Notes &
New algorithm promises 10x faster video compression
At the Association for Computing Machinery’s Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA) this week, a group of MIT researchers will present a new algorithm that, in a large range of practically important cases, improves on the fast Fourier transform, the mathematical operation used to decompose a function into its constituent frequencies. It is used to filter cell phone noise, generate WiFi transmissions, and compress audio, video, and image files.
Under some circumstances, the improvement can be dramatic — a tenfold increase in speed. The new algorithm could be particularly useful for image compression, enabling, say, smartphones to wirelessly transmit large video files without draining their batteries or consuming their monthly bandwidth allotments.
read the details at PhysOrg.com
