74 En, LFE 0.1 channel, MP3, PCM Linear PCM

Glossary

■HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is the first industry-supported, uncompressed, all-digital audio/video interface. Providing an interface between any source (such as a set-top box or AV receiver) and an audio/video monitor (such as a digital television), HDMI supports standard, enhanced or high-definition video as well as multi-channel digital audio using a single cable. HDMI transmits all ATSC HDTV standards and supports 8- channel digital audio, with bandwidth to spare to accommodate future enhancements and requirements. When used in combination with HDCP (High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection), HDMI provides a secure audio/video interface that meets the security requirements of content providers and system operators. For further information on HDMI, visit the HDMI website at “http://www.hdmi.org/”.

■LFE 0.1 channel

This channel reproduces low-frequency signals. The frequency range of this channel is from 20 Hz to 120 Hz. This channel is counted as 0.1 because it only enforces a low-frequency range compared to the full-range reproduced by the other 5 channels in Dolby Digital or DTS 5.1-channel systems.

■MP3

One of the audio compression methods used by MPEG. It employs the irreversible compression method, which achieves a high compression rate by thinning out the data of hardly audible part to the human ears. It is said to be capable of compressing the data quantity by about 1/11 (128 kbps) while maintaining a similar audio quality to music CD.

■PCM (Linear PCM)

Linear PCM is a signal format under which an analog audio signal is digitized, recorded and transmitted without using any compression. This is used as a method of recording CDs and DVD audio. The PCM system uses a technique for sampling the size of the analog signal per very small unit of time. Standing for “Pulse Code Modulation”, the analog signal is encoded as pulses and then modulated for recording.

■Sampling frequency and number of

quantized bits

When digitizing an analog audio signal, the number of times the signal is sampled per second is called the sampling frequency, while the degree of fineness when converting the sound level into a numeric value is called the number of quantized bits. The range of rates that can be played back is determined based on the sampling rate, while the dynamic range representing the sound level difference is determined by the number of quantized bits. In principle, the higher the sampling frequency, the wider the range of frequencies that can be played back, and the higher the number of quantized bits, the more finely the sound level can be reproduced.

■SILENT CINEMA

Yamaha has developed a natural, realistic sound effect DSP algorithm for headphones. Parameters for headphones have been set for each sound field so that accurate representations of all the sound field programs can be enjoyed on headphones.

■Virtual CINEMA DSP

Yamaha has developed a Virtual CINEMA DSP algorithm that allows you to enjoy DSP sound field surround effects even without any surround speakers by using virtual surround speakers. It is even possible to enjoy Virtual CINEMA DSP using a minimal two-speaker system that does not include a center speaker.

■WAV

Windows standard audio file format, which defines the method of recording the digital data obtained by converting audio signals. It does not specify the compression (coding) method so a desired compression method can be used with it. By default, it is compatible with the PCM method (no compression) and some compression methods including the ADPCM method.

■WMA

An audio compression method developed by Microsoft Corporation. It employs the irreversible compression method, which achieves a high compression rate by thinning out the data of hardly audible part to the human ears. It is said to be capable of compressing the data quantity by about 1/22 (64 kbps) while maintaining a similar audio quality to music CD.