Video compression is a crucial technology that reduces the amount of data needed to represent

a video, making it more efficient for storage and transmission. Without it, streaming videos
online, storing movies on devices, and even video conferencing would be impractical due to the
massive file sizes involved.
Here's a breakdown of key aspects of video compression:
The Goal:
The primary goal of video compression is to reduce the file size of a video while maintaining an
acceptable level of visual quality. Ideally, the compressed video should be as close as possible
to the original, but a trade-off between file size and quality is often necessary.
How it Works: Exploiting Redundancy
Video compression algorithms work by identifying and eliminating redundant information within
and between video frames. There are two main types of redundancy:
●​ Spatial Redundancy (Intra-frame): This refers to the similarities within a single frame.
For example, large areas of the sky or a wall might have the same or very similar colors.
Compression techniques can store this information more efficiently.
●​ Temporal Redundancy (Inter-frame): This refers to the similarities between consecutive
frames. In many videos, the background remains relatively static, and only certain objects
move. Compression can focus on encoding the changes between frames rather than
re-encoding the entire scene repeatedly.
Types of Video Compression:
There are two main categories of video compression:
●​ Lossy Compression: This technique achieves significant file size reduction by
permanently removing some data from the video. The removed data is typically
information that the human eye is less likely to notice. Most video compression used for
streaming, DVDs, and digital broadcasts is lossy. Common lossy codecs include H.264
(AVC), H.265 (HEVC), VP9, and AV1.
○​ Pros: Significantly smaller file sizes, ideal for streaming and storage limitations.
○​ Cons: Some loss of video quality, which can become noticeable at high
compression ratios. The removed data cannot be recovered.
●​ Lossless Compression: This technique reduces file size without losing any of the
original data. The compressed video can be perfectly reconstructed to its original quality.
Lossless compression typically achieves much lower compression ratios than lossy
methods and is used in specific applications where quality is paramount, such as video
editing and archiving. Examples of lossless codecs for video are less common but exist in
professional workflows.
○​ Pros: No loss of video quality, ideal for editing and archiving.
○​ Cons: Larger file sizes compared to lossy compression, less suitable for general
distribution and streaming.
Key Video Compression Techniques:
Video compression algorithms employ various techniques, including:
●​ Intra-frame Compression (Spatial):
○​ Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT): Converts pixel data into frequency
components, allowing less important high-frequency information to be discarded.
○​ Quantization: Reduces the precision of the frequency coefficients, discarding less
significant information.
○​ Entropy Coding (e.g., Huffman Coding, Arithmetic Coding): Efficiently encodes
the remaining data by assigning shorter codes to more frequent symbols.
●​ Inter-frame Compression (Temporal):
 ○​ Motion Estimation and Compensation: Identifies moving objects between frames
and predicts their movement. Instead of re-encoding the entire object, only the
motion vectors and residual differences are encoded.
○​ Frame Types (I-frames, P-frames, B-frames):
■​ I-frames (Intra-frames or Keyframes): Encoded independently, like a still
image (using intra-frame compression). They serve as reference points.
■​ P-frames (Predictive frames): Predict changes from the previous I or P
frame, encoding only the differences and motion vectors.
■​ B-frames (Bi-predictive frames): Predict changes from both the preceding
and succeeding I or P frames, offering higher compression but requiring more
processing.
●​ Bitrate Control (CBR and VBR):
○​ Constant Bitrate (CBR): Maintains a consistent data rate throughout the video,
which can lead to wasted bandwidth in less complex scenes or quality drops in
more complex ones.
○​ Variable Bitrate (VBR): Adjusts the data rate based on the complexity of the
scene, allocating more bits to complex parts and fewer to simpler ones, generally
resulting in better quality for a given file size.
●​ Chroma Subsampling: Reduces the color information (chrominance) compared to the
brightness information (luminance), as the human eye is less sensitive to fine color
details.
Video Compression Standards (Codecs):
To ensure compatibility across different devices and platforms, various video compression
standards or codecs have been developed. These standards define how video should be
encoded and decoded. Some prominent video codecs include:
●​ H.264 (AVC - Advanced Video Coding): A widely adopted and efficient codec used for
Blu-ray, streaming, and broadcasting.
●​ H.265 (HEVC - High Efficiency Video Coding): Offers better compression efficiency
than H.264, allowing for higher quality at lower bitrates, especially for high-resolution
content (4K, HDR).
●​ VP9: An open and royalty-free codec developed by Google, commonly used for web
video (e.g., YouTube).
●​ AV1 (AOMedia Video 1): Another open and royalty-free codec with high compression
efficiency, gaining increasing adoption.
●​ MPEG-2: An older standard still used for DVDs and some broadcast systems.
●​ Motion JPEG (MJPEG): A simpler intra-frame compression method where each frame is
compressed as a JPEG image.
Applications of Video Compression:
Video compression is essential for a wide range of applications, including:
●​ Video Streaming (Netflix, YouTube, etc.)
●​ Digital Television Broadcasting
●​ Video Conferencing
●​ Video Storage (Blu-ray, digital video libraries)
●​ Video Editing
●​ Surveillance Systems
●​ Mobile Video Recording and Playback
Understanding video compression is crucial for anyone working with digital video, whether it's
for content creation, distribution, or consumption. The choice of compression techniques and
codecs significantly impacts file size, video quality, and compatibility.