Decimation vs downsampling

Loosely speaking, “decimation” is the process of reducing the sampling rate. In practice, this usually implies lowpass-filtering a signal, then throwing away some of its samples. “Downsampling” is a more specific term which refers to just the process of throwing away samples, without the lowpass filtering operation.

1. What is the difference between decimation and interpolation?
2. What is decimation used for?
3. What is meant by downsampling?
4. What are the differences between downsample and Upsample?

What is the difference between decimation and interpolation?

Decimation and interpolation are the two basic building blocks in the multirate digital signal processing systems. The decimator is utilized to decrease the sampling rate and interpolator to increase the sampling rate.

What is decimation used for?

Decimation is useful in applications in which the Nyquist frequency of a signal is much higher than the highest frequency of the signal. Decimation filters help you remove the excess bandwidth and reduce the sampling frequency of the signal.

What is meant by downsampling?

(1) To make a digital audio signal smaller by lowering its sampling rate or sample size (bits per sample). Downsampling is done to decrease the bit rate when transmitting over a limited bandwidth or to convert to a more limited audio format. Contrast with upsample.

What are the differences between downsample and Upsample?

Downsampling, which is also sometimes called decimation, reduces the sampling rate. Upsampling, or interpolation, increases the sampling rate. Before using these techniques you will need to be aware of the following.