Video compression is how enormous image data files get shrunk for fast transmission without significant loss of visual quality. It's the magic behind digital TV, videoconferencing, DVDs, and Internet video.Now is the time to learn about video compression--how to do it and how to use it. Peter Symes, a video compression specialist, paints the full video compression picture in this friendly, not-too-big, not-too-technical introduction. This is not a detailed implementation book, but it does explain what happens in compression, why compression works, and what will stop it from working.

You MUST read it if ...

• you want to understand the fundamental concepts of compression
• you read the MPEG Standard but didn't understand it
• you read books on MPEG and didn't understand them
• you're a Web site or multimedia developer
• you're in the audio/video business
• you're a video technology professional or IT consultant
• you produce or sell video products, or are thinking of doing so
• you cover the entertainment, Internet, or technology beat as a reporter or financial analyst
• you can't afford expensive compression courses
• you're a technovideophile
• you simply want to be up to speed on this fascinating new technology of key importance to the entertainment and communications industries.

Contents

• Introduction
• What is Compression?
• Introduction to Images
• Entropy Coding
• Predictive Coding
• Transforms
• Quantization
• JPEG
• Motion Compression
• MPEG-1
• MPEG-2
• Audio Compression
• Closing Thoughts
• Glossary