega OS, so Kodi, TiviMate and other sideloaded apps won't install. See what it plays and which Fire Stick still sideloads.
Windows 11 Setup Is Testing TikTok and Netflix Picks - Here Is How to Skip Them
Microsoft's new Windows 11 Assisted Setup test suggests apps like TikTok and Netflix at the end of setup, and one click skips it.
Windows 11 26H2 Is Out - How to Get It Now, ISO and USB Included
How to get the free Windows 11 26H2 update today, from the one-restart Windows Update route to the full ISO and a Rufus USB installer.
Googlebook: An Android Laptop That Knows Your Phone
Google's Android-powered Googlebook laptops arrive October 4 from $899 - what they are, how they link to your phone, and which of your apps come along.
Firefox 157 Moves AV1 Video Calls Onto Your Graphics Chip
Firefox 157 finally lets your graphics chip decode AV1 in web video calls - which PCs qualify, the free Windows add-on it may need, and how to check.
Windows Media Player Skins Die on November 10 - Here's How to Keep Your Look
Microsoft is ending skin support in Windows Media Player Legacy on Windows 11 - here's what stops working and which free players still let you change the look.
Meta's AI Codec Fits A Whole Song on One Sheet of Paper
How one maker fit a whole song onto a sheet of paper with Meta's EnCodec AI codec - and why the 1,000x claim depends on what you compare it with.
Lyra and EnCodec Explained: The AI Codecs That Squeeze Sound Into a Few Kilobits
What Google's Lyra and Meta's EnCodec actually do, how AI codecs differ from MP3 and Opus, and which one you can put to use right now.
Clipchamp Needs 8GB of RAM - Twice What Windows 11 Itself Asks For
Microsoft's own support page says Clipchamp wants 8GB of RAM and a recent graphics card - more than some Windows 11 laptops actually have.
AV1 Was Supposed to Be Royalty-Free - Dolby's Lawsuit Says Otherwise
Each side's argument in the AV1 royalty-free fight, the three ways it can end, and what it changes for anyone just watching video.
Windows 11 Is Almost There - What Got Fixed and What Didn't
The September update brought back the movable taskbar, but the Start rebuild and dark mode are not done - plus the 24H2 deadline you should not miss.
Why Amazon Bought MX Player, and Why the Brand Is Already Gone
Amazon bought MX Player in 2024 and retired the brand in July 2026, folding its shows into Prime Video while the Android player app carries on separately.
Windows 11 24H2 Stops Getting Updates on October 13 - How to Upgrade Now
24H2 Home and Pro get their last update on 13 October 2026 - how to check your version, move to 25H2 in one restart, and what to do if it is not offered.
Firefox Smart Window Now Runs on Mistral AI
Mistral AI joins Firefox Smart Window as one of three models you can pick, and the beta reaches France - plus the privacy fine print and the off switch.
Dolby vs Snapchat Made MX Player's Weird H.266 Bet Look Smart
How Dolby's AV1 patent fight with Snapchat turned MX Player's forgotten H.266 experiment into a smart move, and what changed after Amazon folded MX Player into Prime Video.
Android 17 Added H.266 Playback - Most Phones Still Cannot Use It
Android 17 recognises H.266 video but supplies no decoder of its own - why most phones still cannot play it, and what to do instead.
AV2 Is Final - What the New Codec Means for Your Videos
AV2 is finished and nothing you own can play it - what the new codec promises, and how long AV1 suggests the wait will be.
Firefox 156 Uses Up to 20 Times Less Memory on Big JPEG Photos
Firefox 156 now shrinks big JPEG photos as it decodes them rather than after - what that saves, and the cases where it quietly does not apply.
Latest news comments
AllThe Vega OS shift is the biggest Firestick story of 2026. Anyone buying now needs to know: 4K Max = sideloading works, plain 4K = ...
News: The New Fire TV Stick 4K Can't Run Kodi - Here's Which Fire Stick Still Can 2 commentsBrave just enabled it by default for stable users yesterday (1.97). Not specified is chromeOS will be passively gaining decode capability too, and ...
News: JPEG XL Is Back in Chrome: What It Means and How to Open JXL Files 1 commentI didn't know it was EU, AND france. That doesn't sound like a good idea. Related to coding or privacy.
News: Meet Qwant: The Private, EU-Built Alternative to Google 1 comment