T+Mayberry

[|Taylor Mayberry]

__CODEC__
Definition: ** Codec **  - //noun//   a set of [|equipment] that encodes an analogue speech or video signal into a digital form for [|transmission] purposes and at the receiving end decodes the digital signal into a form close to its original. "Codec" is a technical name for "compression/decompression". It also stands for "[|compressor/decompressor]" and "code/decode". All of these variations mean the same thing: a codec is a computer program that both shrinks large movie files, and makes them playable on your computer. Codec programs are required for your media player to play your downloaded music and movies

A codec can consist of two components: an encoder and a decoder. The encoder performs the compression (encoding) function and the decoder performs the decompression (decoding) function. Some codecs include both of these components and some codecs only include one of them. For example, when you rip a song from an audio CD to your computer, the Player uses the Windows Media Audio codec by default to compress the song into a compact WMA file. When you play that WMA file (or any WMA file that might be streamed from a website), the Player uses the Windows Media Audio codec to decompress the file so the music can be played through your speakers. __Codec Reference Chart__
 * Audio Codecs**


 * ~ Codec ||~ When to use ||
 * Windows Media Audio 9 || For use in most scenarios. This codec provides sound quality that is 20 percent better than Windows Media Audio 8. It also supports VBR audio that enables even higher quality audio at smaller file sizes. Windows Media Audio 9 is backward-compatible with previous Windows Media Audio-compatible decoders, which means that Windows Media 9 content can be played in previous versions of the Player or older consumer electronic devices that support Windows Media. ||
 * Windows Media Audio 10 Professional || Offers the widest range of capabilities of any Windows Media audio codec. It can be used for mobile scenarios at bit rates below 128 kilobits per second (Kbps) all the way up to multi-channel playback at 768 kbps. Now one codec can deliver profiles that offer both better-than-CD resolutions and high-efficiency encoding to optimize for wireless delivery and playback. Coding scenarios include:
 * Low-bit-rate coding with good quality stereo at rates starting at 24 Kbps, for scenarios with severe bandwidth or storage constraints.
 * Medium-bit-rate, high-quality stereo, and multi-channel coding at rates of 64-128 Kbps for stereo and 128 Kbps and higher for 5.1 signals, for scenarios with moderate bandwidth or storage constraints, with an equal emphasis on quality.
 * High-bit rate, extremely high-quality stereo, and multichannel coding at rates of 160 Kbps and higher for stereo and 320 Kbps to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps) for 7.1 signals, for scenarios where the highest quality is more important than bandwidth or storage constraints. ||
 * Windows Media Audio 9 Lossless || For use in local playback scenarios. This codec is a great codec to use for archiving CD collections. Although the compression ratio achieved with this codec is lower than the ratio achieved with other Windows Media Audio 9 codecs, it is still more efficient than direct copying of the digital media content. Using this codec, content will be compressed at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio depending on the complexity of the original. The audio quality of content compressed using this codec is the best of all Windows Media codecs. ||
 * Windows Media Audio 9 Voice || For use at lower bit rates. This low-bit-rate codec is primarily targeted for speech content, but performs very well with mixed-mode content that includes both voice and music. This codec offers superior quality for low-bit-rate streaming scenarios (less than 20 Kbps), such as radio broadcasts, advertising, e-books, and voiceovers. ||
 * Video Codecs**

In the past, interlaced video content was always de-interlaced before encoding with the Windows Media Video codec. Now, the Windows Media 9 video encoder supports compression of interlaced content without first converting it to progressive. Maintaining interlacing in an encoded file is important if the content is ever rendered on an interlaced display, such as a television. Transport-independence also enables the delivery of Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile over systems that are not Windows Media–based, such as standards-based broadcast infrastructures (through native MPEG-2 transport streams) or wireless infrastructures (through real-time transfer protocol [RTP]). ||
 * ~ Codec ||~ When to use ||
 * Windows Media Video 9 Simple and Main Profiles || These profiles fully conform with the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers [|(SMPTE) VC-1] standard, and provide high-quality video for streaming and downloading. They provide support for a wide range of bit rates, from high-definition content at one-half to one-third the bit rate of MPEG-2, to low-bit rate Internet video that is delivered over a dial-up modem. This codec also supports professional-quality downloadable video with two-pass and VBR encoding. Windows Media Video 9 is already supported by a wide variety of players and devices. ||
 * Windows Media Video 9 Advanced Profile || This advanced profile fully conforms with SMPTE’s VC-1 standard, supports interlaced content, and is transport-independent. Content creators can use this profile to deliver either progressive or interlaced content at quality levels comparable to MPEG-2 but at considerably lower data rates.
 * Windows Media Video 9 Screen || For content that needs to be captured from the computer screen. This codec is ideal for delivering demos or demonstrating computer use for training. Windows Media Video 9 Screen delivers better handling of bitmap images and screen motion, even on relatively modest CPUs. ||
 * Windows Media Video 9 Image Version 2 || For content based on still images. This codec transforms still images into video with motion by using pan, zoom, and cross-fade transitions, creating an unlimited number of effects. The results can then be delivered at data rates as low as 20 Kbps. These files, which are compressed using either CBR or one-pass VBR modes, can be easily shared because they are much smaller than the original image files. ||
 * Windows Media Video 9 VCM || For use in most scenarios. This codec enables earlier versions of encoding and editing applications to support the Windows Media Video 9 codec in file containers such as Audio Video Interleaved (AVI). This codec package also enables Windows Media Video (WMV) files based on Windows Media Format 9 Series to be played in Windows Media Player 6.4, in both ASF and AVI file containers. Simple and Main profiles of the WMV9 VCM codec are compliant with the Simple and Main profiles of the VC-1 standard. ||


 * __Sources__**
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