1

Never underestimate the power of this

1-1SDoC 

Abbr. One Standard-One Test.  Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity

1”

Analog reel to reel composite video tape format developed by Sony that was the industry standard until the advent of digital in late 1990’sThe name refers to the width of the tape. It was capable of full broadcast 5.5mhz resolution and recorded a field of a TV picture on a single slanted track approx 14” in length. Because of this it allowed slow and fast motion playback

1.33

Video. Aspect ratio of standard definition TV 4:3 is 1.33-1. Sometimes mistakenly referred to Full academy, this was the initial ratio defined by SMPE in 1929 but was adapted by the AMPAS in 1932

1.37

Film. True aspect ratio of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences with a frame area of 21x16mm. Aka Full frame Academy.

1394

Standard for a digital connection or bus used to transfer data between two independent systems. The 1394a standard provides 400-Mbps bandwidth and the reach is limited to 3 or 4 meters. The 1394b standard extends the bandwidth to 800 Mbps. Aka Firewire, the connectors can be ‘4’ small or ‘6’ large

1.77

Video Aspect ratio of the Hi definition TV format  aka 16:9 Widescreen

1.85

Film Aspect ratio of the Panavision film format giving an image of 21x11mm

2-wire

A two-way communications link, most commonly used for sending and receiving voice and data information. Usually via a telephone circuit

2.35

Projected aspect ratio of the CinemaScope film format. Whilst recorded on a film gate of 1.85 it uses an anamorphic lens that changes the horizontal magnification. The film must be projected with the correct lens otherwise the picture appear stretched and unnatural

2G

Second-generation digital cellular systems such as GSM. GSM 900/1800 operates at (uplink 890-915 MHz/ 1710-1785 MHz) downlink in the range 935-960 MHz, /1805-1880 MHz respectively

2.5G

Adds packet data switching services to GSM

2B1Q

Abbr.2 Binary 1 Quaternary and is the specification for U.S. line coding of ISDN

2D-VLC 

Abbr. Two Dimensional Variable Length Coding. A simple compression method used to reduce data that is lossless. The most common digital values are assigned the shortest code length.

2K (2000)

Digital conversion from CGI to film, or conversion from film negative to digital edit mastering. Has a vertical resolution of equivalent to 2 thousand TV lines and is the current standard for digital theatre projection to be. The format is full frame and progressive with a refresh rate of at least 48hz

2-Line

A 2-Line Digital Comb Filter separates the brightness (luminance) information from the colour (chrominance) information by examining two scan lines of video to determine the consistency and accuracy of both This process reduces dot crawl and produces a crisp, sharp image.

2 shot

TV News. Most often an interview guest and the back of the reporter’s head

2 way

TV News jargon for a live conversion between the studio and a remote

2” Quad

Analog reel to reel format developed by AMPEX and the industry standard of1970s. The tape was 2” wide. Capable of full broadcast resolution of 5.5mhz the video image was recorded into 4 segments, hence the name Quad.

3:1:1

The sampling ratio of luma-chroma for the 1997 HDCAM format. The 1920 x1080 pixel 8bit 1080i frame is resampled to give a 1440x1080 frame reducing the 1.45g/b data rate to 144mbits. The sampling rate is 10.125mhz for luma, ( as opposed to 13.5mhz for 4:2:2 which is why it is “3”) and 3.375 for both R-Y and B-Y which is sampled each line.

3:2

The technique used to convert 24 frames per second film to 30 frames per second video. Every other film frame is held for 3 video fields resulting in a sequence of 3 fields, 2 fields, 3 fields,2 fields, etc. The full sequence is: A-frame = video fields 1&2, B-frame = video fields 1&2&1, C-frame = video fields 2&1, D-frame = video fields 2&1&2. (The letters correspond to film frames.)  A frame sequence used to map 24 fps film to 30 fps video in which every second film frame is represented by three video fields instead of two. This leads to a set of ten video fields for each four film frames. A digital technique can ‘recover’ some of the vertical resolution to enhance films on TV screens to 480P.

¾”

Term used to define the U-matic composite video tape format developed in the 1970’s by SONY Corp. and refers to the width of the tape

3.58MHz

The approximate frequency of the subcarrier used in NTSC video to carry the color information. The actual frequency is 3.579545 MHz \xb1 10 Hz.

