Codec

[Kit]

No, this is not just a cheap rip-off of Kodak. The name codec is short for coder-decoder, which is pretty much what a codec does. Most audio and video formats use some sort of compression so that they dont take up a ridiculous amount of disk space. Audio and video files are compressed with a certain codec when they are saved and then decompressed by the codec when they are played back. Common codecs include MPEG and AVI for video files and WAV and AIFF for audio files. Codecs can also be used to compress streaming media (live audio and video) which makes it possible to broadcast a live audio or video clip over a broadband Internet connection.

[Dianne]

Codec is short for coder-decoder. It is an algorithm used to encode data, such as an audio or video clip. The encoded data must be decoded when played back.
A media codec is not equivalent to media compression, since it is possible to encode a file without compressing it. However, most codecs do compress the original data, reducing the size of the original file. This is important for multimedia files, since they often have large file sizes. Compressed files take up less disk space and can be downloaded more quickly.
Some codecs are lossless, meaning they do not reduce the quality of the original media file. Examples of lossless audio codecs include the Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), and the Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC). Video codecs that support lossless compression include H.264 and QuickTime RLE. A lossless codec can often reduce the file size of a media file to about 50% without altering the quality.
Other codecs are lossy, meaning the compression reduces the quality of the media. Examples of lossy audio codecs are Adaptive Differential Pulse Code Modulation (ADPCM) and MPEG-1 Layer 3 (MP3). Common lossy video codecs include MPEG-2 and HEVC. Most lossy codecs provide a variable compression setting, which allows you to select how much to compress the media. For example, if you apply heavy compression to an audio file, it may reduce the file size to 10%, but the audio may sound like it has been compressed. If you use a lower compression setting that reduces the file size to 30%, it may be closer to the original file.
NOTE: Lossy codecs are commonly applied to streaming media so the data can be transferred more quickly over the Internet.

[Agnes]

A device or program that compresses data to enable faster transmission and decompresses received data.

[Monty]

*Code-Decode.

*The [mysterious] [communications] system used in [MGS].