Data Compression :O

What is data compression?

Data compression is using fewer bits of information than the original does, by encoding information.

What is a data compression ratio?

Why is data compression an important technique for the online world?

Data Compression is an important technique for the online world because it reduces the consumption of expensive hard disk space or transmission bandwidth.

What is the difference between Lossy and Lossless data compression?
Lossy data compression formats suffer from generation loss. This means that the file will lose quality through repeatedly compressing and decompressing. Lossy data compression formats can also sometimes produce a much smaller compressed file than Lossless data compression formats. Lossless data compression formats, on the other hand, do not suffer from generation loss. Therefore, lossless formats are the better option when compressing and decompressing files.

Which method offers the greatest compression ratio?
Lossy data compression formats offer the best compresion rate of 5 to 6%, while the lossless data compression rate is about 50 to 60% of the original file.

Why is human psychology and perception an important factor in methods of Lossy compression?
For lossy compression, if some of the details in an image, video or sound are lost, our minds can easily 'fill in the blanks.'
Name Lossy file formats for audio, still image and video format.