Glossary; Dolby Digital; Dynamic Range; Sampling Frequency - Panasonic SC-PT770 Operating Instructions Manual

Glossary

Decoder
A decoder restores the coded audio signals on DVDs to normal. This is
called decoding.

Dolby Digital

This is a method of coding digital signals developed by Dolby
Laboratories. Apart from stereo (2-channel) audio, these signals can also
be 5.1-channel sound.
DTS (Digital Theater Systems)
This surround system is used in many movie theaters around the world.
There is good separation between the channels, so realistic sound effects
are possible.

Dynamic range

Dynamic range is the difference between the lowest level of sound that
can be heard above the noise of the equipment and the highest level of
sound before distortion occurs.
Frame still and field still
Frames are the still pictures that go together to make a moving picture.
There are about 30 frames shown each second.
One frame is made up of two fields. A regular TV shows these fields one
after the other to create frames.
A still is shown when you pause a moving picture. A frame still is made up
of two alternating fields, so the picture may appear blurred, but overall
quality is high.
A field still is not blurred, but it has only half the information of a frame still
so picture quality is lower.
HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)
HDMI is a next-generation digital interface for consumer electronic
products. Unlike conventional connections, it transmits uncompressed
digital video and audio signals on a single cable. This unit supports high-
definition video output (720p, 1080i, 1080p) from the HDMI AV OUT
terminal. To enjoy high-definition video, a high-definition compatible TV is
required.
I/P/B
MPEG 2, the video compression standard adopted for use with
DVD-Video, codes frames using these 3 picture types.
I: Intra coded picture
This picture has the best quality and is the best to use when adjusting
the picture.
P: Predictive coded picture
This picture is calculated based on past I- or P-pictures.
B: Bidirectionally-predictive coded picture
This picture is calculated by comparing past and future I- and
P-pictures so it has the lowest volume of information.
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JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group)
This is a system used for compressing/decoding color still pictures. The
benefit of JPEG is less deterioration in picture quality considering the
degree of compression.
Linear PCM (pulse code modulation)
These are uncompressed digital signals, similar to those found on CDs.
MP3 (MPEG Audio Layer 3)
An audio compression method that compresses audio to approximately
one tenth of its size without any considerable loss of audio quality.
Playback control (PBC)
If a Video CD has playback control, you can select scenes and
information with menus.
Progressive/Interlaced
NTSC, the video signal standard, has 480 interlaced (i) scan lines,
whereas progressive scanning uses twice the number of scan lines. This
is called 480p.
Using progressive output, you can enjoy the high-resolution video
recorded on media such as DVD-Video.
Your TV must be compatible to enjoy progressive video.

Sampling frequency

Sampling is the process of converting the heights of sound wave (analog
signal) samples taken at set periods into digits (digital encoding).
Sampling frequency is the number of samples taken per second, so larger
numbers mean more faithful reproduction of the original sound.
WMA
WMA is a compression format developed by Microsoft Corporation. It
achieves the same sound quality as MP3 with a file size that is smaller
than that of MP3.