CIE-Group's Glossary of AV terms
CIE-Group's Glossary of AV terms | |
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24fps (24p) |
Refers to a video format that operates at 24 frames per second remove with progressive scanning. |
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4K Resolution |
4K Ultra High Definition (UHD) is the next generation of improved resolution television, providing 3840 x 2160 pixels. |
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5 GHz |
Wireless technology using the unlicensed 5GHz frequency bands. |
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50 Hz |
Common Frame rate (image change rate) for video within Europe. |
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60 Hz |
Common Frame rate (image change rate) for video within America/Japan. |
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5.1 |
Surround sound that delivers 6 Channels of audio, 5 standard speakers and 1 Sub-woofer. |
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7.1 |
Surround sound that delivers 8 Channels of audio, 7 standard speakers and 1 Sub-woofer. |
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ADC (A/D Converter) |
An IC Chip that converts analogue signals into digital. |
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AV |
Products for recording, processing or reproduction of picture and/or sound are given this label. |
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Bit |
In computer and digital terminology a bit is the smallest unit of data. It is expressed in binary notation so that it is either 0 or 1–basically an 'off' or an 'on' switch. The word 'bit' is an amalgam of 'binary' and 'digit'. |
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Bit rate |
The number of bits that are transferred or processed per unit of time. |
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Bitstream |
Is the digital form of Multi-channel audio data (e.g., 5.1 Channel) before it is decoded into its various formats. |
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Block Noise Reduction |
MPEG digital video compression works by compressing square areas of pixels. Under some conditions, an artifact called 'block noise' can occur in the picture. Block Noise Reduction processes the noise blocks so that they become less visible. |
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Blu-ray |
The Blu-ray Disc™ is a high-density optical disc format designed for storage of high-definition video and data. |
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Coaxial Digital Audio |
Coaxial digital cables are the most common type of connection cable used for digital audio. They look similar to the RCA cables that many people use and are familiar with. The only difference is that it carries digital instead of analogue signals. |
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Component Video |
Video signal is separated into its component form i.e. red, green (sync) and blue and referred to as YUV. (also see YPbPr and YCbCr). Component Video signal is the same as YUV where Y = luminance Pb = blue minus luminance and Pr = red minus luminance. |
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Composite Video |
The composite video signal is where the luminance and chrominance are mixed together with sink information down a single cable. |
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Chrominance |
Is the signal used in video systems to convey the colour information of the picture. |
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DAC (D/A converter) |
An IC Chip that converts digital signals into analogue. |
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Deep Colour |
Is a term used to describe a gamut (colour space) comprising a billion or more colours. The HDMI 1.3 specification supports Deep Colour bit depths. It defines bit depths for Deep Colour as 30 (10) bits (1.073 billion colours), 36 (12) bits (68.71 billion colours) and 48 (16) bits (281.5 trillion colours). |
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Dolby TrueHD |
Dolby TrueHD is an advanced lossless Multi-channel audio codec developed by Dolby Laboratories which is intended primarily for high-definition home-entertainment equipment such as Blu-ray discs. |
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Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) |
A digital audio compression format developed from the earlier Dolby Digital, increasing quality and available Channels. |
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DTS-HD Master Audio |
Is a lossless audio codec created by Digital Theater Systems, developed from the earlier DTS with increased sampling frequency and bit rate. |
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Dynamic Range |
Dynamic range describes the ratio of the quietist sound to the loudest sound in a musical instrument or piece of electronic equipment. |
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Downscaling |
Is the reduction of video signal from one size (resolution) to another. |
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DVI |
Digital Video Interface is a video interface standard designed to provide very high visual quality on digital display devices such as flat panel LCD displays and digital projectors. |
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Digital Noise Reduction |
Eliminates unwanted colour noise from the video signal for smoother image reproduction. |
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De-interlaced Video |
A video image is made up of a series of still images played in rapid succession, this is divided into a series of scan lines drawn on the display, de-interlaced video draws all these scan lines in one pass. |
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EDID |
EDID ('Extended Display Identification Data' for short!) is a data command structure provided from a digital display (ie. Screen, TV or projector) which communicates its capabilities to the AV system. EDID data typically includes manufacturer name, model and serial number, display size, resolution, luminance information, etc. |
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Ethernet |
A PC interface used to connect computers and peripherals in a Local Area Network (LAN). |
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Full HD |
1920 x 1080p (progressive) video resolution. |
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HD |
High Definition. |
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HD Ready |
TVs that can display High Definition content in both 720p and 1080i formats as a minimum standard. |
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HDD |
Hard disk drive. |
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HDTV |
High definition television. |
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HDBaseT |
Transmits converged uncompressed full HD digital video, audio, 100 BaseT Ethernet, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) and various control signals through a single Cat5e/6/7 cable over distance of up to 100 metres. Utilising its full features is know as HDBaseT '5Play'. |
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HDBaseT Lite |
Reduced function, lower cost version of HDBaseT; this 3Play 'Lite'version transmits HD video, audio and control signals through a single Cat5e/6/7 cable over distance of up to 60 metres. |
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HDMI |
Stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface and provides an easy and convenient way of connecting digital audio-video components. |
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HDMI v1.x |
Different HDMI specifications released by HDMI LLC. |
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HDCP |
Stands for High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection. It is a copy-protection scheme developed by Intel to be used in conjunction with DVI and HDMI connections. |
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Interlaced Video |
