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Google Confirms Small Number of Pixel Phones Have Broken Microphones (theverge.com)
An anonymous reader shares a report on The Verge: Google says that a small number of Pixel phones have broken microphones that need to be sent back for replacement. The issue is seemingly not that widespread. Google claims the issue is present on less than 1 percent of devices -- the company also announced that it would replace defective phones last month, and it went largely unnoticed until now. Google says the primary cause for Pixels having microphone issues is a "hairline crack in the solder connection on the audio codec," which causes all three of the device's mics to go out at once. The issue has apparently been known about for several months now. Google says it's been "taking additional steps to reinforce the connection" since January and that phones built or refurbished since then should be fine.
The NSA and CIA are going to want a refund.
"BSD: Free as in speech. Linux: Free as in beer. Windows 10: Free as in herpes." --Man On Pink Corner in #52607549.
Why is this news. Manufacturers have defects all of the time. It's a small number of phones. Who cares!
It's not like they randomly bust into flames or anything.
One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
With a Pixel. About 2 weeks ago, so hopefully it won't have this defect.
Best Slashdot Co
A codec is simply something that converts audio/video/whatever from one format to another. It certainly can be hardware.
I was confused too when I first used it heard to describe on-motherboard audio systems in the 1990s, but that's a legitimate use.
Ironically, most who don't think it's suitable for hardware also are the people who use it to describe formats like H.264 or AAC. You can use a (hardware or software) codec to convert something into H.264, but H.264 isn't the actual codec, it's the format.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Code/decoder implementations can be hardware or software.
codec
kdek/
noun
a device or program that compresses data to enable faster transmission and decompresses received data.
Good-bye
serdes = serializer / deserializer
modem = modulator / demodulator
Most of these terms originated in hardward and migrated to software.
sed -e 's/Chuck Norris/Rajnikant/g' joke > fact
Hardware audio codecs are integrated ADC/DACs. Their main purpose is act as a bridge between the analog and the digital part of the audio system. Usually they don't know anything about digital audio formats.
While they have the same name as software codecs, they operate on a different level. Software codecs convert a stream of bits into a different stream of bits, hardware codecs convert an electrical signal into a different electrical signal.
To make things even more confusing, things like mp3 implemented in hardware can are also called a hardware codec. However, it is generally not people mean when they are talking about audio codecs on a motherboard.
Yes, it can be in hardware. I'm wondering if you're one of the people (I was once too, there's no shame in it) that I'm discussing in the second half of my comment.
Codecs convert from one format to another. They can be hardware or software. They are not to be confused with the formats themselves.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.