15 Glossary - Philips MCi500H/05 User Manual

15 Glossary

A
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
An audio compression scheme defined as part
of the MPEG-2 standard (also known as MPEG-
2 AAC or MPEG-2 NBC, or Not Backwards
Compatible). It offers better sound and a
compression ratio that is superior by roughly 30
percent compared to the MPEG-1 MP3 format.
AC (alternating current)
An alternating current is an electrical current
whose magnitude and direction vary cyclically,
as opposed to DC (direct current), whose
direction remains constant. The usual waveform
of an AC power circuit is a sine wave, as this
results in the most efficient transmission of
energy. However certain applications use
different waveforms, such as triangular or square
waves.
Amplifier
A device, either a single stage or a large scale
circuit with multiple stages for creating gain, i.e.
it makes small signals larger.
Antenna
A device, such as a rod or wire, which picks up
a received radio frequency signal or radiates a
transmitted RF signal.
Audio output
High-level (speaker) or line-level (RCA) signals
sent from one system component to another;
or the high-level signal from an amplifier to the
system speakers.
AUX
Auxiliary input that allows you to connect
portable audio devices.
EN
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B
Bass
The lowest three octaves of the audio band.
Low bass is the bottom octave (20-40Hz), mid-
bass is the middle octave (40-80Hz), and upper
bass is the 80-160Hz octave.
Bit / bits
A bit is a binary digit, taking a value of either 0
or 1. For example, the number 10010111 is 8
bits long.
Bit rate
Bit rate is the number of bits that are conveyed
or processed per unit of time. The bit rate is
usually measured in some multiple of bits per
second (kilobits per second: kbps). The term
bit rate is a synonym for data transfer rate (or
simply data rate).
Bluetooth
A short-range wireless protocol that is meant
to allow mobile devices to share information
and applications without the worry of cables or
interface incompatibilities. The name refers to a
Viking King who unified Denmark. Operates at
2.4 GHz. For more information, see bluetooth.
com.
C
CBR (constant bit rate)
With CBR the encoder spends the same
amount of bits on each frame, regardless of
how much it may really need. Disadvantage
of CBR: Bits are wasted in case of absolute
blackness of a picture or complete silence in an
audio frame. And pictures or audio frames with
a lot of elements may need those bits.
CD (Compact Disc)
Format developed by Phillips, Sony, and Pioneer
for conveying music and data. CDs record
information by deforming the inner metal foil
on the disc with tiny micro pits burned in by a
laser.