In Chapters 5 and 6, we described sound and light and their physical properties. In this chapter, we will discuss basic signal processing operations that are common initial steps of many algorithms for audio and video enhancement and content analysis.
Sampling and Quantization
As we explained in Chapter 4, a continuous function must be converted to a discrete form for representation and processing using a digital computer. The interface between the optical system that projects a scene onto the image plane and the computer must sample the image at a finite number of points and represent each sample within the finite word size of the computer. Likewise, the sound card samples the microphone output into a stream of numbers. In other words, in both cases, the matter to work with when doing computational audio and video processing is a stream of numbers that are representative of the signal at certain spatial or temporal points.
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