Terms - Pioneer XR-A9700DV Operating Instruction

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Terms

Analog audio
A direct representation of sound by continously variable voltage.
Compare this to digital audio which is an indirect representa-
tion of sound. See also Digital audio.
Aspect Ratio
The width of a TV screen relative to its height. Conventional TVs
are 4:3; widescreen models are 16:9.
Chapter (DVD only)
The DVD equivalent of a track on an ordinary audio CD. See
also Title.
Condition memory (DVD only)
A set of preferences (picture, sound, language, and so on) for a
particular disc that is stored in the player. These preferences are
then set automatically whenever you load that disc. You can
store preferences for up to 25 discs.
Digital audio
An indirect representation of sound by numbers. During
recording, the sound is measured at discrete intervals (44,100
times a second for CD audio) by an analog-to-digital converter,
generating a stream of numbers. On playback, a digital-to-
analog converter generates an analog signal based on these
numbers. See also Sampling frequency and Analog.
Dolby Digital (DVD only)
A surround sound system developed by Dolby Laboratories
containing up to six channels of digital audio (front left and
right, surround left and right, center and low-frequency
channels). See also DTS.
DTS (DVD only)
A surround sound system developed by Digital Theater Systems
as an alternative to Dolby Digital. DTS discs contain up to eight
channels of digital audio. See also Dolby Digital.
Dynamic range
The difference between the quietest and loudest sounds possible
in an audio signal (without distorting or getting lost in noise).
Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks are capable of a very wide
dynamic range, delivering dramatic cinema-like effects.
MPEG audio (DVD only)
A two-channel (stereo) audio format used on some DVD discs.
This unit can convert MPEG audio to PCM format for wider
compatibility with digital recorders and AV amplifiers. See also
PCM audio.
MPEG video
The video format used for Video CDs and DVDs. Video CD uses
the older MPEG 1 standard, while DVD uses the newer and
much better quality MPEG 2 standard.
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Multi-angle (DVD only)
Scenes on a disc that were filmed simultaneously from more
than one angle. During these scenes, you can switch between
the various angles. Especially good for sports programs and
tutorial discs.
Optical digital output
A jack that outputs digital audio in the form of light pulses.
Connect components with optical digital jacks using a special
optical cord, available from good audio dealers.
Parental lock (DVD only)
A feature that gives you some control over which discs can be
watched using this unit. Discs with parental codes higher than
the level you set for the player will not play without first entering
a password.
PCM (Pulse Code Modulation)
The most common system of encoding digital audio, found on
CDs and DAT. Excellent quality, but requires a lot of data
compared to formats such as Dolby Digital and MPEG audio.
For compatibility with digital audio recorders (CD, MD and
DAT) and AV amplifiers with digital inputs, this unit can convert
Dolby Digital and MPEG audio to PCM. See also Digital audio.
PBC (PlayBack Control) (Video CD only)
A system of navigating a Video CD through on-screen menus
recorded onto the disc. Especially good for discs that you would
normally not watch from beginning to end all at once—
karaoke discs, for example.
Regions (DVD only)
These associate discs and players with particular areas of the
world. This unit will only play discs that have compatible region
codes. You can find the region code of your unit by looking on
the rear panel. Some discs are compatible with more than one
region (or all regions). Check when you buy a DVD disc overseas
that it will play in your home country.
Sampling frequency
The rate at which sound is measured to be turned into digital
audio data. The higher the rate, the better the sound quality, but
the more digital information is generated. Standard CD audio
has a sampling frequency of 44.1KHz, which means 44,100
samples (measurements) per second. See also Digital audio.
Title (DVD only)
A collection of chapters on a DVD disc. See also Chapter.