Decoder

MPC Video Decoder

Hardware-accelerated video decoder for H.264, H.265, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1. DXVA2 GPU acceleration for smooth high-resolution playback.

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Version 1.8.9.143
File MPCVideoDec.ax
Size 10.1MB
Platform Windows
Architecture x86 + x64
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About MPC Video Decoder

MPC Video Decoder is a DirectShow video decoder filter that handles hardware-accelerated decoding of H.264, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1 video streams on Windows. It is part of the MPC-HC project codebase and integrates seamlessly with any DirectShow-compatible media player including Windows Media Player, MPC-HC, MPC-BE and PotPlayer.

The decoder supports DXVA2 hardware acceleration, offloading video decoding to the GPU on compatible Intel, AMD and NVIDIA graphics hardware. This significantly reduces CPU usage during high-resolution or high-bitrate playback and enables smooth performance on lower-end systems.

MPC Video Decoder is installed alongside LAV Filters in X Codec Pack. LAV Video Decoder handles the broadest range of formats including AV1 and VP9, while MPC Video Decoder provides an alternative decoder path optimised for H.264 and MPEG-based formats. Your media player selects the appropriate one based on DirectShow merit ordering.

The filter is installed to System32 (64-bit) and SysWOW64 (32-bit) and registered automatically. No user configuration is needed after installation.

Supported Formats

H.264 H.265 MPEG-2 MPEG-4 VC-1 DivX Xvid

Compatible Players

Windows Media Player
MPC-HC
MPC-BE
PotPlayer
Any DirectShow player

Installation

MPC Video Decoder is installed as part of X Codec Pack 3.0. The filter registers automatically with the Windows DirectShow subsystem and becomes immediately available to all compatible media players.

Files are installed to System32 (64-bit) and SysWOW64 (32-bit). No user folder selection is needed. The installer supports silent mode for IT deployments: run with /S flag.

Frequently Asked Questions

MPC Video Decoder is a DirectShow video decoder filter that handles hardware-accelerated decoding of H.264, H.265/HEVC, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and VC-1 video streams on Windows. It integrates with any DirectShow-compatible media player and is included in X Codec Pack as a primary video decoder component.
Yes. MPC Video Decoder supports DXVA2 (DirectX Video Acceleration) for hardware-accelerated decoding on compatible GPUs from Intel, AMD and NVIDIA. GPU acceleration offloads the decoding workload from the CPU, reducing CPU usage during playback and enabling smoother playback of high-bitrate or high-resolution video files.
Both are DirectShow video decoders. LAV Video Decoder is based on FFmpeg and supports a wider range of formats including AV1 and VP9. MPC Video Decoder is part of the MPC-HC project codebase and is optimised for formats most commonly found in MKV and AVI files. X Codec Pack includes both, with LAV Video Decoder taking priority for most formats.
MPC Video Decoder supports H.264 (AVC), H.265 (HEVC), MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Part 2 (used in DivX and Xvid), VC-1, and several other formats. It handles both standard and high-definition video streams and supports 10-bit content when used with a compatible renderer such as madVR.
Yes. Once installed, MPC Video Decoder registers itself with the Windows DirectShow subsystem and becomes available to all DirectShow-compatible players automatically, including Windows Media Player, MPC-HC, MPC-BE and PotPlayer. No manual configuration is needed.
Yes. MPC Video Decoder is an open-source component derived from the MPC-HC project. It installs MPCVideoDec.ax to your Windows System32 and SysWOW64 directories and registers it as a COM server. It contains no adware, spyware or bundled software and can be cleanly removed via the uninstaller.
If video playback is broken, it may be conflicting with another decoder already registered on your system. In MPC-HC go to Options and check which video decoder is active under Internal Filters. Running the X Codec Pack installer again will reset all filter registrations to the correct state.