A game system utilizes a codecs abstraction laver (CAL) to allow the game system to accommodate new and/or modified codecs without requiring the game application code to be modified. The CAL, functioning as an application programming interface (API), operates between media sources and the game application. The game application interacts with the CAL and not the codec. Differences between codecs are transparent to the game application. New codecs can be introduced and used by existing applications without modifying the existing application code. The CAL processes media from a variety of sources such as memory, files, http sources, queues, custom sources, external drives, or game media sources (e.g., XMedia). The CAL determines the source of the media, the type of media being received (e.g., audio, video, image, animation, or game), and the codec used to compress the media. The CAL provides the decoded media to the game application.