Onkyo DVSP406B, DV-SP406 instruction manual Glossary, Mpeg audio

Glossary

Analog audio

An electrical signal that directly represents sound. Com- pare this to digital audio which can be an electrical signal, but is an indirect representation of sound. See also “Digital audio”.

Aspect ratio

The width of a TV screen relative to its height. Conven- tional TVs are 4:3 (in other words, the screen is almost square); widescreen models are 16:9 (the screen is almost twice as wide as it is high).

Digital audio

An indirect representation of sound by numbers. During recording, the sound is measured at discrete intervals (44,100 times a second for CD audio) by an analog-to- digital converter, generating a stream of numbers.

On playback, a digital-to-analog converter generates an analog signal based on these numbers. See also “Sam- pling frequency” and “Analog audio”.

DivX

DivX is a media technology created by DivX, Inc. DivX media files contain compressed video. DivX files can also include advanced media features like menus, subti- tles, and alternate audiotracks.

Dolby Digital

Using a maximum of 5.1 channels of audio, this high quality surround system is used in many of the finer movie theaters around the world.

The on-screen display shows which channels are active, for example showing 3/2.1. The 3 being the two front channels and the center channel; the 2 being the surround channels, and the .1 being the LFE channel.

DRM

DRM (digital rights management) is a type of server software developed to enable secure distribution of paid content over the web, recently incorporated by WMA (Windows Media Audio).

DTS

DTS stands for Digital Theater Systems. DTS is a sur- round system different from Dolby Digital that has become a popular surround sound format for movies.

Dynamic range

The difference between the quietest and loudest sounds possible in an audio signal (without distorting or getting lost in noise).

Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks are capable of a very wide dynamic range, delivering dramatic cinema-like effects.

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File)

A file format developed by Fuji Photo Film for digital still cameras. Digital cameras from various manufac- turers use this compressed file format which carries date, time and thumbnail information, as well as the picture data.

File extension

A tag added to the end of a filename to indicate the type of file. For example, “.mp3” indicates an MP3 file.

HDMI

HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface) is a high- speed digital interface which has the capability to sup- port standard, enhanced, or highdefinition video plus standard to multichannel surround-sound audio on a single digital connection. HDMI features include uncompressed digital video, a bandwidth of up to 5 gigabytes per second and communication between the AV source and AV devices such as DTVs.

ISO 9660 format

International standard for the volume and file structure of CD-ROM discs.

JPEG

A file format used for still images, such as photographs and illustrations. JPEG files are identified by the file extension “.jpg” or “.JPG”. Most digital cameras use this format.

MP3

MP3 (MPEG1 audio layer 3) is a compressed audio file format. Files are recognized by their file extension “.mp3” or “.MP3”.

MPEG audio

An audio format used on Video CDs and some DVD discs. This unit can convert MPEG audio to PCM format for wider compatibility with digital recorders and AV amplifiers. See also “PCM (Pulse Code Modulation)”.

MPEG video

The video format used for Video CDs and DVDs. Video CD uses the older MPEG-1 standard, while DVD uses the newer and much better quality MPEG-2 standard.

PBC (PlayBack Control) (Video CD only)

A system of navigating a Video CD through on-screen menus recorded onto the disc. Especially good for discs that you would normally not watch from beginning to end all at once—karaoke discs, for example.

PCM (Pulse Code Modulation)

The most common system of encoding digital audio, found on CDs and DAT. Excellent quality, but requires a lot of data compared to formats such as Dolby Digital and MPEG audio. For compatibility with digital audio recorders (CD, MD and DAT) and AV amplifiers with digital inputs, this unit can convert Dolby Digital, DTS and MPEG audio to PCM. See also “Digital audio”.

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