What Is a Codec and Does Your Meeting Room Need One?
- Chris Gore
- 10 hours ago
- 6 min read
What is a codec and does your meeting room need one? Plain English explanation of hard codecs, soft codecs and which your room actually needs
Chris Gore \ Updated 2026
Someone in the AV proposal mentions a codec. You nod. You have absolutely no idea what they are talking about. You are not alone. Codec is one of those words that gets thrown around in meeting room conversations as if everyone knows what it means, and almost nobody does.
Here is the plain English version. A codec is the component that takes the camera and microphone signal in your meeting room, compresses it, sends it across the internet to whoever is on the other end of the call, and decompresses it again so they can see and hear you. The word comes from coder-decoder. Without a codec, there is no video call. The question for most organisations is not whether they need a codec, they always do, but what kind, and whether they need a dedicated one.
What a Codec Actually Does
Think about what happens when you join a Teams or Zoom call from a meeting room. The camera captures a 4K video signal. The microphone picks up audio from around the table. Both of those raw signals are enormous. Sending them across the internet in raw form would require bandwidth that does not exist in any normal office building.
The codec takes those signals and compresses them into a format small enough to travel across the internet in real time, without perceptible delay and without the image or audio degrading to the point of being unusable. At the other end, another codec decompresses the signal so the remote participant sees and hears what was captured in the room.
This happens in milliseconds, continuously, for the entire duration of the call. The quality of the codec determines how good the video looks at different bandwidth levels, how much delay there is between someone speaking and being heard, and how well the system handles a poor connection.
Hard Codec or Soft Codec, What Is the Difference?
Hard codecs
A hard codec is a dedicated piece of hardware installed in the meeting room specifically to handle the encoding and decoding work. Cisco's Codec Pro and Poly's G7500 are examples. The hardware runs its own operating system, connects directly to the cameras, microphones and displays in the room, and handles everything independently of any laptop or PC. It does not need anyone to bring a device into the room for the system to work.
Hard codecs have traditionally been the standard in large enterprise boardrooms and high-security environments where reliability and image quality are non-negotiable. They are more expensive than soft codec alternatives, but they deliver a level of performance and control that a software-based system cannot always match.
Soft codecs
A soft codec runs on software rather than dedicated hardware. Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet are all soft codecs. A Microsoft Teams Rooms system, for example, uses a certified compute device running Windows or Android, with the Teams software handling all the encoding and decoding work. The camera, microphone and display connect to the compute device, and the software manages the call.
Soft codecs have become the dominant approach for most UK office meeting rooms. They are more flexible, more cost-effective, and fully integrated with the platforms organisations are already using. A Logitech Rally Bar, a Neat Bar Pro or a Yealink MeetingBar all include a soft codec as part of the all-in-one system. For most rooms, this is everything that is needed.
Do You Actually Need a Dedicated Codec?
The short answer for most businesses in 2026 is no. The all-in-one video bars from Logitech, Yealink, Neat and others include a codec as part of the integrated system. A Microsoft Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms certified appliance includes a compute device running a soft codec platform. For a standard meeting room used for Teams, Zoom or Google Meet calls, these solutions cover everything that is needed.
A dedicated hard codec starts to make sense in specific situations:
• Large boardrooms or auditoriums with complex multi-camera setups
• High-security or regulated environments where enterprise-grade hardware is required
• Rooms where the system needs to operate independently of any laptop or BYOD device
• Organisations with an existing Cisco or Poly hardware estate
• Spaces where absolute maximum reliability is non-negotiable
For most other rooms, huddle rooms, standard meeting rooms, medium boardrooms, a video bar or a certified Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms appliance is the right choice. Read our 2026 meeting room AV cost guide for a full breakdown of what each option costs.
The Codec Is the Brain. Everything Else Is the Body.
Most people buying meeting room kit spend a lot of time thinking about the camera and the display. The codec gets almost no attention at all, because it is invisible. But the codec is the component that determines whether the call looks good, whether it stays stable on a shared internet connection, and whether the system works reliably without anyone having to think about it.
Get the codec wrong, wrong type for the room, wrong platform for the organisation, not properly commissioned, and the rest of the system underperforms regardless of how good the camera or display is.
SPOR Group specifies the right compute and codec solution for every room. For most rooms that means a certified video bar or a Teams Rooms or Zoom Rooms appliance. For larger or more complex spaces it means a dedicated hardware codec from Cisco or Poly. Every installation is commissioned properly and backed by SPORTrack, which monitors every connected device in real time.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a codec in a meeting room?
A codec, short for coder-decoder, is the component that compresses the camera and microphone signal from your meeting room so it can travel across the internet in real time, and decompresses the incoming signal so you can see and hear the other participants. Every video call uses a codec. The question is whether you need a dedicated hardware codec or whether software handles it.
What is the difference between a hard codec and a soft codec?
A hard codec uses dedicated hardware installed in the room to handle encoding and decoding. Examples include the Cisco Codec Pro and Poly G7500. A soft codec runs on software, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet are all soft codecs. Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms appliances use a certified compute device running a soft codec platform. For most meeting rooms, a soft codec is the right choice.
Does a video bar include a codec?
Yes. Modern all-in-one video bars like the Logitech Rally Bar, Neat Bar Pro and Yealink MeetingBar all include an integrated compute and codec as part of the system. The camera, microphone, speaker and codec are built into a single device, removing the need for a separate compute unit in most room setups.
When do I need a dedicated hardware codec?
A dedicated hardware codec is typically needed for large boardrooms or auditoriums with complex multi-camera setups, high-security or regulated environments, rooms that need to operate independently of any laptop, and organisations with an existing Cisco or Poly hardware estate. For standard meeting rooms, a video bar or certified Teams Rooms appliance covers the requirement.
What compute device do I need for Microsoft Teams Rooms?
Microsoft Teams Rooms runs on certified Windows or Android compute devices from manufacturers including Logitech, Yealink, HP, Lenovo and others. These devices are pre-configured to run the Teams Rooms platform and are available as standalone compute units or integrated into all-in-one video bars.
How does a codec affect call quality?
The codec determines how well the video and audio signal is compressed for transmission and decompressed at the far end. A good codec maintains high image and audio quality across varying bandwidth conditions. A poorly specified or poorly commissioned codec can produce blocky video, audio lag or dropped frames, particularly on shared or congested internet connections.
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