Sangoma Scenarios - What is Transcoding

Transcoding is the conversion of data from one form or format to another. VoIP transcoding specifically is the conversion between one digital representation of voice, or "codec," and another. It is required when two communicating IP-based phones, or end-point devices, have no codec in common that they both support.

The transcoding of voice is analogous to the more widely experienced conversion of music from a standard CD (compact disc) format like .CDA, into the more compact MP3 file format for playback in iPods and other similar consumer devices, in which the music retains most of its sound qualities while its digital representation, formatting and storage requirements are changed.

Why Real-Time Transcoding

There are a number of conditions when real-time transcoding becomes necessary:

1. End-points want to participate in a communication session, even though they do not support the media format demanded by the session
2. Bandwidth, included radio spectrum, are a limited resource within a communications infrastructure