32-bit to 16-bit Floating Point Conversion

When working with limited network bandwidth, converting from 32-bit to 16-bit floating point numbers can be beneficial for reducing the data size. Here's an example of a C library function that can perform this conversion:

template
This function, quick_encode_flt16, performs a fast conversion without rounding. For a more precise conversion with rounding support, you can use the following function:
template< typename F >
auto encode_flt16( F && value )
{ return flt16_encoder::encode< true >( std::forward< F >( value ) ); }
To decode the converted 16-bit floating point number back to the original 32-bit or 64-bit format, use the decode_flt16 function:
template< typename F = float, typename X >
auto decode_flt16( X && value )
{ return flt16_encoder::decode< F >( std::forward< X >( value ) ); }
These functions provide a convenient way to convert between 32-bit and 16-bit floating point numbers, allowing you to compress your data for network transmission without compromising precision as much as with fixed point formats.