u-LAW and A-LAW definitions

u-LAW and A-LAW definitions A-law and u-law are companding schemesused in telephone network to get more dynamics to the 8 bit samplesthat is available with linear coding. Typically 12..14 bit samples(linear scale) sampled at 8 kHz sample are companded to 8 bit(logarithmic scale) for transmission over 64 kbit/s data channel.In the receiving end the data is then converter back to linearscale (12..14 bit) and played back. converted back u-law definitionu-LAW (pronounced mu-LAW) is

a-law definition A-LAW is

Values of u=100 and 255, A=87.6, mp is the Peak message value, m isthe current quantised message value. (The formulae get simpler ifyou substitute x for m/mp and sgn(x) for sgn(m); then -1<= x <= 1.) Converting from u-LAW toA-LAW is in a sense "lossy" since there are quantizing errorsintroduced in the conversion. "..the u-LAW used in North Americaand Japan, and the A-LAW used in Europe and the rest of the worldand international routes.." References: Modern Digital and AnalogCommunication Systems, B.P.Lathi., 2nd ed. ISBN 0-03-027933-XTransmission Systems for Communications, Fifth Edition, by Membersof the Technical Staff at Bell Telephone Laboratories, BellTelephone Laboratories, Incorporated, Copyright 1959, 1964, 1970,1982

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