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Glite Dictionary
quantizer

quantizer

9.4
A device or program that changes a smooth signal into a few fixed numbers
  • noun
  • /ˈkwɒnˌtaɪzər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cuantizador
  • The quantizer converts the continuous audio signal into discrete digital values for clarity.

No big the piano if you if you think McCoy Tyner was good at moving with a bar quantizers the piano.

Examples

  • Magellan sends the time-delay and Doppler-shift data back to Earth after an on-board computer, called a block-adaptive quantizer, samples every eight-bit unit and condenses it to two bits.

    Academic text (1991)

  • In this case, the user may customize the palette to the particular image being displayed, yielding much better quality than would be possible with an image-independent uniform quantizer.

    Academic text (1992)

  • So the problem here is the quantizer produces the symbols here.

  • So a scalar quantizer then it's just a map of this form.

  • A digital quantizer makes it possible to compress large data files into smaller, manageable sizes.

  • In signal processing, a quantizer increases the efficiency of data transmission by simplifying data representation.

Synonyms

digitizer
vsquantizer
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A device that changes touch or electrical signals into digital data for computers

produces discrete value sets rather than data formatted for computer systems
analog-to-digital converter
vsquantizer
  • Specialized
4.7

A device that changes real signals like sound into digital numbers a computer can use

produces discrete value sets from continuous signals rather than full digital streams

Surface Forms

quantizer singular
quantizers plural

Morphology

quantizer = quantize (transparent) = quantize + er

Regular agentive derivation from the verb 'quantize' (verb + -er) yields 'one that quantizes'; the relationship is straightforward for learners who know the verb.

Etymology

The word quantizer comes from the root quant meaning 'how much', the same root as quantity, and the ending -ize means 'make' while -er names 'something that does this'. So a quantizer is a tool that turns a smooth signal into fixed 'amounts' or 'levels', which explains its use in digital sound and images.