Datavideo SE-500 Instruction Manual page 37

Impedance: A.C. resistance in an electrical circuit, measured in Ohms. Impedances must be matched in
audio circuits to avoid distortion and the introduction of noise.
Key: 1) in lighting, short for key light, the principle (usually brightest) light used to illuminate the main
subject;
2) to switch between two or more video sources using a control signal;
3) an image whose color or brightness is used to determine the switching between two or more video
signals.
Level: another word for signal strength, power, volume.
Line level: an audio signal level, between –10dBu and +30dBu, likely to be the output of a cassette deck or
CD player as opposed to that of a microphone. Line level signals are most often unbalanced
Luminance: the brightness or intensity of an image, in particular the brightness without regard to color.
Microphone level: a high sensitivity audio input intended for low level signals, such as a microphone,
typically below –30dBu.
Non-linear editing (NLE): video editing methods that record source clips on a hard disk, allowing the user to
assemble the clips into any order and see the result without shuttling through the tape from
beginning to end.
Overdub: to add a signal or channel to existing material, especially audio.
Overlay: to show one image (still, moving, or text) on top of another image.
Pan: moving the camera or point of view horizontally. See also tilt, zoom.
Parameter: a limit, boundary, or defining term.
Pixel: picture element, the smallest part of a picture that can be addressed or changed in a digital image.
Posterize: to transform an image to a more stark form by rounding all tonal values to a smaller number of
possible values, with the result being visible banding.
Resolution: a measure of the detail in an image or a sound. Image resolution is often described in pixels
(i.e., 1024 x 768 pixels) or bit depth (i.e., 8 or 10 bit). Sound resolution is described in terms of
sampling frequency (kHz.) and bit depth. The higher the numbers, the greater the possible detail.
RGB: one format of component video; one of the descriptions of component color space, in this case Red,
Green, Blue. See also Y.U.V.
Sampling frequency: the number of times per second that a sound's waveform is captured and converted to
digital form, expressed as kiloHertz (kHz.).
Saturation: indicates the strength or richness of a color; from paint mixing terminology, the amount of the
color pigment in the mix.
SDI: Serial Digital Interface, a standard for 10 bit digital video with a transfer rate of up to 270 Mbps.
Shot: a single continuous run of film or videotape.
Signal: an electrical current that transmits video or audio information.
SMPTE: the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, the standard-setting professional
organization for American television.
Solarize: to invert a range of brightness values in an image.
S-video: Y/C separated video, used with a specific round, 4 pin plug.
Sync: electronic pulses that synchronize the scan rates of different components (cameras, recorders,
switcher, etc.) in a video system.
THD (Total Harmonic Distortion): Of a signal (most often audio), the ratio of the sum of the powers of all
harmonic frequencies above the fundamental to the power of the fundamental, usually expressed in
dB. Useful measurement of the accuracy of an amplifier or signal processor.
Tilt: camera movement of pointing the lens up or down
Time Base Corrector (TBC): a frame synchronizer used to correct timing errors in a video stream.
Unbalanced: an audio circuit in which the 2 legs are not balanced with respect to ground. Less expensive to
make, but more susceptible to noise and distortion.
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