Q105: [General - FAQ for computer tapes] : What is data compression?

Data compression is a technique to reduce the size of data.
There are two ways to compress data : lossless and "lossy." When using lossless compression, compressed data does not lose any of its original information and can be completely uncompressed. The data-compression rate is low, and the size of data is reduced by half to one-third of its original capacity. This is the standard data compression method used by computers. By reducing the data size of each file, you can save disk space, sending time and sending/receiving costs. When using lossy compression, the data losses some of its information as the compressed data cannot be completely uncompressed. This type of compression is mainly used to reduce the size of image-related data, as the compression rate is high. There are two types of lossy compression : JPEG, which is used for still pictures, and MPEG, which is used for movies. Such compressed data cannot be recompressed.

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