diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpContentEncoder.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpContentEncoder.java
index d156491596..0e36b77495 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpContentEncoder.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/http/HttpContentEncoder.java
@@ -47,22 +47,13 @@ import java.util.Queue;
  * so that this handler can intercept HTTP responses before {@link HttpObjectEncoder}
  * converts them into {@link ByteBuf}s.
  */
-public abstract class HttpContentEncoder extends MessageToMessageCodec<HttpMessage, Object> {
+public abstract class HttpContentEncoder extends MessageToMessageCodec<HttpMessage, HttpObject> {
 
     private final Queue<String> acceptEncodingQueue = new ArrayDeque<String>();
     private EmbeddedByteChannel encoder;
     private HttpMessage message;
     private boolean encodeStarted;
 
-    /**
-     * Creates a new instance.
-     */
-    protected HttpContentEncoder() {
-        super(
-                new Class<?>[] { HttpMessage.class },
-                new Class<?>[] { HttpObject.class });
-    }
-
     @Override
     protected Object decode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, HttpMessage msg)
             throws Exception {
@@ -76,7 +67,7 @@ public abstract class HttpContentEncoder extends MessageToMessageCodec<HttpMessa
     }
 
     @Override
-    public Object encode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg)
+    public Object encode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, HttpObject msg)
             throws Exception {
 
         if (msg instanceof HttpResponse && ((HttpResponse) msg).getStatus().code() == 100) {
@@ -176,7 +167,7 @@ public abstract class HttpContentEncoder extends MessageToMessageCodec<HttpMessa
     }
 
     @Override
-    protected void freeOutboundMessage(Object msg) throws Exception {
+    protected void freeOutboundMessage(HttpObject msg) throws Exception {
         if (encoder == null) {
             // if the decoder was null we returned the original message so we are not allowed to free it
             return;
diff --git a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/spdy/SpdyHttpResponseStreamIdHandler.java b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/spdy/SpdyHttpResponseStreamIdHandler.java
index 10cdb87447..65c5871d34 100644
--- a/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/spdy/SpdyHttpResponseStreamIdHandler.java
+++ b/codec-http/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/spdy/SpdyHttpResponseStreamIdHandler.java
@@ -32,8 +32,9 @@ public class SpdyHttpResponseStreamIdHandler extends
     private static final Integer NO_ID = -1;
     private final Queue<Integer> ids = new LinkedList<Integer>();
 
-    public SpdyHttpResponseStreamIdHandler() {
-        super(new Class<?>[] { HttpMessage.class, SpdyRstStreamFrame.class }, new Class<?>[] { HttpMessage.class });
+    @Override
+    public boolean acceptInboundMessage(Object msg) throws Exception {
+        return msg instanceof HttpMessage || msg instanceof SpdyRstStreamFrame;
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageToMessageCodec.java b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageToMessageCodec.java
index f2417ed7c2..8edc103491 100644
--- a/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageToMessageCodec.java
+++ b/codec/src/main/java/io/netty/handler/codec/MessageToMessageCodec.java
@@ -20,8 +20,11 @@ import io.netty.channel.ChannelDuplexHandler;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerContext;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelHandlerUtil;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelInboundMessageHandler;
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelInboundMessageHandlerAdapter;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelOutboundMessageHandler;
+import io.netty.channel.ChannelOutboundMessageHandlerAdapter;
 import io.netty.channel.ChannelPromise;
+import io.netty.util.internal.TypeParameterFinder;
 
 /**
  * A Codec for on-the-fly encoding/decoding of message.
@@ -53,59 +56,73 @@ public abstract class MessageToMessageCodec<INBOUND_IN, OUTBOUND_IN>
         implements ChannelInboundMessageHandler<INBOUND_IN>,
                    ChannelOutboundMessageHandler<OUTBOUND_IN> {
 
-    private final MessageToMessageEncoder<OUTBOUND_IN> encoder =
-            new MessageToMessageEncoder<OUTBOUND_IN>() {
+    private final MessageToMessageEncoder<Object> encoder =
+            new MessageToMessageEncoder<Object>() {
         @Override
         public boolean isEncodable(Object msg) throws Exception {
-            return MessageToMessageCodec.this.isEncodable(msg);
+            return MessageToMessageCodec.this.acceptOutboundMessage(msg);
         }
 
         @Override
-        public Object encode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, OUTBOUND_IN msg) throws Exception {
-            return MessageToMessageCodec.this.encode(ctx, msg);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        public Object encode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg) throws Exception {
+            return MessageToMessageCodec.this.encode(ctx, (OUTBOUND_IN) msg);
         }
 
         @Override
-        protected void freeOutboundMessage(OUTBOUND_IN msg) throws Exception {
-            MessageToMessageCodec.this.freeOutboundMessage(msg);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        protected void freeOutboundMessage(Object msg) throws Exception {
+            MessageToMessageCodec.this.freeOutboundMessage((OUTBOUND_IN) msg);
         }
     };
 
