Softwaredecoders
Softwaredecoders are software implementations of decoders that run on general-purpose processors. They take compressed audio or video bitstreams and produce uncompressed samples, enabling playback, editing, and transcoding without relying on dedicated hardware. They are used across media players, streaming applications, and content processing pipelines.
Softwaredecoders cover a wide range of codecs for both video and audio. Common targets include video codecs
Implementation and ecosystems vary, but many softwaredecoders are provided by open-source projects. FFmpeg’s libavcodec is a
Performance characteristics depend on CPU architecture and optimization. Softwaredecoders can leverage multi-threading and SIMD instructions (such
Licensing varies by project, with many implementations released under permissive or copyleft licenses. Softwaredecoders enable broad