¿Qué es Códec? - Conceptos Explicados
Un códec codifica y decodifica archivos de audio y video - determina la calidad y el tamaño del archivo
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Codec: Simple Definition
A codec (coder-decoder) is software or hardware that compresses and decompresses digital audio or video. The codec determines how a video or audio file is encoded and how much space it takes up.
Every video file you watch uses a codec. When you play a YouTube video, your device uses a codec (H.264 or VP9) to decode the compressed video data and display it on screen in real time.
How Codecs Work
Video codecs compress footage by finding similarities between adjacent frames. Instead of storing every pixel of every frame, they store only the differences between frames. A talking head video with a static background only needs to store the movement, not the entire background in every frame.
The codec you choose determines the trade-off between file size, quality, and compatibility. H.264 is the most compatible. H.265 is 50% more efficient. AV1 is the most efficient but slowest to encode.
Examples of Codec
H.264
The most widely used video codec. Supported by every device. Used on YouTube, Netflix, and Blu-ray.
H.265 (HEVC)
50% better compression than H.264. Used for 4K content. Requires modern hardware.
AAC
The standard audio codec for streaming. Used by Apple Music, YouTube, and most platforms.
AV1
The newest royalty-free video codec with excellent compression. Growing in adoption.
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