Codec

This article is about encoding and decoding a digital data stream. For other uses, see Codec (disambiguation).

A codec is a device or computer program that encodes or decodes a data stream or signal.[1][2][3] Codec is a portmanteau of coder/decoder.[4]

In electronic communications, an endec is a device that acts as both an encoder and a decoder on a signal or data stream,[5] and hence is a type of codec. Endec is a portmanteau of encoder/decoder.

A coder or encoder encodes a data stream or a signal for transmission or storage, possibly in encrypted form, and the decoder function reverses the encoding for playback or editing. Codecs are used in videoconferencing, streaming media, and video editing applications.

  1. ^ "Using codecs". Microsoft. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  2. ^ Siegchrist, Gretchen. "About.com - Codec". About.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  3. ^ "Ubuntu Documentation - What is a codec?". Ubuntu Documentation Team. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved 2009-12-21.
  4. ^ "Codec – Definition of Codec by Merriam-Webster". Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 2019-01-15.
  5. ^ Rouse, Margaret (24 October 2016). "Encoder/Decoder". Techopedia. Retrieved 27 December 2023.