demuxes

Demuxes, short for demultiplexers, are devices or components that separate a multiplexed signal into its individual parts or route a single input to one of many outputs. They are the functional opposite of multiplexers (MUX).

In digital logic, a demultiplexer has a single data input and multiple data outputs. A set of select lines determines which output receives the input value at a given time. Common forms include 1-to-2, 1-to-4, and 1-to-8 demultiplexers. They are used for data routing, address decoding, and time-division switching in circuits.

In communications, demultiplexing refers to separating signals that were combined for transmission over a shared medium. This can be done by time division (TDMA), frequency division (FDMA), or code division (CDMA), with the demux supporting the appropriate protocol or timing to retrieve individual channels.

In multimedia processing, a demuxer is the component that splits a multiplexed media file or stream into its constituent elementary streams (for example, separate video, audio, and subtitle tracks). Demuxing is commonly performed before decoding. Examples include demuxers for transport streams (MPEG-TS) and container formats (MP4, Matroska).

Overview: Demuxes are essential in hardware circuit design and in software/media pipelines, enabling separate data paths or streams from a common source. The term is used both for hardware demultiplexers and software demultiplexers, with the context indicating routing, separation, or extraction tasks.