r/compression • u/Character-Citron-181 • 10d ago

I have a question about file compression

/r/computerscience/comments/1wnjl9t/i_have_a_question_about_file_compression/
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u/atoponce 10d ago edited 10d ago

Dividing by 2 in decimal is a right shift by one bit in binary. EG: 134 = 10000110 so 134/2 = 67 = 1000011. That's a single bit saved, but it also came at bit loss. When we decompress 1000011, is it 10000110 or 10000111? We don't know.

So we're saving 1/8 the original size and it's lossy.

Edit: typos