compression

At the annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference, Microsoft unveiled their latest technology in saving and uploading digital photography. Available for Windows XP and the upcoming Windows Vista, Windows Media Photo ("WMPhoto") suggests a ... revolutionized means of compressing digital photos. (Source: news.com ) Presently, digital photos are converted into the JPEG picture file format when stored on the computer: a standard form of file compression. Converting a digital photograph in JPEG format keeps the picture file size small, while maintaining almost the same quality as the original, ... (view more)

File compression is a method used to make files smaller. Most often file compression (sometimes referred to as "archiving") is used to take a collection of files and pack them into a single, smaller file. For a good analogy: compressing a series of ... files would be similar to packing a suit case of clothing before a vacation trip: it's smaller, easier to transport, and when you arrive at your destination, you can unpack it. Compressed files are often used to save storage and for sending files over email because they take up less space and travel faster when they are "packed. ... (view more)

MP3 is a popular digital audio encoding and lossy compression format invented and standardized in 1991 by a team of engineers working in the framework of the ISO/IEC MPEG audio committee under the chairmanship of Professor Hans Musmann (University ... of Hannover - Germany). MP3 was designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent audio, yet still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to most listeners. In popular usage, MP3 also refers to files of sound or music recordings stored in the MP3 format on computers. MP3: Overview In the simplest ... (view more)

In computing, JPEG (pronounced jay-peg) is a commonly used standard method of lossy compression for photographic images. The file format which employs this compression is commonly also called JPEG; the most common file extensions for this format are ... .jpeg, .jfif, .jpg, .JPG, or .JPE although .jpg is the most common on all platforms. JPEG/JFIF is the most common format used for storing and transmitting photographs on the World Wide Web. It is not as well suited for line drawings and other textual or iconic graphics because its compression method performs badly on these types of images (the PNG ... (view more)

The Moving Picture Experts Group ( MPEG ) is a working group of ISO/IEC charged with the development of video and audio encoding standards. Since its first meeting in 1988, MPEG has grown to include approximately 350 members from various industries ... and universities. MPEG's official designation is ISO/IEC JTC1/SC29 WG11. MPEG (pronounced EM-peg) has standardized the following compression formats and ancillary standards: MPEG-1: Initial video and audio compression standard. Later used as the standard for Video CD, and includes the popular Layer 3 (MP3) audio compression format. MPEG-2: ... (view more)

The last three articles in our newsletter have provided an in-depth look into The Importance of Backing up Data , highlighted a number of Backup Strategies , and even presented a Six Point Guide to Buying Backup Software . At the same time the ... articles were being compiled, however, I quietly enlisted myself on a top secret mission to research, review, and rigorously test a never-ending list of backup software. The purpose: to find the best, easiest to use, feature-packed backup utility according to the stringent set of criteria previously established in our 6 Point Purchasing Guide (namely: ... (view more)

In the last 3 newsletters , I've been talking about the importance of archiving programs: specifically, WinRAR, WinZIP, and WinACE. Unfortunately, neither of these popular software titles are freeware, which is why I asked Infopackets Readers to ... send me their favorite alternate picks. Ionut C. wasn't alone when he recommended ZipGenius: " ZipGenius is a zip tool suite that offers a variety of features. It offers ... drag and drop and features and an 'intelligent' wizard to get you started. Among other things, ZipGenius offers 5 different compression levels, full customization and ... (view more)