Data Compression

"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

"Salomon’s 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 book’s 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

•Differentialcompression

•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.

David Salomon is a professor emeritus of computer Science at California State University, Northridge. He has authored numerous articles and books, including Coding for Data and Computer Communications, Guide to Data Compression Methods, Data Privacy and Security, Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling, Foundations of Computer Security and Transformations and Projections in Computer Graphics.

From a review of a previous edition:

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

From the reviews of the fourth edition:

"A clear presentation of both the principles of data compression and all the important compression methods currently in use. The book is geared towards the nonspecialists. … can be a valuable reference for researchers with an interest in compression (or compression-related topics), engineers, and applied scientists working on products employing compression technology. … Overall, the book is an excellent reference on compression principles and methods for anyone with a general background in signal processing or computer science." (Shahram Shirani, IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, March, 2008)

"The author’s comprehensive and informative presentation of these topics courageously does away with most of the theoretical topics needed to support the concepts – which is most welcomed. … The text is easy to read… A collection of exercises for each chapter and a solid glossary are included. …the book is attractive to both the incidental reader (who needs a brief description and no details) and the more thorough one (who may use it for starting a research or teaching project). … The book’s size is alarmingly large, but appropriate for a complete reference work; it is rightfully titled." (Stefan Robila, ACM Computing Reviews, Vol. 49 (9), September 2008)

"Readers who rely on modern computing for their research and development projects will appreciate that data compression is one of its most important tools. … this is the fourth edition of this reference text it has obviously served this field well and has been updated to account for the strides that have been madein this field. … The new edition brings the text references to date and also introduces many new and important topics." (Kybernetes, Vol. 38 (5), 2009)