Quantization is inherently lossy because it discards information between input and output

Evidence

Quantization is the process of taking an audio, or video, signal and convert­ ing it to a discrete set of levels. The input to this process may be from a con­ tinuous audio signal, like the one you get from a microphone, or may be from an already quantized signal, for example, the signal from a compact disc. An important parameter is the number of levels in the quantizer. This is due to the fact that the act of quantization is lossy because it throws away informa­ tion. If the input signal is not exactly the same as the desired output then there will be an error between the input and the output, as shown in Figure 7.35. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 2650

Categorization

• DEFINE: Foundational definition of quantization and the number-of-levels parameter central to understanding digital audio.