Encoding

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Look up encoding in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Encoding is the process of transforming information from one format into another. The opposite operation is called decoding. This is often used in many digital devices

There are a number of more specific meanings that apply in certain contexts:

• Encoding (in cognition) is a basic perceptual process of interpreting incoming stimuli; technically speaking, it is a complex, multi-stage process of converting relatively objective sensory input (e.g., light, sound) into subjectively meaningful experience.
• A content format is a specific encoding format for converting a specific type of data to information.
• In Biology and Genetics, genes are said to encode RNA transcripts or proteins. (See genetic code.)
• Character encoding is a code that pairs a set of natural language characters (such as an alphabet or syllabary) with a set of something else, such as numbers or electrical pulses.
• Text encoding uses a markup language to tag the structure and other features of a text to facilitate processing by computers. (See also Text Encoding Initiative.)
• Semantics encoding of formal language A in formal language B is a method of representing all terms (e.g. programs or descriptions) of language A using language B.
• Electronic encoding transforms a signal into a code optimized for transmission or storage, generally done with a codec.
• Neural encoding is the way in which information is represented in neurons.
• Memory encoding is the process of converting sensations into memories.
• Encryption transforms information for secrecy.
• Television encoding: NTSC, PAL and SECAM