Appendix; Glossary Of Terms - Datavideo SE-500 Instruction Manual

Appendix

Glossary of Terms

Analog video: a video signal that is recorded and played back using changes in magnetic levels recorded
on a tape or disk, e.g., the video we see when we watch a VHS videocassette.
Animation: a video or film sequence that gives the illusion of motion by presenting a series of images or
photographs.
Balanced audio: a 3 wire circuit for audio, with the 2 legs of the circuit balanced with respect to ground,
usually terminating in a 1/4" phone or XLR connector, having excellent noise rejection capability.
bit: the smallest unit of computer memory.
Black burst: video signal used to synchronize the scan timing of multiple devices.
BNC: a connector with a secure locking feature, used for video signals.
Brightness: the darkness or lightness of an image or color; see also, luminance
CD: compact disc, an optical recording system popular for audio and data.
CD-ROM: a subset of CD standards (ROM stands for "read only memory"); holds about 700 MB of data.
Chroma: the color component of a video signal.
Chroma key: a color-based video matte (overlay) system that drops all areas of a selected color, often green
or blue, from one image and replaces them with the corresponding areas of a second image.
Component video: video system where the color and luma components of the video signal are kept
separate (as Y.U.V. or RGB, etc) to maintain highest image quality.
Composite: 1) the combination of several images into one; 2) video system where the color (chroma) and
brightness (luma) signals are combined into one waveform.
Compression: translating data into a more compact form by discarding redundant information, then
reconstructing the data to its original form; can be either lossless or lossy.
Color correction: the use of filters, processing amplifiers, and other software and/or hardware devices to
correct a video image
dB: a unit of measurement for audio signal levels.
Digital video: a method of representing still or moving images by number values instead of by varying
magnetic levels (analog video).
Dub: a copy.
DV: a digital video format recorded at 25 Mbps using (roughly) 5:1 compression.
DVCAM: Sony's version of native DV format in a professional sized tape format.
EBU: European Broadcasters Union, the professional standard setting organization for European television.
Field: for a video signal, a set of lines produced by one sweep down the screen. For interlaced video (what
we watch on TV), it takes two such fields to make one frame (complete image).
Filter: 1) A partially transparent material that passes or blocks certain light colors;
2) An electronic circuit or unit that passes or blocks signals of a particular type or frequency;
3) Any circuit or device (hardware or software) that shapes or conditions a signal or information.
FireWire: Apple Computer's trademarked name for IEEE1394.
Frame: 1) to compose a shot in video or film, to make the image fit into the "frame" of the screen;
2) a complete video image.
Frame synchronizer: a digital buffer that stores a frame of video, compares the sync information to a
reference, and releases the frame at a specific time to adjust for timing errors.
Glossary: a list of difficult or specialized words for reference.
GPI: General Purpose Interface, a simple trigger device.
Hue: a specific color; one of the 3 attributes of color, see also saturation, brightness.
IEEE1394: a low cost digital interface that can transport data at up to 400 Mbps.
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