Data
Compression Software
Due to the advances of computer technology, most people became dependent on
different kinds of programs that require a lot of data. Examples of these
are, Music, Videos, Pictures and Other office data like Word Documents,
Excel Spreadsheets, etc. While a few other individuals need to use a complex
program (that usually requires a lot of data) in order to perform their jobs
easier. Examples: Video Editing Software, 3D Graphics Program.The effect of
this advancement in computer technology is the need for a lot of data space
in order to fit in more information and maintain function.
But not every computer can handle too much data and the solution to this
problem is Data Compression Software.Data Compression Software is basically
any program that can compress data into smaller chunks to be opened by a
similar or the same program in a different computer. This type of software
usually creates different kinds of compressed information. It can use CD’s,
DVD’s and other programs (like zip drives) to make the information software.
There are two types of data compression technologies available today namely:
Lossy and Loseless Compression.
1. Lossy Compression
Lossy compression means that if you take a file, compress it and then
decompress it – the decompressed file would be slightly altered from the
original one. The compression software not only represents the file’s data
more efficiently but it also removes data that it analyzed as being
unimportant or trivial. Lossy compression on the other hand is usually
applied to digital photos and graphic files. Such files include data and
details that the viewer would not be able to see even if it is removed. For
example, small color changes in a photo are usually not noticeable.
The other thing is, the decompressed file is not an exact match of the
original but when it is compared side by side the changes are usually
unnoticeable (this mostly applies to music, video and images).
Lossy compression software can be set to different levels of compression,
based on the amount of data you are willing to lose.
Most of the time, you have to consider where the copied file will be used,
because if it is only for a sample or draft, you can lose a lot of data and
the concept will remain the same.
2. Lossless Compression
Lossless compression simply means that if you take a file compress it and
then decompress it, the decompressed file would be the exact copy of the
original file. This is the best choice when dealing with information
that is sensitive to alteration or if the data is very important. With
lossless compression no data is lost in the compression process, the
compression software uses better representation of the data in the file but
it does not remove any data from it.
There are two disadvantages to this: One is the data compression software
used to do this is usually expensive and usually needs to be the exact
software when you open it. This gives other people a hard time to access the
information inside. The other problem is the data compressed still takes up
a lot of space, it can’t compress to more than 30% without having a lossy
compression. Now that you know the two kinds of compressions, you can now
select different programs that cater to both compressions. However, you
should know that there are different data compression software suited for
different needs like music, video and images. You just have to pick the best
data compression software that will fit your needs.
