We’ve received some reports that it may not work in other countries. However, there’s nothing stopping anyone from installing these codecs on their systems-you just have to follow the direct link to find them. It appears intended for computer manufacturers to preinstall these codecs on their PCs.
If you don’t want to pay $0.99, we recommend you install VLC or another free video player that includes support for H.265 video.) ( Update: As of October 2020, it looks like this free package is no longer available. Click the link and click “Get” to install them. This is the same as the $0.99 package but is completely free. However, you can also get the free “HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer” package from the Store. This fee likely reflects the cost of licensing the codecs for Microsoft.
Alternatively, you can use MiniTool Video Converter to convert HEVC to MP4 H. If you search the Store for HEVC, you’ll see the $0.99 HEVC Video Extensions package. To play HEVC video on Windows 10, you need a third-party video player that supports HEVC playback. Both are identical, but one costs $0.99 and one is free.
If you do not have this app, install it for free now.
HEVC Video Extension Codec can be used only with Media Player. There are actually two different codec packages you can get from the Store. The sole and major function of HEVC Video Extension Codec is to enable an ability to playback files in HEVC format.
RELATED: What Is HEVC H.265 Video, and Why Is It So Important for 4K Movies? How to Install the Codecs for Free
These codecs are also required for encoding video in HEVC (H.265) format in applications that use Windows 10’s system codecs. These aren’t included with the latest versions of Windows 10 but must be installed from the Microsoft Store. To play HEVC (H.265) videos in VLC, just install VLC and open them-done.įor built-in support, you’ll need the codecs. The popular third-party video player VLC, for example, includes its own built-in codecs. These codecs will let you watch those videos on your PC, but they’re only necessary for apps like Microsoft’s Movies & TV video player, included with Windows 10, and other Windows apps that take advantage of the codecs built into Windows. iPhones now record videos in HEVC by default, and 4K UHD Blu-rays also use HEVC. But if you are running Windows 10 S or you absolutely rely on Store apps, then you need to go with the HEVC video extension provided in the Microsoft Store.HEVC video is becoming more popular. So, it is up to you to decide which app to install if you don't rely on Store apps. There is also the K-lite Media Codecs package which can add all the popular media formats support to all modern Windows versions. Like VLC, mplayer comes with a number of codecs out-of-the-box. There is also the combination of SMPlayer+Mplayer working in tandem, both open source and cross platform solutions. Once you install it, you can start watching your movies without any hassles. It comes with a bunch of codecs out-of-the-box. The popular solution VLC Media Player is an open source product which can handle any video content type. With their dual model of built-in decoders plus installable DirectShow decoders, you should have no trouble playing back H.265 content. Media Player Classic - Home Cinema (MPC-HC) and its derivated, MPC-BE, both already support HEVC playback. If you are not using the built-in Windows apps, you have plenty of options. So the HEVC decoder is a separate Microsoft Store download.
If your device supports HEVC decoding in hardware, then you're covered by the hardware license and the codec pack for Fall Creators Update should just use that, so it will enable HEVC playback for free.Microsoft has decided to not ship decoding functionality any more with the OS but it will be a downloadable codec pack whose license (free or paid) depends on your hardware. We do note that Microsoft refused to comment on the royalty issue outright, but, almost all modern systems come with a hardware decoder and the Windows 10 HEVC codec is going to remain free for. So while open source apps like MPC-HC, VLC and Kodi have no issues playing back HEVC content, the Store apps that use system decoding functionality (Plex, Movies & TV, Netflix 4K) can't play HEVC videos. However, there is no such decoder included by default in the OS. When Windows 10 Fall Creators Update was released, people expected an H.265 decoder to be included in the OS, keeping up with the times.