Pixlet - Definition

Pixlet is a video codec created by Apple Computer and based on wavelets, designed to enable viewing of full resolution, high resolution movies in real time at low DV data rates. According to Apple's claims, it allows for a 20-25:1 compression ratio. Similar to DV, it does not use interframe compression, making it suitable for previewing in production and special effects studios. However, this makes it poorly suited for broadcast use.

When it was introduced by Steve Jobs at Worldwide Developers Conference 2003, it was said that the codec was developed in cooperation with the animation company Pixar.

A Power Macintosh with at least a 1 GHz PowerPC G4 processor is required for real time playback.

Pixlet, while part of the cross-platform QuickTime, is only available on Macs running Mac OS X 10.3 or later.