One of the release groups has adopted the name, "LOL".

You will not need any special codec for LOL/HDTV.

Just to cover all your bases, you might want to grab ACE. It has all the codecs and filters you should come across.

Also, abandoning the altogether sub-par WMP for VLC, BSPlayer, or MPlayer would probably mitigate some challenges.

Namaste.

Noted - thanks!
I'll look up a comparison chart with ankh_f_n_khonsu's recommendations above.

--
Banazir

TCMP ain't bad, but I find it a little bloated. It certainly has plenty of features.

Namaste.

LOL is just the name of the release group. HDTV is just the format it was ripped from (or in). A one hour television episode in HDTV format would be around 700MB. Many times they rip from HDTV to standard resolution, and then a one hour episode will only be 350MB.

WMP doesn't do well with most media files. Out of the box, especially. The ACE pack will enable it to play most files, but it still lacks support for many other common features. VLC's multi-track subs and audio can be very helpful, and since it doesn't require additional codecs and can play files straight out 'of the box', it has even more appeal.

WMP consumes a lot of resourses to do a lacklustre job. When I am forced to use my PC I have several different media players. Usually VLC works, but sometimes I need to use BSPlayer/MPlayer, and every so often I am forced to try WMP. If VLC won't open it, WMP generally won't do jack. I also use an avi splitter to occasionally repair corrupt files.

I go through a lot of media. My media collection consists of around 5-700 DVDs and thousands of CDRs. You run into problem codecs all the time.

If you have trouble with a specific file, you might try running GSpot. It will check the file and your system to see what codec the file requires, and whether your system has them. If not, it will tell you where to get it.

Namaste.