Editing Digital data (section)

== Properties of digital information ==
All digital information possesses common properties that distinguish it from analog data with respect to communications:
* '''Synchronization:''' Since digital information is conveyed by the sequence in which symbols are ordered, all digital schemes have some method for determining the beginning of a sequence. In written or spoken human languages, synchronization is typically provided by [[pausa|pauses]] (spaces), [[capitalization]], and [[punctuation]]. Machine communications typically use special [[synchronization sequence]]s.
* '''Language:''' All digital communications require a ''[[formal language]]'', which in this context consists of all the information that the sender and receiver of the digital communication must both possess, in advance, for the communication to be successful. Languages are generally arbitrary and specify the meaning to be assigned to particular symbol sequences, the allowed range of values, methods to be used for synchronization, etc.
* '''Errors:''' Disturbances ([[noise (signal processing)|noise]]) in analog communications invariably introduce some, generally small deviation or error between the intended and actual communication. Disturbances in digital communication only result in errors when the disturbance is so large as to result in a symbol being misinterpreted as another symbol or disturbing the sequence of symbols. It is generally possible to have near-error-free digital communication. Further, techniques such as check codes may be used to [[Error detection and correction|detect errors and correct them]] through redundancy or re-transmission. Errors in digital communications can take the form of ''substitution errors,'' in which a symbol is replaced by another symbol, or ''insertion/deletion'' errors, in which an extra incorrect symbol is inserted into or deleted from a digital message. Uncorrected errors in digital communications have an unpredictable and generally large impact on the information content of the communication.
* '''[[data transmission|Copying]]:''' Because of the inevitable presence of noise, making many successive copies of an analog communication is infeasible because each generation increases the noise. Because digital communications are generally error-free, copies of copies can be made indefinitely.
* '''[[Granularity]]:''' The digital representation of a continuously variable analog value typically involves a selection of the number of symbols to be assigned to that value. The number of symbols determines the precision or resolution of the resulting datum. The difference between the actual analog value and the digital representation is known as ''[[quantization error]]''. For example, if the actual temperature is 23.234456544453 degrees, but only two digits (23) are assigned to this parameter in a particular digital representation, the quantizing error is 0.234456544453. This property of digital communication is known as ''granularity''.
* '''[[data compression|Compressible]]:''' According to Miller, "Uncompressed digital data is very large, and in its raw form, it would actually produce a larger signal (therefore be more difficult to transfer) than analog data. However, digital data can be compressed. Compression reduces the amount of bandwidth space needed to send information.  Data can be compressed, sent, and then decompressed at the site of consumption. This makes it possible to send much more information and results in, for example, [[digital television]] signals offering more room on the airwave spectrum for more television channels."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Miller |first=Vincent |title=Understanding digital culture |publisher=Sage Publications |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-84787-497-9 |location=London |at=sec. "Convergence and the contemporary media experience"}}</ref>