Do not understand codecs

[CineMan]

What is a codec? Is vlc player a codec or does it contain codecs? If no what is the difference between vlc player and a codec? Thanks

[kdean]

Codec is short for compressor / decompressor.

VLC is an applications that has built-in support for various codecs and containers.

A container is a file format, such as mkv, mp4, avi, mov, etc.

Containers can contain various codec streams or tracks for both video and audio to playback. Some codec tracks can be stored in multiple different compatible containers. Containers just vary in the file format structure that the codec tracks are stored in.

[CineMan]

Codec is short for compressor / decompressor.

VLC is an applications that has built-in support for various codecs and containers.

A container is a file format, such as mkv, mp4, avi, mov, etc.

Containers can contain various codec streams or tracks for both video and audio to playback. Some codec tracks can be stored in multiple different compatible containers. Containers just vary in the file format structure that the codec tracks are stored in.

Many thanks