What equipment can convert an analog video signal into a digital format?

The correct choice, which is a codec, plays a crucial role in converting an analog video signal into a digital format. A codec, which stands for "coder-decoder," is specifically designed to encode and compress audio and video data into digital format, facilitating the efficient storage and transmission of multimedia files. When dealing with video signals, a codec takes the analog input, samples it, and processes it into binary data that can be easily manipulated and transmitted over digital networks.

Understanding the context of other choices can clarify why the codec is the most appropriate answer. A transmitter is involved in sending signals over a medium such as air or cable but does not perform the conversion itself. A converter generally refers to devices that change one form of signal to another but may not specifically imply the detailed encoding process that a codec performs. A decoder, conversely, typically works on the digital side to revert encoded data back into a format that can be displayed or processed, rather than converting from analog to digital. Thus, in this scenario, the codec is the essential equipment for transforming an analog video signal into a digital format.