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Video Compression Made Easy to Understand
The squeeze is on! And it is radically changing the face of television, broadcasting and computers.
Digital video compression technology may not sound very exciting, but it could turn out to be one of the most revolutionary and far reaching technologies of the century. It is already having such a profound effect on so many different areas of electronic communications, from satellite broadcasting and computer/multimedia to telephone delivery of video, it is impossible to list them all quickly. But it is clear that anyone working in audio, video or digital communications needs to understand what video compression is, what it does, and how it works.
To make it easier to understand what Discrete Cosine Transform and I, P, and B Frames are all about, an instructional videotape has just been released called "The New Age of Digital Video Compression." The seemingly arcane world of MPEG encoding and variable data rates becomes not only clear and comprehensible, but even enjoyable, thanks to the liberal use of animated computer graphics, simple language and concise analogies.
The expert information is provided by the well known technical author and satellite industry consultant, Mark Long. He leads the viewer through the complex world of digital compression by starting with very basic and fundamental concepts and working up to the more complex issues in easy to understand steps.
First, Mr. Long explains what video compression is and why we need it. For perspective, he gives us a brief look at the history of compression and then shows many real world examples of how compression is already being used.
The "New Age of Digital Video Compression" offers us a virtual short course on the technical concepts used in video compression. Subjects like "motion compensation," "quantization," and "I, P, and B frames" are demystified and made easy to grasp through the use of computer animation. Actual examples of compressed video are shown at various MPEG encoded data rates. Video compressed by both Scientific Atlanta and Compression Labs, Inc. (CLI) are shown.
Much of the video compression story is heard directly from leading industry figures who helped develop the technology and pioneer its use. Representatives from the following companies are interviewed: USSB - United States Broadcasting Co.; DirecTv; CLI - Compression Labs, Inc.; General Instrument; Scientific Atlanta; PanAmSat; and TV/COMM International.
"The New Age of Digital Video Compression" is the third videotape Mark Long has authored and presented for Shelburne Films, the producer. It is part of a videotape series about the uses and technology of satellite communications. The other two titles presented by Mr. Long are: "The World at 12 GigaHertz," an examination of Ku-band satellites; and "The Era of Direct Broadcast Satellites," which explores the high powered satellite /tiny dish boom around the world.
In addition, the Shelburne Satellite Communications Series includes other titles: "Satellite TV Basics," "Satellite Magic," "Satellite Installations," and "Satellite TV Technology Overview." The videotape series was designed to be used in the classroom and in corporate training programs.
For more information, contact the producer directly at: Shelburne Films, P.O. Box 6, Reedsville, Ohio 45772 or call 740-378-6297. FAX: 740-378-6191.
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Internet:
info@shelburnefilms.com