Codec

A codec (engl. coder and decoder) is a process or an application which data or Signals digitally encoded and decoded. Converting one format directly to another (e.g. MP§ to WMA) is also referred to as transcoding. The analog signals are often not digitized loss-free during the coding process, whereby a data compression of the digital signal takes place as well as a dynamic reduction of the analogue signal plays. Depending on the process, this leads to a loss of quality when converting the digital data stream into the analog signals. This can affect both the picture and sound quality but also the consistency of playback.

Codecs can be purely software-based or a specific one Deploy video hardware. Hardware compression often runs faster and more effectively here than a software compression. The codec algorithm has a significant impact on the visual quality of a video file and the speed at which the file is played back on the monitor.

List of some codecs:

Xvid
DivX from version 4
3ivx
HDX4

Windows Media Audio
RealAudio
FLAC