How to play HDTV videos on your pc?

Well first of all, you need a reasonably fast pc in most cases. Next we will look at some good (and free) HDTV capable video players.

H.264

Today a lot of HD videos are encoded using the so called h.264 codec. You also may come across x.264, which basically is the same as h.264 except for it being open-source and most of the time free ;)

In my experience the best way to view h.264 (or x.264) files is using VLC which can be downloaded completely for free here.

Are you only getting sound while playing h.264 or x.264 file? Is the image block like and not smooth while playling h.264? The most likely cause is your computer being to slow.

Transport streams (.ts)

So called transport streams or .ts files are video streams stored in the same way they are broadcasted over the cable for example. The majority of the older HDTV movies are usually stored as transport streams, thus the ability to be able to play transport streams on your computer is essential.

In my experience the best way to play transport stream (.ts) video files is using VLC which can be downloaded completely for free here.

Joining split transport streams (.ts) using HDTV2MPEG

Occasionally you may come across a HDTV movie split in may parts, all transport stream (.ts) files. In order to join these files in one playable transport stream file, you can use HDTV2MPEG (free and open-source)

VC-1 Files

Next to h.264 a lot of todays HD videos are encoded using the VC-1 codec. Mostly these are movies ripped from HDDVD or Blu-ray. VLC can play VC-1 encoded HDTV movies. In my experience VLC sadly isn't always able to play VC-1 encoded files correctly, but you can try it anyway.

.EVO files

.EVO files are video files from HDDVD and Blu-ray discs using the VC-1 codec. As with VC-1 files, VLC can play .EVO HD files.

WMV files

For playing .wmv (Windows Media Video) HDTV videos you will mostly need Windows Media Player. While VLC can play some WMV files, I never succeeded in playing a WMV HD movie using VLC. Windows Media Player is free for legitimate Windows users.