Quantisierungswerte

Quantisierungswerte, also known as quantization levels or quantized values, are the discrete, finite set of numerical values that a continuous range of data can be represented by. This process is fundamental to digital signal processing and data compression. When a continuous analog signal is converted into a digital format, its amplitude is sampled at specific intervals. These sampled values, which can theoretically be any real number, are then mapped to the nearest available value within a predefined set of discrete levels.

The number of available quantization levels is determined by the number of bits used to represent each sample. For instance, an 8-bit system allows for 2^8 = 256 distinct quantization levels, while a 16-bit system offers 2^16 = 65,536 levels. A higher number of quantization levels leads to a more accurate representation of the original signal, reducing the error introduced during the quantization process, known as quantization error or quantization noise. Conversely, fewer quantization levels result in a coarser representation and a more significant quantization error.

The choice of quantization levels is crucial for the performance of digital systems. In audio and image processing, for example, carefully designed quantization schemes aim to minimize perceptible distortion. Techniques like non-uniform quantization are employed where the levels are not evenly spaced, allowing for greater precision in regions of the signal where amplitude variations are more critical. The specific values assigned to these levels can vary depending on the application and the desired trade-off between accuracy and data size.