3D

Process of recreating the depth of a picture by using two cameras placed horizontally apart mimicking our natural eye positions. The subsequent film is shown with glasses that restrict the view of each eye (either by polarization or colour filter)to just one camera giving the illusion of depth in the frame

3D YC Comb filter

Instead of examining video scan lines, it separates the brightness (luminance) information from the colour (chrominance) information by comparing and interpolating brightness and colour information over three consecutive fields of video. This process eliminates dot crawl and dramatically reduces cross-colour interference and colour ringing

3fsc

Early sampling frequency used to convert composite to digital. Also known as PALE used as digital memory was very expensive and was superseded by 4fsc

3G

Abbr. A GSM network capable of 2mbps using General packet radio switching

3G/Bs

Abbr. 3 gigabit/ sec is the data rate for full component 1080P TV signals. Maximum distances for high grade copper wire are about 50m, other distances require fibre connections. Most HD equipment is now 3GB compliant

3GPP

Abbr. Third Generation Partnership Project ETSI world standard programme

3 perf

Hybrid format used in post production for mastering widescreen formats. By using 3 perforations a greater area of the film can be exposed, producing higher quality images.

4.43 MHz

The approximate frequency of the subcarrier used in PAL video to carry the color information. The actual frequency is 4.43361875 MHz +/- 5 Hz.

4:1:1

A reduced data rate sampling ratio in digital component signals. The luminance or Y signal is sampled at 13.5 MHz and the colour difference signals are each sampled at 3.375 MHz. It is a method of compressing and reducing the data rate by taking advantage of the eyes limited colour resolution. There are720 samples- one per pixel for luma information and 180 each of Cr and Cb samples in EACH scan line. DVC-Pro and DVCAM are trade formats using this signal. Often misused to mean the same as 4:2:0.

4:2:0

A reduced data rate sampling ratio in digital component signals. The luminance or Y signal is sampled at 13.5 MHz with 720 samples per scan line, while the color difference signals are each sampled at 3.375 MHz, 180 samples but for every OTHER scan line, such that there is a loss in colour vertical resolution of 2:1 compared with 4:1:1 and makes use of the eyes limited colour ability. Mini DV is a popular format.

420 P@ML (Profile at main level)

An adoption of the 4:2:0 protocol by MPEG. A transport stream video format base mainly used for domestic satellite receivers and is a 2:1 horizontal and 2:1 vertical color downsampling. Sampling the Y signal at 13.5mhz to chieve 720 samples per scan line (one for each pixel) and 360 Cr and Cb samples in every other scan line. After this process, the encoder then reduces the transition stream to the designated bandwidth

4:2:2

Nomenclature. Component  ratio of the sampling of the B+W or luminance information(Y) to the colour information (Cb and Cr) of the digital video signal So why not 2-1-1 ? Historically, for composite video the sampling frequency had to be a multiple of the added colour subcarrier otherwise an interference pattern would appear on the picture. It was also known that Nyquist (sampling must be atleast twice the minimum frequency) errors would also be visible should the frequency be too low. 4fsc was eventually chosen. The component video is not subject to this, but the ratio stuck. The sampling rate is 13.5mhz for Y and 6.75mhz each for Cb and Cr. The bit rate is now at 10 bits giving 1024 levels of brightness. A baseband 4:2:2 signal is 270mbits/sec

422 P@ML

(Profile at main level)

An adoption of the 4:2:2 protocol by MPEG. A transport stream video format base mainly used for broadcast satellite TX with 2:1 horizontal but no vertical color downsampling. Full chroma sampling of 6.75mhz for each Cb and Cr signal on each line, along with 13.5mhz 720 pixel sampling on each line for Luminance.

