Search for: [Abstract = "The paper treats data compression from the viewpoint of information theory where a certain error probability is tolerable. We obtain bounds for the minimal rate given an error probability for block\-coding of general stationary ergodic sources. An application of the theory of large deviations provides numerical methods to compute for memoryless sources, the minimal compression rate given a tolerable error probability. Interesting connections between Cramer's functions and Shannon's theory for lossy coding are found."]