Demultiplexer

What Does Demultiplexer Mean?

A demultiplexer (often abbreviated as a demuxer or dmux) is a software or hardware tool that creates two or more streams of data from a single-stream input. A demultiplexer performs the inverse function of a multiplexer, which essentially consolidates numerous data streams into one single stream of information or media.

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Techopedia Explains Demultiplexer

Demultiplexers take transmissions and divide them into their designated components. They perform the inverse function of multiplexers. Generally speaking, multiplexers are devices or programs that consolidate multiple inputs into a single output. For example, if a video file needs stereo audio added to it, it can be multiplexed (muxed) with the right and left audio channels. Inversely, if audio needs to be extracted from a video file, demultiplexing (demuxing) the source file would output separate audio and video files.

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Margaret Rouse

Margaret Rouse is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical, business audience. Over the past twenty years her explanations have appeared on TechTarget websites and she's been cited as an authority in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine and Discovery Magazine.Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages. If you have a suggestion for a new definition or how to improve a technical explanation, please email Margaret or contact her…