subject: The Difference Of Lossless And Lossy Avi Files [print this page] The AVI file format remains to be one of the toughest files to decipher, even during this age when processors are high and powerful, armed with large memories and a quick internet speed that would put dial up users to shame. As a high quality file, there is the need to always have it compressed for easier loading time and transmission speed as well. The sound and video files are one of the hardest files to process for any computer, no matter how powerful they are. And since AVI is the heaviest of the lot, you got the game here on end.
AVI files have two ways of compression, either by loss less compression or by the lossy compression. The two very much differs from the way they are compressed, and also with the resulting sound and video after the compression has taken place. Some looks plain nasty after compression. Others, there's barely a change in the quality, but there's barely any compression at all. It depends on the codec used.
In the loss less type of compression, there is almost no significant or insignificant data lost at the time of compression. What you placed inside the AVI file is just the same as what comes out. It's like wrapping something in paper. There is no reduction of size, nor quality in the video and sound. Most programs are compressed this way, more for protection rather than size compressed. It's because if they are compressed too much, the data is affected and the program will cease to function properly.
Lossy compression is done by eliminating unneeded parts in the file. This would include superhuman frequencies that are past the human ear's wavelength perception, and the removal of some colors. Unlike lossless compression, lossy compression produces a very high rate of compression, in as much as 50% to 80% in some cases. This however, results to a downgrade in quality, some noticeable, others not. The more noticeable the downgrade is, the higher the compression.
Uncompressed AVI files are quite large, and large is barely a word to describe it. Codecs are all around important as they significantly and greatly reduce file sizes via lossy compression. Depending on which codec would handle the raw file, the rate of compression and the type would vary.
