Does anybody know of a FAQ that describes how codecs work and what the differences are between them? I don't need a mathamatical understanding, just some highlevel stuff. For instance, what is the difference between an AVI codec and an mpeg codec? Why can I encode a file with one company's encoder and play it back with somebody elses decoder? Why is QuickTime better that RealMedia (or vice versa).

I have found a great FAQ on DVD and was wondering if one existed for codecs?

The DVD FAQ can be found at http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html