Many of us have experienced some problems with the quality of sound when making voice calls on Skype. This can be greatly disconcerting, especially right in the middle of a conversation. However, Skype seems all set to eliminate this problem once and for all with its new Opus audio codec.
The codec has been created by Skype itself. Specifically, senior Skype architect, Koen Vos, together with a team of engineers helped created the codec which is actually hybrid. It combines the powers of both Skype’s ‘SILK’ codec and the ‘CLET’ codec by Xiph.Org.
So what is so special and different about this codec? Essentially, it is a low-bandwidth codec which means that even if you are a relatively slower internet connection, the sound is going to be crisp and uninterrupted in your Skype calls.
According to audio/video product engineering director at Skype, Karlheinz Wurm, the codec “will make a quiet but crystal clear entry into the world.” However, Wurm hasn’t provided a definite date when we may expect the codec to finally land on Skype.
Another significant feature of the Opus codec is that it is able to recover lost data packets much more effectively than earlier codecs. Data packets lost during transfer is a major cause of the interruptions during Skype calls. We do expect that the codec will be a part of Skype before long and we can finally enjoy excellent quality on Skype calls.
Watch the video below for the complete presentation on the new codec:
Source: Skype
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