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A '''codec''' is a compressor and decompressor.
A '''codec''' is an [[algorithm]] which describes a method of compressing and decompressing data, thus the name codec, derived from '''co'''mpression '''dec'''ompression.
One guide describes codecs in this manner:
{{cquote|When you make an audio or video recording, the "raw" file that is created is often VERY large. ... So what can be done about this? Well many years ago, circa 1980's, special "mathematical [[algorithm]]s" were designed to make the files smaller but still play well on a computer. And so codec's were born.}}
==Audio codecs==
===FLAC===
The '''Free Lossless Audio Codec''', abbreviated as FLAC, is, as the name suggests, an [[open source|open-source]] [[lossless]] digital audio codec, and purports itself to be the fastest, most widely supported lossless audio codec.<ref>http://flac.sourceforge.net/comparison.html</ref> FLAC has been incorporated under the banner of the Xiph.org Foundation, along with [[Ogg Vorbis|Vorbis]], Speex, Theora and others.
===MP3===
'''MP3''' (short for '''MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3''') is a set of audio decoding and encoding [[algorithm]]s created by Fraunhofer IIS in Germany, which can achieve high compression ratio with little loss in audio quality.
Although newer codecs can offer higher compression ratio or higher audio quality for a given ratio, MP3 has remained popular due to its near-universal compatibility.
===Vorbis===
'''Vorbis''', commonly known as Ogg Vorbis, due to the common use of Ogg as a containment wrapper for Vorbis, is an [[open source|open-source]] audio compression codec which is capable of delivering greater audio quality at a lower file size than does [[MP3]]. Vorbis is also free of the aggressive copyright policy that MP3 is licensed under, which forces software writers to pay a fee to be able to legally write and distribute software that is capable of encoding audio as MP3.
==Video codecs==
===Theora===
Theora is another Xiph.org codec, in this case, designed for the compression of video.
==References==
<references/>
==Links==
==Links==
*[http://www.updatexp.com/codec-for-windows-media-player-9.html Find A Codec For Windows Media Player 9]
*[http://flac.sourceforge.net/ The FLAC homepage]
*[http://vorbis.com The Vorbis homepage]
*[http://xiph.org The Xiph.org Foundation], which purveys a number of open-source media codecs.
*[http://www.iis.fraunhofer.de/fhg/iis/ Fraunhofer IIS]
[[Category:Technology]]
[[Category:Computer Science]]