Codec notes by learning myself

Thanks so much for the materials from "Baidu Baike" & Wikipedia( the following where the chinese words is from Baidu Baike and the rest words is from wikipedia)

Codec:

The word codec is a portmanteau of "coder-decoder" or, less commonly, "compressor-decompressor".

A codec(the program) should not be confused with a coding or compression format or standard – a format is a document (the standard), a way of storing data, while a codec is a program(an implementation) which can read or write such files. In practice, however, "codec" is sometimes used loosely to refer to formats.

编 译码器 。指的是数字通信中具有编码、 译码 功能的器件。

支持 视频 和 音频 压缩（CO）与 解压缩 ( DEC ) 的 编解码器 或 软件 。CODEC技术能有效减少数字存储占用的空间，在 计算机系统 中，使用硬件完成CODEC可以节省CPU的资源，提高系统的运行效率。

Codec对AD变换后的音 视频 数字信号的传输进行编码、压缩，在接收端对信号解码。一般用在 视频会议 、 流媒体 、视频应用等场合。

在声卡上往往可以找到一颗或者2颗甚至3颗4面有引脚的正方形芯片，面积一般为0.5-1.0平方厘米。这就是CODEC。CODEC就是多媒体数字信号编解码器，主要负责数字->模拟信号转换（DAC）和模拟->数字信号的转换（ADC）。不管是音频加速器好，还是I/O控制器好，他们输入输出的都是纯数字信号，我们要使用声卡上的Line Out插孔输出信号的话，信号就必须经过声卡上的CODEC的转换处理。可以说，声卡模拟输入输出的品质和CODEC的转换品质有着重大的关系，音频加速器或I/O控制器决定了声卡内部数字信号的质量，而CODEC则决定了模拟输入输出的好坏。

A codec encodes a data stream or signal for transmission, storage or encryption, or decodes it for playback or editing. Codecs are used in videoconferencing, streaming media and video editing applications. A video camera's analog-to-digital converter (ADC)converts its analog signals into digital signals, which are then passed through a video compressor for digital transmission or storage. A receiving device then runs the signal througha video decompressor, then a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) for analog display. The term codec is also used as a generic name for a videoconferencing unit.

Codec 编码解码器 主要作用是对 视频 信号进行压缩和 解压缩 。计算机工业定义通过24位 测量系统 的 真彩色 ，这就定义了近百万种颜色，接近人类视觉的极限。这意味着如果 视频 需要以每秒30帧的速度播放，则每秒要传输高达27MB的信息，1GB容量的硬盘仅能存储约37 秒的视频信息。因而必须对信息进行压缩处理。通过抛弃一些数字信息或容易被我们的眼睛和大脑忽略的图像信息的方法，使 视频 的信息量减小。这个对 视频 压缩解压的 软件 或硬件就是 编码解码器 。编码解码器的 压缩率 从一般的2 ：1-100：1不等，使处理大量的 视频 数据成为可能。

(My own words: Here are the different types of CODEC in the technology.  )

An endec (encoder/decoder) is a similar yet different concept mainly used for hardware. In the mid 20th century, a "codec" was hardware that coded analog signals into pulse-code modulation (PCM) and decoded them back. Late in the century the name came to be applied to a class of software for converting among digital signal formats, and including compander functions.

A modem is a contraction of modulator/demodulator (although they were referred to as "datasets" by telcos) and converts digital data from computers to analog for phone line transmission. On the receiving end the analog is converted back to digital. Codecs do the opposite (convert audio analog to digital and then computer digital sound back to audio).

An audio codec convertsanalog audio signals into digital signals for transmission or storage. A receiving device then converts the digital signals back to analog using an audio decompressor, for playback. An example of this is the codecs used in the sound cards of personal computers. A video codec accomplishes the same task for video signals.