What is a video CODEC?
Video CODECs (compression/decompression) are programs which translate digital video to and from a compressed state. In its compressed state, digital video takes up far less space, making it much easier to store. The amount by which the digital video is compressed is dictated by the compression ratio. The latest CODECs offer compression ratios that range from 2:1 to as much as 100:1. High compression ratios always have a detrimental effect on image quality. Compression is achieved by removing information from the original file. There are two types of compression: Lossy – these types attempt to remove the information that our brain tends to ignore. However, the resultant losses in image quality can be perceptible! Lossless – these types remove only the information that is totally redundant. Nearly all CODECs employ lossy methods (or a combination of both methods) because at the moment they are the only ones that can achieve reasonable compression ratios. This is because there are few sit
