Controller and Codec
AC'97 is made up of a controller connected to analog/digital codecs by a 5-wire TDM interface called "AC Link." The two subsystems separate the digital controller, which is built into the PC chipset, from the analog circuits, which can be in a chip on the motherboard, a riser card or cabled close to the I/O connectors.
For international certification (homologation), modem codecs are often placed on riser cards, which can be easily interchanged. See HD Audio and riser card.
![]() | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |








