Codecs & Filters Problem(s)

[VENewbie]

Dear IF,

This may have already been covered(and, if it has, my apologies for not understanding), but, for some reason, for me, at least, NONE of the codecs listed within the compression roster result in a functioning clip. The top's always visible, but, the rest has a weird, warped waterfall effect & no sound, despite my downloading and installing the AC3AM codec.
I use a small 2-minute clip, and have tried each codec that came with the software, as a test.
I really appreciate any and all help you can provide.
I use VLC Media Player, but, LAG won't play on it.

[Dee Mon]

We recommend installing K-Lite Codec Pack:
http://www.free-codecs.com/download/k_lite_codec_pack.htm
During installation whenever there is a choice between ffdshow and another codec (like DivX or XviD) always choose that another codec. In other words install ffdshow but use it only for those formats where there is no other available codec.
For lossy compression we recommend using DivX, Xvid or x264. For lossless - Lagarith, or if you want VLC compatibility Huffyuv.

VLC player has a limited number of built-in codecs, so some codecs are not supported by it.

About warping effect: is it seen in Preview mode? If yes, the problem is with decoding. If not, the problem is with encoding.