4:3

Ratio of the standard definition TV screen of image width to height (aka 1.33-1)

4:4:4

Improvement of the 4;2;2 component video standard meaning that the Y?, Cb, and Cr components are each sampled at 13.5 MHz with 720 samples per line for each Y, Cr and Cb signal. This sampling rate also applies to equiband RGB signals and is 405mbits/sec

4:4:4:4

Full specification video and colour sampling at 13.5mhz with the addition of an alpha or key frame to describe how the image can be layered with another. Generally used in post production for adding FX. The alpha channel comprises of only luminance information

4 wire

A two-way communications link, most commonly used for sending and receiving voice and data information. Usually via a telephone circuit

4B3T

Abbr.  4 binary 3 trinary is the specification for European ISDN line coding

4-field sequence

NTSC. Refers to the phase of the subcarrier at the start of a tv line As the frame is made up of two fields and the subcarrier moves and odd number of cycles per line (455) any given scan line will go through 4 changes before it repeats

4fsc

Means a sampling rate of 4 times the frequency of the subcarrier (sc) and was the basis for conversion of analoge composite into digital. To covert a picture to digital the sampling rate must be a multiple of the colour subcarrier, otherwise a moiré or interference pattern would be visible. The 4fsc frequency is 14.3 MHz in NTSC and 17.7 MHz in PAL- or upto 177 mbits/sec

4 perf

The standard 35 mm moving film format referring to the number of perforations used to guide the film per frame area

5.1

Discrete sound channels for the surround sound cinema systems. The 5 main channels are front left, front right, rear left, rear right and centre. The .1 is a low frequency channel below 150hz supplied to a subwoofer bass speaker. This is usually derived from the front left and right sound channels

5.1 THX

Trade. The addition to the 5.1 matrix of an additional subwoofer. Sound below 150hz is regarded as ‘felt’ but directionless, in that it is difficult to perceive its direction. If we sense it’s direction we lose some of the effect. For immersive surround THX added the other speaker to fully cloak this directionality and thus preserve the effect. THX refers to its’ creator, Tom Hollinson and X for crossover

5.5mhz

Full SD resolution. On a standard TV this would be the absolute maximum resolution as demonstrated as a white pixel followed by a black pixel followed by a white followed by a black pixel etc with no degradation or lag. Such a picture on a spectrum analyser would show a grated pictured at a frequency 5.5mhz

568-A

The EIA/TIA standard defining RJ-45 jack pin to wire attachment for telecommunications wiring in commercial buildings.

7.1

The addition to the 5.1 matrix with two more sound channels, side left and side right adding to the audio experience. On domestic amplifiers, these are usually matrixed from the front and rear speakers

8mm

Film with a dimension of (almost-7.90mm) 8mm. Has an image size of 4.55x3.3mm and was devolved by Eastman Kodak in 1932. It is essentially a 16mm film (AKA Double 8) with more perforations that is exposed twice in the camera, once, then the film is taken out and replaced upside down- with each exposure covering half the film width. It split in half during processing. Exposed at 16fps

Double 8

The name of the 16mm film which was used in 8mm cameras as it was exposed twice, in two consecutive passes onto an 8mm gate.

Single 8

Rival format of the same dimensions from Fuji but required a specific camera

Super 8

Trade. Uses the same film, but made with much smaller perforations increasing the image area to 5.79x4.01mm. Introduced in 1964 by Eastman Kodak in an easy load cartridge format and primarily used for home movies the film at a 16fps rate. Later the film incorporated a magnetic stripe allowing audio to be recorded. The home cinema came of age with this format as feature films such as Star Wars were released in super8 format

8mm video

Trade Video8 invented by Sony – a domestic format using a small cassette of 8mm tape- perfect for camcorders. Launched in 1985 with a quality similar to VH

8 bit

Original bit depth or quantisation for luminance TV signals giving 256 levels of brightness from black (level 16) to white (level 235).

8 field sequence

Pal TV. Refers to the phase of the colour subcarrier at the start of a tv line. As the frame is made up of two fields and there are an odd number of cycles per line, plus a V axis switch of 180 every other line to compensate for changes in hue any given scan line will go through 8 changes before it repeats

8 psk

Phase shift keying modulation techniques that uses 8 distinct phases (45 DEGREES APART) of the carrier wave to signify a pair of bits. It is the position or phase the wave moves to that defines a 1 or 0.This greatly enhances the data payload of the carrier over QPSK

8 Perf

Standard 35 mm still film format referring to the number of perforations used to guide the film per frame area. Known as 135. Also used on the VistaVision format

8 VSB

vestigial side-band broadcast transmission technology, used in the ATSC digital television transmission standard with Eight discrete amplitude level

9.5mm

Film format invented by Pathe in 1922. The film was made as a 35mm frame, then split vertically into tree. Perforations were added in the middle of the film giving an image size of 8.5x6.5mm and exposed at 24fps

10/100

Ethernet port showing it can be used with 10 BaseT and 100 Base T cables for transferring data upto 10 mbits and 100 mbits respectively

10 Base T

Cable specification for twisted copper wire that can carry upto 10mbits/s defined by the EIA-568 standard.

