Generalized Kraft Inequality and Arithmetic Coding
by J. J. Rissanen
Algorithms for encoding and decoding finite strings over a finite alphabet are described. The coding operations are arithmetic involving rational numbers li as parameters such that ∑i 2−li ≤ 2−ε. This coding technique requires no blocking, and the per-symbol length of the encoded string approaches the associated entropy within ε. The coding speed is comparable to that of conventional coding methods.
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