-    private final MessageToMessageDecoder<INBOUND_IN> decoder =
-            new MessageToMessageDecoder<INBOUND_IN>() {
+    private final MessageToMessageDecoder<Object> decoder =
+            new MessageToMessageDecoder<Object>() {
 
         @Override
         public boolean acceptInboundMessage(Object msg) throws Exception {
-            return isDecodable(msg);
+            return MessageToMessageCodec.this.acceptInboundMessage(msg);
         }
 
         @Override
-        public Object decode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, INBOUND_IN msg) throws Exception {
-            return MessageToMessageCodec.this.decode(ctx, msg);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        public Object decode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, Object msg) throws Exception {
+            return MessageToMessageCodec.this.decode(ctx, (INBOUND_IN) msg);
         }
 
         @Override
-        protected void freeInboundMessage(INBOUND_IN msg) throws Exception {
-            MessageToMessageCodec.this.freeInboundMessage(msg);
+        @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+        protected void freeInboundMessage(Object msg) throws Exception {
+            MessageToMessageCodec.this.freeInboundMessage((INBOUND_IN) msg);
         }
     };
 
-    private final Class<?>[] acceptedInboundMsgTypes;
-    private final Class<?>[] acceptedOutboundMsgTypes;
+    private final Class<?> acceptedInboundMsgType;
+    private final Class<?> acceptedOutboundMsgType;
 
     protected MessageToMessageCodec() {
-        this(null, null);
+        acceptedInboundMsgType = TypeParameterFinder.findActualTypeParameter(this, MessageToMessageCodec.class, 0);
+        acceptedOutboundMsgType = TypeParameterFinder.findActualTypeParameter(this, MessageToMessageCodec.class, 1);
     }
 
     protected MessageToMessageCodec(
-            Class<?>[] acceptedInboundMsgTypes, Class<?>[] acceptedOutboundMsgTypes) {
-        this.acceptedInboundMsgTypes = ChannelHandlerUtil.acceptedMessageTypes(acceptedInboundMsgTypes);
-        this.acceptedOutboundMsgTypes = ChannelHandlerUtil.acceptedMessageTypes(acceptedOutboundMsgTypes);
+            @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
+            Class<? extends ChannelInboundMessageHandlerAdapter> parameterizedInboundHandlerType,
+            int inboundMessageTypeParamIndex,
+            @SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
+            Class<? extends ChannelOutboundMessageHandlerAdapter> parameterizedOutboundHandlerType,
+            int outboundMessageTypeParamIndex) {
+
+        acceptedInboundMsgType = TypeParameterFinder.findActualTypeParameter(
+                this, parameterizedInboundHandlerType, inboundMessageTypeParamIndex);
+        acceptedOutboundMsgType = TypeParameterFinder.findActualTypeParameter(
+                this, parameterizedOutboundHandlerType, outboundMessageTypeParamIndex);
     }
 
     @Override
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
     public MessageBuf<INBOUND_IN> newInboundBuffer(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
-        return decoder.newInboundBuffer(ctx);
+        return (MessageBuf<INBOUND_IN>) decoder.newInboundBuffer(ctx);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -114,8 +131,9 @@ public abstract class MessageToMessageCodec<INBOUND_IN, OUTBOUND_IN>
     }
 
     @Override
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
     public MessageBuf<OUTBOUND_IN> newOutboundBuffer(ChannelHandlerContext ctx) throws Exception {
-        return encoder.newOutboundBuffer(ctx);
+        return (MessageBuf<OUTBOUND_IN>) encoder.newOutboundBuffer(ctx);
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -139,8 +157,8 @@ public abstract class MessageToMessageCodec<INBOUND_IN, OUTBOUND_IN>
      *
      * @param msg the message
      */
-    public boolean isDecodable(Object msg) throws Exception {
-        return ChannelHandlerUtil.acceptMessage(acceptedInboundMsgTypes, msg);
+    public boolean acceptInboundMessage(Object msg) throws Exception {
+        return acceptedInboundMsgType.isInstance(msg);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -148,8 +166,8 @@ public abstract class MessageToMessageCodec<INBOUND_IN, OUTBOUND_IN>
      *
      * @param msg the message
      */
-    public boolean isEncodable(Object msg) throws Exception {
-        return ChannelHandlerUtil.acceptMessage(acceptedOutboundMsgTypes, msg);
+    public boolean acceptOutboundMessage(Object msg) throws Exception {
+        return acceptedOutboundMsgType.isInstance(msg);
     }
 
     protected abstract Object encode(ChannelHandlerContext ctx, OUTBOUND_IN msg) throws Exception;
diff --git a/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/TypeParameterFinder.java b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/TypeParameterFinder.java
index 3e5574e158..55bdcb25bb 100644
--- a/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/TypeParameterFinder.java
+++ b/common/src/main/java/io/netty/util/internal/TypeParameterFinder.java
@@ -52,6 +52,5 @@ public final class TypeParameterFinder {
         return messageType;
     }
 
-
     private TypeParameterFinder() { }
 }