A2 STEREO
The official audio standard for analog television broadcasting in Australia. It is a technique of implementing stereo or dual- mono audio for NTSC and PAL video. One FM subcarrier transmits a L+R signal, and a second FM subcarrier transmits a R signal (for stereo) or a second L+R signal. Also known as Zweiton Stereo.
A-B REPEAT
The player will loop (repeat) a portion of a disc between two designated points.
AC-3
See Dolby.
ACOUSTIC TRANSFORM ACOUSTIC CODING (ATRAC)
"Technology that compresses audio data discarding the information that is undetectable by the human ear whilst preserving CD-quality sound.
•ATRAC: Achieves approximately 80% compression rate in comparison to original sound file. The original technology employed by MiniDisc.
•ATRAC3: Improves upon ATRAC by achieving approximately 90% compression. The technology employed by MiniDisc Long Play (MDLP).
•ATRAC3 Plus: Further improves upon ATRAC by achieving approximately 93% compression, with improved fidelity over standard ATRAC3.
ACTIVE BLACK PANEL (ABP)
In standby mode, the unit is camouflaged as a flat black panel. In display mode, the panel puts on a brilliant colourful light show, also giving you access to most functions. In operational mode, the motorised panel swings out revealing the full control panel and slots for discs.
ADVANCED DYNAMIC SOUND GENERATOR (ADSG)
Selectively improves the bass and treble segment of your music. Unlike other technologies that cause unwanted phase change in the mid-range section, ADSG produces natural sound effect without introducing distortion.
ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC)
An electrical current which, unlike Direct Current (DC), reverses flow direction at regular intervals, measured in cycles per seconds or Hertz. The Australian standard is 230V, 50Hz.
AMERICAN NATIONAL STANDARDS INSTITUTE (ANSI)
A standards-setting, non-governmental
organisation that develops and publishes standards for voluntary use in the United States.
AMPLITUDE MODULATION (AM)
A technique for transmitting radio signals.
See also Medium Wave (MW).
ANALOG TO DIGITAL CONVERTER (ADC OR A/D)
This is the process of converting analog signal to digital signal. The accuracy depends on the sampling frequency and the number of bits used to describe the levels.
ANSI LUMEN
A standard measurement of light output.
ARTIFACT
Defect commonly occurring in digital video resembling pixelation of the video image.
ASPECT RATIO
The relationship of width and height. When an image is displayed on different screens, the aspect ratio must be kept the same to avoid either vertical or horizontal stretching.
4:3: The picture aspect ratio of traditional video.
16:9: The picture aspect ratio that approximates that of 35mm film. Also known as Widescreen.
2.35:1: The picture aspect ratio of some 35 and 70mm film.
AT ATTACHMENT PACKET
INTERFACE (ATAPI)
A hardware and software specification that documents the interface between a host computer and CD-ROM drives using the ATA bus.
AUDIO FREQUENCY MODULATION (AFM)
The audio recording technology used in
Video 8 and Hi8 Handycam camcorders.
AUDIO VIDEO INTERLEAVED (AVI)
A multimedia file format for storing sound and moving pictures in RIFF format developed by Microsoft. An AVI file can use different codecs and formats so there is no set format for an AVI file.
AUTOMATIC FOCUS (AF)
"Senses the distance between camera and subject, and adjusts the lens focus accordingly.
•AF Illuminator: Emits a orange light, making it possible to focus on an object that is normally difficult in a dark place.
•Hologram AF: An enhanced technology that emits a red laser pattern for further improved low light focusing.
AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL (AGC)
A system to control the gain, or the increase in the amplitude of an electrical signal from the original input to the amplified output, automatically.
AUTOMATIC LEVEL CONTROL (ALC)
See Automatic Gain Control (AGC).
AUTOMATIC MUSIC SENSOR (AMS)
Automatically locates the beginning of the current or following selection.
AUTOMATIC RECORD LEVEL (ARL)
See Automatic Gain Control (AGC).
AUTOMATIC VOLUME LIMITING SYSTEM (AVLS)
Delivers you maximum acoustics without sound leak — all at volume levels that won’t damage your ears. Playback will not exceed preset volume limits, which means that even when you are on the move, volume will not accidentally increase to an uncomfortable level.
BALANCE
The relative loudness between the left and right channel signals.
BARCUS-BERRY ELECTRONICS (BBE)
Reduces audio distortion, adding a longer delay time to lower frequencies so that higher frequencies are transmitted simultaneously, thereby neutralising the distortion effect.
BASIC INPUT/OUTPUT SYSTEM (BIOS)
A set of routines that works closely with the hardware to support the transfer of information between elements of the system, such as memory, disks, and the monitor. Although critical to performance, the BIOS is usually invisible to the end user; however, programmers can access it.
BASS REFLEX
A popular type of loudspeaker enclosure in which an open port at the front or rear baffle allows internal air pressure to reinforce bass response.
BEST TUNING MEMORY (BTM)
Automatically selects and stores the stations with the strongest signals, in order of frequency.
BI PIXEL IP CONVERSION
Used to convert standard (interlaced) video into a progressive signal which can be displayed by a panel display device (plasma etc). Responds to changes in PAL video signal content by employing proprietary algorithms to handle the challenging task of
processing video originated content, which reduces motion artifacts for smoother image reproduction.