A video image is made up of a series of still images played in rapid succession; this is divided into a series of scan lines drawn on the display. Interlaced video draws all these scan lines in two passes. |
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IP |
Internet protocol. |
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IR |
Infrared, commonly used as a wireless line of sight control for AV equipment. |
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JPEG |
JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, a consortium that has developed and spread this format worldwide. It is a compression format that efficiently stores digital images. |
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LCD |
Liquid Crystal Display, high quality LCD display gives a clearer picture with excellent colour, contrast and detail, also used with some projectors. |
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LED |
Light-emitting Diode, a semiconductor device that emits visible light when an electric current passes through it. |
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LPCM |
Linear Pulse Code Modulation is an uncompressed audio technology. Instead of compressing sound data, it simply stores the information as it is, giving you an exact copy of the original. Various bit and sampling rates can be used. |
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Luminance |
This is the signal used in video systems to convey the light information of the picture. |
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MPEG4 |
Stands for Motion Picture Experts Group and represents a family of digital audio and video coding standards. MPEG4 has a high compression ratio, which creates a small file size that is suitable for personal computer and Internet applications. |
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Motion Adaptive Field Noise Reduction |
This new noise-reduction technology reduces background noise, without having an effect on moving objects. |
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NTSC |
In the US and Japan, NTSC (National Standards Television Committee) is the standard used for all video equipment. NTSC uses 525 lines to make up a TV picture and scans at 60 Hz. |
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OSD |
On Screen Display. |
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Optical digital cables use the Toslink connector, these use pulses of light to transmit digital audio data. Optical uses light thus it is immune to interference from electromagnetic and radio frequencies. |
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PAL |
Phase Alternation Line, this is the video standard used most commonly in Europe. PAL uses 625 lines to make up a TV picture and scans at 50Hz. |
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PCM |
Pulse Code Modulation, digital bitstream audio format commonly supporting 16 bit up to 48kHz sampling frequency in stereo. |
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Pixel |
Short for Picture Element, Pixels are the tiny dots of information that make up a digital image. The more pixels there are on the camera's image sensor (CCD or CMOS) or display, the higher the image resolution will be. |
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Progressive Scan |
A sales term for describing de-interlaced video. |
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PVR |
Personal Video Recorder, a device that records video without videotapes or discs. |
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Pass Through |
Video by-pass output; outputs an additional copy of the original input signal. |
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Receiver (RX) |
Receives AV signals through various interconnects after being sent by compatible transmitter. |
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RCA |
Recording Company of America, RCA (or Phono) is the standard way of connecting audio and video components. |
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RGB |
Stands for red, green and blue. A video connector or lead which offers RGB output carries these primary colours separately for greater picture quality. |
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RJ45 |
The RJ45 is a connector used on CAT cabling for connecting computers and other devices to local area networks (LANs). |
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RS-232 |
Is a voltage loop interface for two-way (full-duplex) communication. |
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Resolution |
The amount of pixels in an image. The higher the resolution, the more detailed the picture will be. |
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Secam |
The French broadcast system. Sequential Coleur A Memoire uses 625 lines scanned at 50Hz. |
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S-Video |
A high quality video connection which offers better picture quality than standard composite video. S-Video cables have round, mini four-pin plugs and sockets. |
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Sampling Rate |
Sampling is the process of converting the heights of a sound wave (analogue signal) taken and converted at set periods into digits (digital encoding). Sampling frequency is the number of samples taken per second, so larger numbers mean more faithful reproduction of the original sound. |
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SCART |
An audio/video connector to carry the audio & video signals on one convenient cable. |
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SD |
Standard Definition, traditional format used for TV made up of 576 (visible) Horizontal lines (PAL). |
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Stereo |
Stereophonic sound, commonly called stereo, is the reproduction of sound using two or more independent audio Channels through a symmetrical configuration of loudspeakers in such a way as to create the impression of sound heard from various directions, as in natural hearing. |
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TBC |
Time Base Corrector, ensures optimum playback picture quality even in freeze frames or slow motion and also compensates for any irregular movement of the tape transportation mechanism. |
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Transmitter |
Transmits AV signal through various interconnects and is accepted by a compatible receiver. |
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Toslink |
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USB |
Universal Serial Bus. A connection port for transferring digital data, generally used on PCs. |
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USB 3.0 |
The latest revision of USB utilises a new transfer technology called 'SuperSpeed' which as the name suggests! significantly increases data transfer speeds compared with the previous USB 2.0. In fact, USB 3.0 achieves transfer rates of up to 4.8Gb per second up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0. |
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Upscaling |
Is the conversion of a video signal from one size (resolution) to another, upscalers increase the resolution. |
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Wireless |
Devices which are Wi-Fi or Wireless enabled are able to connect to a local area network and send/receive data without the need for a physical (wired) connection. |
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xvYCC |
Extended gamut YCC (also called x.v.Colour) is a colour space that can be used in the video electronics of television sets to support a gamut 1.8 times larger than that of standard sRGB colour space. |
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YPbPr |
Refers to Component video (YUV) at a higher resolution than standard definition. |
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YCbCr |
Refers to Component video (YUV) at standard definition. |