(1) In statistics, the analysis of a group by determining the characteristics of a significant percentage of its members chosen at random.
(2) Converting analog signals into digital form. Audio and other analog signals are continuous waveforms that are analyzed at various points in time and converted into digital samples. The accuracy with which the digital samples reflect their analog origins is based on "sampling rate" and "sample size."
Sampling Rate - When to Measure
The sampling rate is the number of times per second that the waveform is measured, which typically ranges from 8 to 192 thousand times per second (8 kHz to 192 kHz). The greater the rate, the higher the frequency that can be captured.
The sampling rate must be at least twice that of the analog frequency being captured. For example, the sampling rate used to create the digital data on a CD is 44.1 kHz, slightly more than double the 20kHz frequency an average person can hear. The sampling rate for digitizing voice for a toll-quality conversation is typically 8,000 times per second (8 kHz), twice the 4 kHz required for the full spectrum of the human voice. See analog and Nyquist theorem.
Sample Size - The Measurement
Also called "resolution" and "precision," the sample size is the measurement of each sample point on a numeric scale. Known as "quantizing," the sample point is turned into the closest whole number. The more granular the scale (the more increments), the more accurate the digital sample represents the original analog signal. See oversampling, quantization and PCM.
Sampling Sound
The faster the sampling rate and the larger the sample size, the more accurately sound can be digitized. An 8-bit sample breaks the sound wave into 255 increments compared with 65,535 for a 16-bit sample.
Sampling Dialog
This recording dialog from an earlier Sound Blaster sound card shows typical sampling options for digitizing sound into Windows WAV files.
(2) Converting analog signals into digital form. Audio and other analog signals are continuous waveforms that are analyzed at various points in time and converted into digital samples. The accuracy with which the digital samples reflect their analog origins is based on "sampling rate" and "sample size."
Sampling Rate - When to Measure
The sampling rate is the number of times per second that the waveform is measured, which typically ranges from 8 to 192 thousand times per second (8 kHz to 192 kHz). The greater the rate, the higher the frequency that can be captured.
The sampling rate must be at least twice that of the analog frequency being captured. For example, the sampling rate used to create the digital data on a CD is 44.1 kHz, slightly more than double the 20kHz frequency an average person can hear. The sampling rate for digitizing voice for a toll-quality conversation is typically 8,000 times per second (8 kHz), twice the 4 kHz required for the full spectrum of the human voice. See analog and Nyquist theorem.
Sample Size - The Measurement
Also called "resolution" and "precision," the sample size is the measurement of each sample point on a numeric scale. Known as "quantizing," the sample point is turned into the closest whole number. The more granular the scale (the more increments), the more accurate the digital sample represents the original analog signal. See oversampling, quantization and PCM.
Sampling Sound
The faster the sampling rate and the larger the sample size, the more accurately sound can be digitized. An 8-bit sample breaks the sound wave into 255 increments compared with 65,535 for a 16-bit sample.
Sampling Dialog
This recording dialog from an earlier Sound Blaster sound card shows typical sampling options for digitizing sound into Windows WAV files.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2008 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- Fortune 500 companies use of email spoofing countermeasures declining
- Here's a paradox - a technology originally meant to verify the sender of an email message for the sake of preventing spoofed messages from reaching the network, still hasn't been embraced by the world's biggest companies despite being around for years, but is actively used by adaptive spammers increasingly abusing...
- Blog posts 2008-08-19
- Softe Video Converter (exe)
- Softe Video Converter is an application for converting video files. It can convert ASF, WMV, MOV, FLV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, DAT VCD, VOB DVD, 3GP, AVI to MPEG-1, MPEG-2, 3GP, AVI, FLV, MP4. The application features conversion among different resolution, sampling rates and stereo/mono channels. Batch conversion support. It provides mute...
- Software downloads 2008-08-07
- Microsoft finalizes Windows XP for OLPC laptops
- Microsoft finalizes Windows XP for OLPC laptopsjust thinknow instead of being stuck in a little puddle they can go out there and swim in the ocean of windows applications like the rest of us - a zillion kids just smiledlinuxhelp.net:~# apt-get install mozilla-firefoxReading Package Lists... DoneBuilding Dependency Tree... DoneThe following...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-25
- In America money is life
- In America money is lifeWhat a crock[i]while the U.S. is both rich and powerful, it is “woefully behind when it comes to providing opportunity and choices to all Americans to build a better life.”[/i] OK, let me get this straight. There is someplace else in the world that...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-17
- ScopePar (zip)
- ScopePar turns a PC into a multi-channel oscilloscope module utilizing the parallel port, the user interface to which is SeriCon on other PC. If you have an old PC, boot it by dos to run ScopePar and control it by SeriCon on your GUI PC through serial port. The free...
- Software downloads 2008-07-14
- So about that Microsoft licensing
- So about that Microsoft licensingpenny wise and pound foolishIts not about giving $20K to Redmond. Its about users/teachers being productive and getting the work done so that they have more time to focus on the students.Saving $100 for a licence over the life of the software is nothing. Office is...
- Discussion threads 2008-07-02
- SurveyMiner (zip)
- SurveyMiner turns Microsoft Excel into a powerful survey analysis and tabulation package. If your survey responses are already collected, SurveyMiner is the software to get the most of your data. SurveyMiner adds to Excel: advanced coding functions, crosstabulations, banner tables, multiple response variables, long labels, missing data estimation, data cleaning,...