10 bit

Bit depth or quantisation of the component TV picture giving 1024 levels of brightness (2x2x2x2 etc 10 times) Now the standard.

16:9

TV. The widescreen format and is a ratio of the width to height of the image. This is the most common HD picture format

16mm

Film. 1.33-1 Aspect ratio. Refers to the dimension of the film. The image size is 9.60x7.01mm. The standard film gauge for films intended for television, though it is often used by low-budget and amateur filmmakers because of lower film and processing costs. Originally made dual-perforation, with sprockets on each side, this was later changed to single to allow the addition of an optical audio track. The film is exposed at 24fps and has 40 frames in one linear foot

16mm Super

1.67-1 Aspect. Uses 16mm film, but with a single perf or sprocket and a larger film plane or aperture giving images of 11.76x7.08 resulting in a 19% increase in usable film area. This format is also used for motion picture and digitally scanned for editing.

16mm Ultra

A adaptation of the super 16mm film gate that exposes the whole frame, but masks the frame to fit between the perforations. This gives an aspect ratio of 1.85 and a physical dimension of 11.66x6.15mm. Lenses though do vignette slightly

16 QAM

16 point Quadrature Amplitude Modulation is an efficient way of transferring binary data over cable. QAM itself is a modulation technique that can represent binary data by using the amplitude (see amplitude shift keying) and phase (see phase shift keying) by combining 2 or more pure carrier waves and modulating their amplitude or frequency. 16 QAM uses 4 carrier waves each with 4 possible values, on/off, and +90/-90 degrees. On a spectrum is  shows as 16 points each in a specific area. When a position lights in one area, that represents a binary 1, if not, a 0

16 (Q)PSK

16 (Quarternary) phase-shift keying: A modulation techniques that uses 16 distinct phases of the carrier wave (usually offset by 22.5 degrees) to signify a pair of bits. The position or phase the wave moves to defines whether the bit is a 1 or 0

17.5mm

Short lived format obtained by slicing 35mm film in two. Retains the accolade for the first commercial film only released in ‘fireproof’ cellulose diactate

24P

Refers to the frame rate of 24 frames per second as a ‘progressive’ scan. This means all the frame is displayed at once on a TV unlike traditional ‘interlaced’ scans which show half, then the other half. A progressive picture has twice the vertical definition of an interlaced picture. 24FPS is at the limit of persistence of vision, the speed necessary to fool the eye into seeing a moving image. In cinemas each frame is shown twice using a shutter, with TV the screen refresh rate is being increased (motionflow) to alleviate jerky motion

35mm

Invented in 1892 by William Dickenson and Thomas Edison and is the standard motion picture film format. 34.66mm wide (1 3/8”) it gives an image of 22x16mm  in a 1-37 aspect ratio and uses 4 perforations to guide the film. The film is exposed as 24fps -16 per foot. Modern 35mm projection film has the audio components on the left of the film. A DTS code adjacent the image and two optical tracks, ‘Dolby D’ 5.1 in-between the sprockets. Sony SDDS digital sound are after the sprockets and on both sides of the film.     TELL ME MORE

Super 35

Originating as SuperScope it had a gate of 24x10mm giving an aspect ratio 1.240 rivalling cinemascope but without the use of complex lenses. The format faded due to the cost  and quality drop of reprinting to a projector standard, but has seen a return to use as a mastering medium especially for FX work due to the large picture area and the advent of digital intermediates to create projection copies

50 ohm

The specified total electrical resistance of an entire circuit. This has to be matched with any input or output otherwise the signal would be degraded. Cables and connectors are also designed to work within a specific resistance for a set distance range. Mainly used in satellite baseband equipment

65mm

Large format motion picture film for ultra high quality. It is 65mm wide with an image size of 48.56x 20.73 and a ratio of 2.20. It has a frame rate of 24fps and requires 5 perforations per frame to guide the film

70mm

Large format motion picture film for projection of a 65mm shot film. The additional size is for the magnetic sound stripes.

