10 Glossary
Aspect ratio
Aspect ratio refers to the length to height ratio of TV screens. The ratio of a standard TV is 4:3, while the ratio of a high-definition or wide TV is 16:9. The letter box allows you to enjoy a picture with a wider perspective on a standard 4:3 screen.
DivX
The DivX code is a patent-pending, MPEG-4 based video compression technology, developed by DivX Networks, Inc., that can shrink digital video to sizes small enough to be transported over the internet, while maintaining high visual quality.
Dolby Digital
A surround sound system developed by Dolby Laboratories containing up to six channels of digital audio (front left and right, surround left and right, centre and subwoofer).
HDMI
High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) is a high-speed digital interface that can transmit uncompressed high definition video and digital multichannel audio. It delivers high quality picture and sound quality, completely free from noise. HDMI is fully backward-compatible with DVI.
As required by the HDMI standard, connecting to HDMI or DVI products without HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection) will result in no Video or Audio output.
HDCP
High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection is a specification that provides a secure transmission of digital contents between different devices (to prevent unauthorised copyright).
JPEG
A very common digital still picture format. A still-picture data compression system proposed by the Joint Photographic Expert Group, which features small decrease in image quality in spite of its high compression ratio. Files are recognised by their file extension ‘JPG or JPEG’.
MP3
A file format with a sound data compression system. ‘MP3’ is the abbreviation of Motion Picture Experts Group 1 (or MPEG-1) Audio Layer3. By using the MP3 format, one CD-R or CD-RW can contain about 10 times more data than a regular CD. Files are recognised by their file extension ‘.MP3’.
MPEG
Motion Picture Experts Group. A collection of compression systems for digital audio and video.
PBC
Playback Control. A system of navigating a Video CD/Super VCD through on-screen menus recorded onto the disc. You can enjoy interactive playback and searching.
PCM
Pulse Code Modulation. A digital audio encoding system.
Progressive Scan
The progressive scan displays twice the number of frames per seconds than ordinary TV system. It offers higher picture resolution and quality.
WMA
Windows Media™ Audio. Refers to an audio compression technology developed by Microsoft Corporation. WMA data can be encoded by using Windows Media Player version 9 or Windows Media Player for Windows XP. Files are recognised by their file extension ‘WMA’.