Compression - See Image Compression.
Contrast - Defines the degree of difference between the lightest and darkest parts of an image or video stream.
DC-Iris - This special type of iris is electrically controlled by the camera, to automatically regulate the amount of light allowed to enter.
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) - DHCP is a protocol that lets network administrators automate and centrally manage the assignment of Internet Protocol (IP) addresses to network devices in a network.
DHCP uses the concept of a "lease" or amount of time that a given IP address will be valid for a computer. The lease time can vary, depending on how long a user is likely to require the network connection at a particular location.
DHCP also supports static addresses for e.g. computers running web servers, which need a permanent IP address.
DNS (Domain Name System) - DNS is used to locate and translate Internet domain names into IP (Internet Protocol) addresses. A domain name is a meaningful and easy-to-remember name for an Internet address. For example the domain name www.example.com is much easier to remember than 192.0.34.166. The translation tables for domain names are contained in Domain name servers.
Domain Server - Domains can also be used by organizations who wish to centralize the management of their (Windows) computers. Each user within a domain has an account that usually allows them to log in to and use any computer in the domain, although restrictions may also apply. The domain server is the server that authenticates the users on the network.
Duplex - See Full-duplex.
Ethernet - Ethernet is the most widely installed local area network technology. An Ethernet LAN typically uses special grades of twisted pair wires. The most commonly installed Ethernet systems are 10BASE-T and 100BASE-T10, which provide transmission speeds up to 10 Mbps and 100 Mbps respectively.
ETRAX (Ethernet Token Ring AXIS) - Axis' own microprocessor.
Factory default settings - These are the settings that originally applied for a device when it was first delivered from the factory. If it should become necessary to reset a device to its factory default settings, this will, for many devices, completely reset any settings that were changed by the user.
Firewall - A firewall works as a barrier between networks, e.g. between a Local Area Network and the Internet. The firewall ensures that only authorized users are allowed to access the one network from the other. A firewall can be software running on a computer, or it can be a standalone hardware device.
Focal length - Measured in millimeters, the focal length of
a camera lens determines the width of the horizontal field of view, which in turn is measured in degrees.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) - An application protocol that uses the TCP/IP protocols. It is used to exchange files between computers/devices on networks.
Frame - A frame is a complete video image. In the 2:1 interlaced scanning format of the RS-170 and CCIR formats, a frame is made up of two separate fields of 262.5 or 312.5 lines interlaced at 60 or 50 Hz to form a complete frame, which appears at 30 or 25 Hz. In video cameras with a progressive scan, each frame is scanned line-by-line and not interlaced; most are also displayed at 30 and 25 Hz.
Frame rate - The frame rate used to describe the frequency at which a video stream is updated is measured in frames per second (fps). A higher frame rate is advantageous when there is movement in the video stream, as it maintains image quality throughout.
Full-duplex - Transmission of data in two directions simultaneously. In an audio system this would describe e.g. a telephone systems. Half-duplex also provides bi-directional communication, but only in one direction at a time, as in a walkie-talkie system. See also Simplex.
Gain - Gain is the amplification factor and the extent to which an analog amplifier boosts the strength of a signal. Amplification factors are usually expressed in terms of power. The decibel (dB) is the most common way of quantifying the gain of an amplifier.
Gateway - A gateway is a point in a network that acts as an entry point to another network. In a corporate network for example, a computer server acting as a gateway often also acts as a proxy server and a firewall server. A gateway is often associated with both a router, which knows where to direct a given packet of data that arrives at the gateway, and a switch, which furnishes the actual path in and out of the gateway for a given packet.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) - GIF is one of the most common file formats used for images in web pages. There are two versions of the format, 87a and 89a. Version 89a supports animations, i.e. a short sequence of images within a single GIF file. A GIF89a can also be specified for interlaced presentation.
GOV (Group Of VOPs) - A group of VOP's is the basic unit of an MPEG-4 video stream. The GOV contains different types and numbers of VOP's (I-VOP's, P-VOP's, etc.) as determined by the GOV length and GOV structure. See also VOP.
GOV length - The GOV length determines the number of images (VOP's) in the GOV structure. See also GOV and VOP.
GOV structure - The GOV structure describes the composition of an MPEG-4 video stream, as regards the type of images (I-VOP's or P-VOP's) included in the stream, and their internal order. See also GOV and VOP.
