What are codecs?
Most players use DirectShow for playback. DirectShow is a system that uses multiple DirectShow filters as building blocks to construct what is called a DirectShow graph. It’s just like a tree: a file is a root of the graph and the audio and video renderers are the leaves of the graph. During playback data flows from the root to the leaves. Each filter in the graph performs a subtask of the whole process. Typical elements in the graph are a source filter (splitter) and decoders for the audio and video. A source filter is responsible for reading the file format and feeding the data to the other filters downstream in the graph. During graph creation, if DirectShow finds multiple filters that are able to perform the same subtask, then it will typically select the filter that has the highest merit. The merit of a filter is simply a numerical value that indicates the preferability of the filter. Tools exist to alter the merit of a DirectShow filter.
Most players use DirectShow for playback. DirectShow is a system that uses multiple DirectShow filters as building blocks to construct what is called a DirectShow graph. It’s just like a tree: a file is a root of the graph and the audio and video renderers are the leaves of the graph. During playback data flows from the root to the leaves. Each filter in the graph performs a subtask of the whole process. Typical elements in the graph are a source filter (splitter) and decoders for the audio and video. A source filter is responsible for reading the file format and feeding the data to the other filters downstream in the graph. During graph creation, if DirectShow finds multiple filters that are able to perform the same subtask, then it will typically select the filter that has the highest merit. The merit of a filter is simply a numerical value that indicates the preferability of the filter. Tools exist to alter the merit of a DirectShow filter. Advanced players are often able to manipul
In communications engineering, the term codec is used in reference to integrated circuits, or chips that perform data conversion. In this context, the term is an acronym for “coder/decoder.” This type of codec combines analog-to-digital conversion and digital-to-analog conversion functions in a single chip. In personal and business computing applications, the most common use for such a device is in a modem. The term codec is also an acronym that stands for “COmpression/DECompression.” A codec is an algorithm, or specialized computer program, that reduces the number of bytes consumed by large files and programs. In order to minimize the amount of storage space required for a complicated file, such as a video, compression is used. Compression works by eliminating redundancies in data. Compression can be done for any kind of file, including text, programs, images, audio, video, and virtual reality (VR). Compression can reduce the size of a file by a factor of 100 or more in some cases. Fo
