Need explanation of codecs

What Noodle · 5 Sep 2006 at 19:27

I understand the basics of codecs like what they are and how they work on a very basic level, but I'm looking for some more detail on how they encode/decode content. Do all codecs use PCM to encode? When you download a MP3 file from the Internet, is it already coded and ready for the player to decode it? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

What Noodle · 6 Sep 2006 at 19:51

Thanks for your info! Yeah, I've read over Wikipedia, but there were just some aspects that I didn't understand from the articles. I think language is a very useful analogy to codecs, so I'll use that to explain it. One more question: what format are CDs are coded in?

What Noodle · 6 Sep 2006 at 22:17

Runbalk said:
I thought there where different formats like CD-ROM, CD-RW, CD-R, etc. (is that sort of thing what you're wondering about?).

I guess my question was when content is put onto a CD, is it compressed first? Or are songs, for example, in a WAV format where they are not compressed? If a single track is extracted from a CD and onto a computer, what codec format is it in?

Yeah, I liked that HIGNFY episode too, obviously. Pot pot pot noodle

What Noodle · 7 Sep 2006 at 17:01

I am now enlightened. I'm not wishing to create my own code; I just have to give a presentation explaining codecs in minimal depth but beyond Wikipedia's basic information. Thanks for everyone's help!

What Noodle · 8 Sep 2006 at 17:02

Does the average listener/viewer really notice a difference between the various formats? I can hear a difference between Dolby and DTS, for example, but I don't pick up major differences between WMA and AAC. Any thoughts?

P.S.: Thank you, Energize and Runkbalk