Overview: Pipeline stages

Conversion stages reconstruct, process and encode media through defined input and output relationships.

Decoding turns a coded stream into a usable signal representation. Filters operate on that representation, and encoding produces a coded result for storage or delivery. A filter graph connects those operations explicitly, which helps explain why a stage can work alone yet fail within the chosen sequence.

  • Decoding
    Decoding reconstructs pictures or audio samples from encoded stream data, with configuration, dependencies and timing determining when usable frames become available.

  • Encoding
    Encoding creates an encoded stream from prepared pictures or samples, with output configuration and rate-control decisions determining its compatibility, size and processing cost.

  • Media filter graphs
    A media filter graph connects decoded-frame transformations through defined input/output relationships whose order, format and branching affect the result.

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