A major issue with uncompressed audio and video files is they take up huge amounts of space. In fact, uncompressed multimedia files are generally much too large for most systems and for most download speeds.
In order to allow large multimedia files to be stored and downloaded to the desktop, compression was created. Generally, compression works by removing duplicate or unneeded data, or even less important data.
The word codec stands for compressor/decompressor, and is the algorithm which handles the compression and decompression of the multimedia clips. Each format has one or more associated codecs, and sometimes a codec may be shared between more than one format.
Each codec is designed with a different philosophy in mind. Sometimes very high download speed is critical at a cost of image or audio quality. Other times the quality must be better. Sometimes the number of frames per second can be reduced, and sometimes the only important thing is the speed of decompression. It just depends upon what was needed at the time the codec was designed.
In addition, the technology of compression keeps getting better and better, resulting in new releases which perform their tasks differently or give higher quality multimedia.
Generally, codecs are available from various manufacturers and suppliers all over the internet. Sometimes they come bundled with video or sound hardware, and other times they are sold or given away separately.
Occasionally you will find multimedia files posted in newsgroups or on web sites that require specialized codecs to operate. It is generally not a good idea to download the missing codecs from newsgroups or off unknown web sites as this is a good way to install viruses and Trojan horses onto your system. If you need a codec, find the manufacturer's site or, failing that, locate a site whom you can trust. Be sure and perform a virus check on all codecs that you download onto your system before you install them.
Unless otherwise noted, all photos and text is Copyright © Richard G Lowe, Jr.