Learn in the textbookMultimedia Basics, Delivery, and Rights Protection
DefinitionDecoding (デコード) returns encoded data to its original form so it can be played or displayed; in Japanese it is also called 復号, though in cryptography the same word means decryption, a different process.
ExplanationDecoding compressed data also involves decompression, which expands the shrunken data back to a playable size. A video player app decodes the data it receives before showing it on screen, and the software or device that handles encoding and decoding is called a codec.
AnalogyIt is like unpacking the folded belongings at your new home and laying them out so they are ready to use.
Memory hookThe prefix de- means "remove" or "reverse", so decoding takes data back out of its code.