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This fee likely reflects the cost of licensing the codecs for Microsoft. If you search the Store for HEVC, you’ll see the $0.99 HEVC Video Extensions package. Both are identical, but one costs $0.99 and one is free.
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There are actually two different codec packages you can get from the Store. You have no guarantee that they’re safe, even if you run them through antivirus tools like VirusTotal to check. Your only alternative is to try to download the codecs from a third-party website, which is potentially risky. All accessible by right click menu or keyboard shortcuts. One Photo Viewer has many customization options and features such as slideshow, color adjustment, crop, resize, rotate, copy/paste clipboard, and more. Designed to be used as Windows 10/11 default photo viewer app. If you use video editing software that relies on Microsoft’s HEVC codecs to import and export H.265 video, like DaVinci Resolve, you’ll need to pay for the codecs. One Photo Viewer is easy to use and has a clean interface. Unfortunately, that means you must now either pay the 99 cents for the other codecs available from Microsoft or opt to use a third-party video player, like VLC, to play back videos encoded with H.265. RELATED: What Is HEVC H.265 Video, and Why Is It So Important for 4K Movies? How to Install the Codecs for Free Update, 4/7/23: Microsoft has finally pulled the free HEVC codec from the Microsoft Store. These codecs are also required for encoding video in HEVC (H.265) format in applications that use Windows 10’s system codecs.
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These aren’t included with the latest versions of Windows 10 but must be installed from the Microsoft Store. For built-in support, you’ll need the codecs. IrfanView is famous for the useful features that make it more useful for power users, the app is more than a photo viewing the app as it gives great editing and retouching features with just a 3 MB file size installer.
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