Video Compression Demystified [Paperback]

Peter D. Symes (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071363246 | ISBN-13: 978-0071363242 | Publication Date: December 20, 2000

The Complete Guide to Video Compression

Video compression is the magic behind digital TV, videoconferencing, DVDs, and Internet video. In Video Compression Demystified, specialist Peter Symes paints the full video compression picture in a friendly, not-too-big, not-too-technical introduction that explains what happens in compression, why compression works, and what will stop it from working.

You'll explore all the major compression standards--JPEG, MPEG-2, and more--starting with the basics and moving on to compression tools, performance considerations, transmission/storage quality, transport schemes, and audio considerations. You MUST read this guide if you're a Web site or multimedia developer...produce or sell video products, or are thinking of doing so...cover the entertainment, Internet, or technology beat as a reporter or financial analyst - 0r you simply want to be up to speed on this fascinating new technology of key importance to the entertainment and communications industries.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Knows...subject very well...more detail than anyone could ask...how...going to manage...world of digital assets... -- Creative Cow, May 1, 2003

From the Back Cover

"Symes's well-written explanations and heavily illustrated examples of video compression make this important topic accessible to readers at all levels. His book is recommended reading for all new members of my group."

TAKE THE MYSTERY OUT OF--

The core technology of digital TV ...
Digital HDTV …
Movies on DVD …
Videoconferencing, streaming video, video on the web ...
Delivering video on demand...
Scrunching vast image files through narrow bandwidths quickly...
The Complete Guide to Video Compression for Internet, Hobby, and Professional Use

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

CD-ROM Included
Encoders and decoders for DCT, wavelet, and fractal
algorithms; video samples galore.

Product Details

• Paperback: 346 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional Publishing (December 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071363246
• ISBN-13: 978-0071363242
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,004,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superseded, April 26, 2004

By 

Peter D. Symes "petersymes" (Grass Valley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Video Compression Demystified (Paperback)

This book is superseded by my 2003 book "Digital Video Compression", ISBN 0071424873
Peter Symes
Author

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This is a technology 'review', not a technology reference., February 7, 2004

By 

Joe Briggs (manchester, nh United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Video Compression Demystified (Paperback)

I am an engineer who purchased this book seeking low level details that described file and data formats such that I could write software which interpreted, analyzed, compressed, or displayed compressed video. This book is written for salesman and marketing people who need a high-level description of the various types of video compression and formats without going into any implementation deails. The front cover highlights on insided content is misleading. A totally useless book for engineers - save your money.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book on Fundamentals of DV, December 11, 2003

By 

Hugh McCabe (Dublin 8 Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Video Compression Demystified (Paperback)

I think this book is excellent and so far, the only text I have found that covers the technological fundamentals of digital video without resorting to complex mathematics. The section on the DCT transform is worth the cover price alone as it manages to explain a seriously difficult topic in simple language.

The comment in the previous review about MP3 is a little unfair in that MP3 has nothing to do with MPEG-3 at all and is in fact a subset of the MPEG-2 standard (which is covered in detail in the book). MPEG-3 was abandoned early in its development process and hence it is entirely correct that the reviewer should focus on MPEG-2 and MPEG-4.