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I've read they were hardware audio codecs. But how are they different from mp3, aac codecs?
mp3 and aac codecs can also be implemented in hardware (can't they?).
What key differences do AC'97 and High Definition Audio have?
How are AC'97 and High Definition Audio used most of the time?
P.S.: This article mentions AC'97 for modems. Why does modem need Audio codec?
1
The software codec and hardware codec are two completely different things that you're confusing. Wikipedia says that the proper term should be endec (encoder/decoder) for the soundcard chip that does analog to digital conversion and digital to analog conversion.Take a look at this and this. Unfortunately I don't have time for a proper answer now.
– AndrejaKo – 2011-12-10T23:01:25.483