- Software downloads 2008-06-25
- Why is Microsoft sponsoring the Open Source Census?
- Why is Microsoft sponsoring the Open Source Census?Microsoft sees RedHat and Novell making...money with open source. They are looking to see if it is a market they can tap into as well. Microsoft would rather make money from Open Source than try to kill it - something they have found...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-16
- Enterprise 2.0: my $0.02
- Enterprise 2.0 is over for another year and despite a poor start, the event turned out well. I attribute the poor start to the performance of Oracle and Microsoft: two of Jevon MacDonald's 'drag queens.' Both seemed tired, dated and out of touch with the mood of the new generation...
- Blog posts 2008-06-13
- Snow Leopard to leave PowerPC users out in the cold?
- Snow Leopard to leave PowerPC users out in the cold?Well, every platform eventually comes to an endIt does not mean that because the developer tools are "Intel only" the environment will be unable to generate PowerPC binaries, e.g., the gcc compiler can emit binaries for all manner of CPU architectures.Apple...
- Discussion threads 2008-06-11
- Amazon invests in user-generated shopping channel Talk Market
- Amazon said Monday that it has invested in The Talk Market, a user generated TV shopping channel. Terms of the investment, which closed in May, weren't disclosed, but the move does make you go hmm. In the case of Talk...
- Blog posts 2008-06-09
- Black Hat Vegas '08: Sneak peek at some of the interesting attacks we will unveil
- John Heasman posted a sneak preview of our Black Hat presentation, which will happen in August in Las Vegas today. This particular attack is extremely interesting, multi-stage nastiness involving the use of Java to steal domain credentials. John describes this as: "I'm going to revisit an old...
- Blog posts 2008-06-06
- Demographics of an online music buyer
- Demographics of an online music buyerDownloaded music is terrible qualityNobody with ears, who listens to real music, could listen to downloaded music. CD's already use a sampling rate based on 1974 technology. The thought of compressing that further is ridiculous.
- Discussion threads 2008-06-02
- ScopeOnPC (zip)
- ScopeOnPC is a free software that uses the PC parallel port and an ADC Analog To Digital converter circuit to turn your PC into a full featured ocliloscope. Sampling: 100K Samples per second DOS version -100KHz Sampling: 40K Samples per second Windows version - 40KHz -5 V To +5V Input...
- Software downloads 2008-06-02
- Spectro Frequency Analyzer (exe)
- Spectro Frequency Analyzer 1.0 software provides you with the ability to perform real-time frequency measurements using your PC or laptop sound card. The program computes, in real-time, the averaged auto power spectrum of the time signal recorded by a microphone, connected to the sound card. Sampling rates of 8 kHz...
- Software downloads 2008-05-26
- Does open source mandate change in copyright law?
- Does open source mandate change in copyright law?I don't see where open source fitsOpen source is just being able to see the source which is protected by copyright and sometimes patents as well. What license one uses to authorized use of the software really is irrelevant. It might be a...
- Discussion threads 2008-05-21
- Buying from the enemy
- Last week zdnet bloggers Richard Koman and Michael Krigsman independently responded to the news that the FBI has been pursuing a major criminal investigation into the sale of counterfeit IT components - particularly Cisco routers. As part of his report Krigsman...
- Blog posts 2008-05-17
- Monitoringz (exe)
- Monitoringz is a multiuser server-client software application designed for input, storage and processing of sampling results of microbial cleanliness and number of airborne particles in clean production areas, usually called "environmental monitoring". It is designed to meet demands of pharmaceutical and food industry. Application consists of two parts: database back-end...
- Software downloads 2008-05-16
- Satellites seeing clearly despite clouds
- Satellites seeing clearly despite cloudsThe key...The key to sampling clear-air for aerosols and other obscurants is through multi-spectral sampling. The algorighms help, but the problem is that current operational met satellites operate in the incorrect wavelengths. The future EOS sensors do have more spectral sensing capabilities and should...
- Discussion threads 2008-05-14
- Safari 3.1 adoption spikes for Windows
- Safari 3.1 adoption spikes for WindowsScaled growth...It's easy to "triple" your market share when your starting point is almost nil!So, according to this report, Apple's Safari 3.1 is now used by a whopping .21% of all Internet users? (Please note the "." in ".21%")I think this easily falls within...
- Discussion threads 2008-05-01
Neighboring Terms
Premier Vendor Content Whitepapers, webcasts & resources from our Power Center Sponsors
- Intel IT Data Center Efficiency Initiative - Going Green
-
"See how Intel is consolidating down to 8 global data center hubs through the use of consolidation, virtualization and standardization. The initiative is expected to save Intel $1.8B by project completion.
- See how Intel plans to save $1.8 billion >>
Ultraportables
- Understanding Ultraportable Laptops (BNET)
- Five steps to protect mobile devices anywhere, anytime (TechRepublic)
- View all ZDNet Toshiba laptop reviews
- From our sponsors
- Toshiba Satellite® U400 Series
-
- The ultra-portable, ultra-stylish Satellite® U405 is a smart choice for you and your small business. Only from the laptop expert, Toshiba. Explore the complete laptop lineup »
-
