Axis Communications 2460 - Manual (Page 36)

Working with Recordings AXIS 2460 User’s Manual 36
About Codecs
The word codec (as used in this manual) is short for compressor/decompressor. Codecs are
various types of computer algorithms that are applied to audio, video, and image files, to
compress the size of the files. The benefit of this is that the files do not use as much disk
space when stored, or as much network bandwidth when streamed.
The amount and type of compression applied to your AVI-movies depends entirely on the
codec used. Most operating systems provide a basic set of codecs, some of which may be
suitable for creating AVIs. There are, however, many alternatives available. These can be
found by e.g., searching the Internet. It is also important to note that the same codec used
for creating the AVI must also be used for viewing it. This should be considered when
distributing files to others.
If your computer/player does not have the correct codec to decompress a file, it may
attempt to download it. Windows Media Player is one example of an application that will
do this.