FourCC

FourCC, - sometimes called FOURCC or fourcc - is a 4-bytes identifier which specifies the format of data contained in a media file.

Every codec has its own unique FourCC.

This is very useful to tell if VLC media player can or cannot read a video codec.

Good lists of FourCC (or FOURCC) can be found here:

• [1]
• [2]
• [3]