Glossary - Philips DVD580M Owner's Manual

44 Glossary

Analog: Sound that has not been turned into numbers. Analog sound varies, while digital sound has
specific numerical values. Analog sound is available when you use the red and white, left and right audio
jacks on your equipment. These jacks send audio through two channels, the left and right.
Bit Rate: The amount of data used to hold a given length of music; measured in kilobits per seconds,
or kbps. Or, the speed at which you record. Generally, the higher the bit rate, or the higher the
recording speed, the better the sound quality. However, higher bit rates use more space on a disc.
For example, an MP3 music file recorded at 32 kbps will record slowly, use the least Disc space, and
have the poorest sound quality. But, an MP3 music file recorded at 96 kbps will record quicker, use
more Disc space, and have significantly better sound quality.
CD: Compact Disc (audio).
COAXIAL jack: Sends digital audio to a Stereo, allowing you to adjust the volume at the Stereo.
The Stereo must have a Coaxial In jack. This connection provides the 5.1 channel surround sound as
heard in movie theaters.
Component Video: Use the Pr Pb Y jacks on the rear of the Player to send high-quality video to a
TV that has Component Video In jacks.
Digital: Sound that has been converted into numerical values. Digital sound is available when you use
the COAXIAL or OPTICAL Digital Audio jacks. These jacks send audio through multiple channels,
instead of just two channels as analog does.
Direct Stream Digital (DSD): New technology used to record Super Audio CDs. DSD uses a 1-
bit system with a digital sampling frequency 64 times higher than a regular Audio CD, resulting in a fre-
quency response of over 50 kHz and a 120 dB dynamic range.
Dolby Digital: A surround sound system that provides 5.1 channel sound as used in movie theaters.
DTS: Digital Theater Systems. This is a surround sound system, but it is different from Dolby Digital.
The formats were developed by different companies.
DVD: Digital Video Disc.
Letterbox: A TV aspect ratio setting (4:3). Displays the video in full-width, with black bars at the top
and bottom of the TV screen. This format is similar to seeing a movie in a theater. If the Disc does not
include a letterbox format , selecting Letterbox may have no effect. (For example, some DVDs are
two-sided, with one side playing in Letterbox and the other side playing in a normal format.) DVDs
may refer to Letterbox as the Widescreen format.
Multichannel sound: Available when you connect the Player to a six-channel Receiver. The Receiver
sends sound to six speakers: front left and right, rear or surround left and right, center, and sub-
woofer.
OPTICAL Jack: Converts electrical signals into optical signals before sending the audio to the
Stereo. Optical audio is not prone to external electrical influences and has less noise, which reduces
adverse effects on external equipment. Be sure to keep the protective cap on the jack when the jack is
not in use. This keeps dust out of the jack.
Pan & Scan: A TV aspect ratio setting (4:3). Displays the video with full-height picture, with one or
both sides of the picture trimmed. Some movie companies refer to this as "reformatting the picture to
fit your TV screen."
Super Audio Compact Disc (SACD): There are three types of Super Audio CDs: single-layer,
dual-layer, and hybrid. Each may contain two areas of recorded audio: High Quality (HQ) Stereo and
High Quality (HQ) Multi-channel.
Hybrid SACDs may contain both HQ Stereo and HQ Multi-channel, plus a standard CD layer, making
it playable on standard CD players. Check the SACD Disc case to determine what type of SACD you
have. This Player will play only the CD layer (if it is available on the SACD).
S-Video: Produces a clearer picture by sending separate signals for the luminance and the color. If
you connect an S-Video cable, you will not need to use the supplied yellow video cable. You can use S-
Video only if your TV has an S-Video In jack.
VIDEO Jack: Yellow jack on the rear of the Player that sends video to a TV.
Widescreen: A TV aspect ratio setting (16:9). Displays the video appropriately when you connect
the Player to a widescreen TV.