BIT ERROR RATE (BER)
The ratio of received bits that are in error relative to the total number of bits received. It is used as a measure of noise induced distortion in a digital bit stream. BER is expressed as a power of ten.
BIT RATE
The digital equivalent of bandwidth, bit rate is measured in bits per second (bps). It is used to express the rate at which the compressed bit stream is transmitted. With a higher bit rate, more information can be carried.
BLOCK NOISE REDUCTION
Suppresses vertical edge distortions for a smoother, more natural DVD picture.
BLUETOOTH
A standard for wireless connectivity. It is designed to eliminate cables between portable consumer devices such as cellular phones, laptop computers, PDAs and many other electronic products.
Basic Imaging Profile (BIP): A unified
standard for image data transfer.
BUS POWERED
Power is supplied through the computer to the external device, eliminating the need for a power supply.
CD SYNCRO RECORDING
Simplifies making MiniDiscs from compatible Sony CD players by releasing from Record/Pause mode when the CD player goes into Play.
CD TEXT
CD Text gives you valuable information with CD text compatible software. Album name, artiste description, and song title can be easily accessed from the display.
CHARGED COUPLED DEVICE (CCD)
A semiconductor device that can produce an electrical output analogous to the amount of light striking each of its elements. CCD sensors are used in both motion video and still video cameras.
CINEMA BLACK MODE
Lamp wattage output is reduced along with fan noise. Cinema Black Mode increases blackness, extends lamp life and is ideal for viewing film sources.
COAXIAL DIGITAL
An coaxial digital line allows you to transfer sound in lossless, digital quality.
CODED ORTHOGONAL FREQUENCY DIVISION MULTIPLEXING (COFDM)
Coded OFDM (COFDM) adds forward error correction to the OFDM method, which is the modulation technique used for digital TV in Europe, Japan and Australia.
CODER-DECODER (CODEC)
Hardware or software that converts analog sound, speech or video to digital code and vice versa (analog to digital — digital to analog). Video codecs are generally broken into two categories: low bandwidth codecs that operate at 56kbps to 384kbps, and high bandwidth codecs that operate at 384kbps and above.
COLOUR SLOW SHUTTER
Slows down shutter speed to record full colour detail in low light situations.
COLOUR TEMPERATURE
A measure of the colour of a light source relative to a black body at a particular temperature, expressed in degrees Kelvin (°K). Low colour temperatures have a red- yellow tone; daylight has a high colour temperature (approximately 6000°K) and appears bluish.
COMB FILTER
Improves NTSC video signals by adjusting the horizontal scanning lines within a frame.
COMPACT DISC (CD)
"Optical digital disc storage that encompasses audio, video, and computer data.
•CD Digital Audio (CDDA): 44.1kHz audio, 80 minutes capacity.
•CD Recordable (CD-R): Write-once media, 700MB capacity, optimised for data use.
•CD ReWritable (CD-RW): Re-writable media, 700MB capacity, optimised for data use.
•CD Read-only Memory (CD-ROM): Pre- recorded media, 700MB capacity, optimised for data use.
•CD Interactive (CD-i): Provides audio, digital data, still graphics, and limited-motion video.
•CD plus Graphics (CD+G): Provides audio and still graphics. Primarily used for karaoke.
•China Video Disc (CVD): Precursor to SVCD. MPEG-2 352x480 NTSC, 352x576 PAL, 44.1kHz audio, approximately 45 minutes capacity.
•Super Video CD (SVCD): MPEG-2 480x480 NTSC, 480x576 PAL, 44.1kHz audio, approximately 45 minutes capacity.
•Video CD (VCD): MPEG-1 320x240 NTSC, 320x288 PAL, 44.1kHz audio, 70 minutes capacity.
COMPONENT VIDEO
A video system containing three separate colour component signals, either red/green/blue (RGB) or chroma/colour difference (YCbCr, YPbPr, YUV) delivering enhanced detail and purity.
COMPOSITE VIDEO BASEBAND SIGNAL (CVBS)
An analog video signal in which the luminance and chrominance components are combined (by frequency multiplexing), along with sync and burst. Also known as CVBS.
CONSTANT ANGULAR VELOCITY (CAV)
A buffer memory mechanism that prevents its portable audio equipment from skipping under most conditions. The technology recovers laser position 10 times faster than previous designs; so it can withstand the impact of jogging (and other sports).
CONSTANT BIT RATE (CBR)
A uniform transmission rate.
CONTENT SCRAMBLING SYSTEM (CSS)
An encryption scheme designed to protect copyrighted material that resides on a disc by periodically scrambling the data using encryption keys.
CONTRAST RATIO
The measurement of the difference in light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black.
CONTROL A1
Multifunctional data bus system for better communication between Sony audio components.
CONTROL L
See LANC.
D-BASS
Delivers dynamic, powerful bass reproduction, with 3 bass boost steps for adjustment of the bass enhancement level.
DECIBEL (DB)
The logarithmic unit of measurement to compare the relative intensity of acoustic or electrical signal, equal to one-tenth of a Bel, named for American inventor Alexander Graham Bell (1847 to 1922).
DEPTH OF FIELD
The distance between the first object in focus and the last object in focus within a scene as viewed by a particular lens. Depth of field is affected by choice of lens, focal
