What the hell's a CODEC

[SkiNNY MulLIGan]

sometimes i go to watch a streaming video and i get a message saying something along the lines of not having the proper software or needing a CODEC or something...i try Realplayer and it says something different but basically tells me it can't play it and it doesn't have the proper software...i go to Windows Media Player and a similar message....so, what's a CODEC and how do you get one?

[videoeditor1]

[quote]Originally posted by rammer24: [b]sometimes i go to watch a streaming video and i get a message saying something along the lines of not having the proper software or needing a CODEC or something...i try Realplayer and it says something different but basically tells me it can't play it and it doesn't have the proper software...i go to Windows Media Player and a similar message....so, what's a CODEC and how do you get one?[/b][/quote]See [url=http://searchnetworking.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid7_gci211810,00.html]Whatis.com\'s explaination[/url] NYC Drew

[RangerJay]

CODEC is short for "encode-decode." You have to be able to decode a compressed video feed in order to see the video, just as you have to use a ZIP utility to open a ZIP archive. There are a few "proprietary" CODECs out there, but most are free. Windows Media Player and QuickTime usually try to download a CODEC if it is not installed and you attempt to view an encoded feed. Else, look around on the site and see if they tell you what CODEC you need. Sites rarely post something that would require the user to purchase a viewer or CODEC. Also, see if the message tells you the name of the CODEC required, then, search for that in Google.

[SkiNNY MulLIGan]

thanx alot guys...you both helped me alot...sometimes, though, when i can't play something, it says something along the lines of "Quicktime will now download the required software" and after a few seconds it tells me it couldn't find it...but at least now i know what it's looking for...