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

•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.

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.