diff --git a/doc/libavcodec.texi b/doc/libavcodec.texi
index 2066106478..37d84a4d82 100644
--- a/doc/libavcodec.texi
+++ b/doc/libavcodec.texi
@@ -12,10 +12,14 @@
 @chapter Description
 @c man begin DESCRIPTION
 
-libavcodec is a library providing a generic encoding/decoding
-framework, and containing decoders and encoders for audio, video and
+The libavcodec library provides a generic encoding/decoding framework
+and contains multiple decoders and encoders for audio, video and
 subtitle streams.
 
+The shared architecture provides various services ranging from bit
+stream I/O to DSP optimizations, and makes it suitable for
+implementing robust and fast codecs as well as for experimentation.
+
 @c man end DESCRIPTION
 
 @chapter Codec Options