Cameras can record in popular formats like AVI and MP4 as well as lesser-known ones. Then, both streams are synchronized and saved in one package – a media container or, in simpler terms, a format. While you’re shooting, a video codec compresses and encodes the video track, and an audio codec deals with the audio track. Let’s take a look at what these programs do when you record videos and play back the captured footage.Ĭodecs start working the moment you push the record button on your camera. Seems simple, right? But the media codecs inside your camera and computer had to do a lot of work to make it all happen. Imagine you’ve recorded a short video on your camera, uploaded it to your computer, and opened it in a media player. There are also codecs for processing digital images and text, but in this article we’ll focus on those for audio and video data. Both types are used in footage with video and audio tracks. Specialized audio codecs are required for processing sound recordings, and video codecs handle video. Each codec is specific to a particular data type. What Is a Codec?Ī Codec (short for “coder” and “decoder”) is a program for encoding (compressing) and decoding (playing back from a compressed state) multimedia data such as audio and video streams. Most of the time, this happens because of an unsupported audio or video codec.ĭon’t know what codecs are and how they work? This article is just for you! Read on to learn what codecs are for, what types of codecs exist, and how the video playback process works on PCs and mobile devices.

Everyone’s found themselves in a situation like this: you decide to spend a pleasant evening in front of the screen, and your computer refuses to play your choice of a downloaded track, music video, or DVD movie.

What is a codec error