INTRODUCTION
7
INTRODUCTION
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IR – An abbreviation for infrared. Pertains to the type of remote that sends/receives
commands on an infrared light beam.
Letterbox – A video format that has an aspect ratio wider than 4:3 and is shown with black
bars above an d below the picture.
MP3 – MPEG-1 Layer III audio. This is a compressed audio format that allows the recording
of many hours of music on a single CD.
MPEG – An abbreviation for Moving Pictur e Experts Group, the committee of experts from
the audio, video, and comput er indu stries involved in setting standa rds for compression of
moving images.
NTSC – An abbreviation for National Television System Committee and the label for its
video format standard used for televisions in the U.S. and other countries.
PAL – An acronym for the Phase Alternate Line video format used extensively in Western
Europe.
PCM – An abbreviation f or Pulse Code Modulation. A common for m of digital audio signal.
Progr essive Scan – A video format that displays all lines of the picture frame in a single pass
and refreshes the TV image 30x/sec. Not compatible with all video displays.
PVR – An abbreviation for Personal Video Recording. Sometimes used interchangeably with
DVR for Digital V ideo Recording but may include non-digital technology, as used in VCRs.
RF remote – A remote control that transmits comma nd s to a devic e using radio frequency
(RF) signals, which have the ability to penetrate walls, unlike the infrared (IR) signals used by
many remote controls.
RDS – A system that displays radio broadcast station and programming information. This
feature is available on European systems only.
SACD – An abbr eviation for Super Audio Compact Disc, used for high-r esolution digital audio
storage on CD-sized discs. New Bose® LIFESTYLE® systems play the CD-compatible portion
of such discs, identified by the CD disc logo on the front of the disc.
SCART – A type of jack commonly found on consumer electronics products manufactured
for use in Western Europe.
Subtitles – Text that appears at the bottom of the screen during video playback, and which
may differ from the language of the on-screen dialog.
S-video – Also called Y/C. A video signal that separates the brightnes s (black and whit e) and
the color information. S-video provides significantly higher resolution than composite video,
but not as high as from component. This type of connection is compatible with many televi-
sions and other video components, and requires use of an S-video cable.
Teletext – An information retrieval service provided by television broadcast companies in
Europe and some other countries, not including the U.S.
Video CD – A Compact Disc (CD) that contains a video component.
Videostage® 5 – Bose proprietary decoding circuitry that provides five-channel surround
sound performance from varied media – VHS tapes, stereo CDs, even mono TV programs.
YPbPr – A component analog video signal containing one luminance and two chrominance
components. Also referred to as YUV or Y, B-Y, R-Y.