Data Compression: The Complete Reference, 4 Ed (repost)

"A wonderful treasure chest of information; spanning a wide range of data compression methods, from simple test compression methods to the use of wavelets in image compression. It is unusual for a text on compression to cover the field so completely." ACM Computing Reviews

"Salomons book is the most complete and up-to-date reference on the subject. The style, rigorous yet easy to read, makes this book the preferred choice [and] the encyclopedic nature of the text makes it an obligatory acquisition by our library." Dr Martin Cohn, Brandeis University

Data compression is one of the most important tools in modern computing, and there has been tremendous progress in all areas of the field. This fourth edition of Data Compression provides an all-inclusive, thoroughly updated, and user-friendly reference for the many different types and methods of compression (especially audio compression, an area in which many new topics covered in this revised edition appear).

Among the important features of the book are a detailed and helpful taxonomy, a detailed description of the most common methods, and discussions on the use and comparative benefits of different methods. The books logical, clear and lively presentation is organized around the main branches of data compression.

Topics and features:

highly inclusive, yet well-balanced coverage for specialists and nonspecialists

thorough coverage of wavelets methods, including SPIHT, EZW, DjVu, WSQ, and JPEG 2000

comprehensive updates on all material from previous editions

And these NEW topics:

RAR, a proprietary algorithm

FLAC, a free, lossless audio compression method

WavPack, an open, multiplatform audio-compression algorithm

LZMA, a sophisticated dictionary-based compression method

Differential compression

ALS, the audio lossless coding algorithm used in MPEG-4

H.264, an advanced video codec, part of the huge MPEG-4 project

AC-3, Dolby's third-generation audio codec

Hyperspectral compression of 3D data sets

This meticulously enhanced reference is an essential resource and companion for all computer scientists; computer, electrical and signal/image processing engineers; and scientists needing a comprehensive compilation of compression methods. It requires only a minimum of mathematics and is well-suited to nonspecialists and general readers who need to know and use this valuable content.