Related Concepts
An endec (encoder/decoder) is a similar yet different concept mainly used for hardware. In the mid 20th century, a "codec" was hardware that coded analog signals into Pulse-code modulation (PCM) and decoded them back. Late in the century the name came to be applied to a class of software for converting among digital signal formats, and including compander functions.
A modem is a contraction of modulator/demodulator (although they were referred to as "datasets" by telcos) and converts digital data from computers to analog for phone line transmission. On the receiving end the analog is converted back to digital. Codecs do the opposite (convert audio analog to digital and then computer digital sound back to audio).
An audio codec converts analog audio signals into digital signals for transmission or storage. A receiving device then converts the digital signals back to analog using an audio decompressor, for playback. An example of this are the codecs used in the sound cards of personal computers. A video codec accomplishes the same task for video signals.
Read more about this topic: Codec
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