<algorithm> A term describing a data compression algorithm
which actually reduces the amount of information in the data,
rather than just the number of bits used to represent that
information. The lost information is usually removed because
it is subjectively less important to the quality of the data
(usually an image or sound) or because it can be recovered
reasonably by interpolation from the remaining data.
MPEG and JPEG are examples of lossy compression
techniques.
Opposite: lossless.
(1995-03-29)
Nearby terms:
lossless « lossless audio compression « Lossless Predictive Audio Compression « lossy » lossy audio compression » lost in the noise » lost in the underflow