75% bars

Video test signal used to calibrate recording, playback levels and timing of video signals. The bars, individual vertical stripes of specific colours plus black and white give a staircase shape when viewed and calibrated on test equipment 75% refers to the colour level being deliberately set low so it can be used for transmission testing.

75 ohm

The specified total electrical resistance of an entire circuit. This has to be matched with any input or output otherwise the signal would be degraded. Cables and connectors are also designed to work within a specific resistance for a set distance range. Mainly used in video applications

100% Bars

Video test signal used to calibrate recording, playback levels and timing of video signals. The bars, individual vertical stripes of specific colours plus black and white give a staircase shape when viewed and calibrated on test equipment 100% refers to the colour level being set at the absolute maximum possible for a ‘legal’ recording. Any more gain and the image would begin to distort.

100 Base T

Cable specification for twisted copper wire or optical fibre capable of speeds upto 100mbits/sec. consists of 4 pairs supporting full duplex transmission, even though only 2 pairs are used such (CAT 5 cable) and can transmit upto 100m Used for Ethernet connections with an RJ45 plug

 180 system

Continuity system set of editing conventions that evolved from Hollywood classicism, in which shots are arranged so that the viewer always has a clear sense of where the characters are and when the shot is occurring.

480i

standard digital television (SDTV) image that is 480 lines by 720 pixels wide, displayed in ‘interlaced’ format giving it a vertical resolution of 240 at a 30hz ( 29.97hz actual) frame rate, 60hz field rate

480P

Hybridized format using film recorded into video using a 3:2 pulldown can be extrapolated back and displayed as a ‘progressive’ format giving twice the vertical resolution of a normal interlaced TV picture with 480 x 720 with a 30hz frame rate and 30hz field (repeated)rate. Can be either 4:3 or 16:9 aspect ratio.

601

CCIR (Now ITU) specification on the video sampling and later bit depth of the component serial video signal with min 256 levels of gray scale video ranging from black (level 16) to white (level 235). It explained the process of sampling and packetizing the individual colour components so they could be sent ‘serially’ one after the other over a single cable connection First used in the Sony D1 ¾”format. See SDI

652

CCIR Specification on the video sampling and later bit depth of the composite video signal.  First used on the Sony D2 ¾” format and Panasonic D3 ½”

720p

Type of high-definition television (HDTV) image that is 720 vertical lines by 1,280 horizontal pixels wide, displayed in progressive format. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio, 59.94 Hz, 29.97 Hz, and 23.97 Hz frame rates, 

709

CCIR 709. Parameter Values for the HDTV Standards for Production and International Programme Exchange. Specifies parameter values for chromaticity, sampling, signal format, frame rates, etc., of high definition television signals.

802.3

The Ethernet reference standard developed by the IEEE.

802.5

The Token Ring Network reference standard developed by the IEEE.

1000 Base T

Cable and fibre specification with a transmission rate of 1000mbits.sec commonly known as Gigabit Ethernet. Copper wire 1000Base consists of 4 pairs supporting full duplex transmission such as CAT 6 cable and can transmit upto 100m

1080i

Type of high-definition television (HDTV) image that is 1,080 vertical lines by 1,920 horizontal pixels wide, displayed in an ‘interlaced’ format. This gives it a vertical resolution of 540 per field. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio, 29.97 Hz frame rate, 60hz field rate. Whilst not as vertically sharp as 1080P, some people prefer it as it shows smoother movement due to the higher filed rate. This is particularly noticeable on sports.

1080p

Type of high-definition television (HDTV) image that is 1,080 vertical lines by 1,920 horizontal pixels wide, displayed in a ‘progressive’ format. It has an aspect of 16:9 a vertical resolution of 1080 and a frame rate up to 29.98hz.

1080/24p

Type of high-definition television (HDTV) image that is 1,080 vertical lines by 1,920 horizontal pixels wide, displayed in a ‘progressive’ format. It has an aspect of 16:9 and a frame rate at 24hz. It is particularly suited to motion picture as it mirrors exactly the frame rate of the film so there are no conversion artefacts when copying 24 frames to 29.97. Some however, notice a judder effect due to the slow frame rate, particularly on fast moving images such as sports. Some TV’s counter this by refreshing the picture twice.

1694A

TRADE. Belden Type of 75ohm video coax cable used for broadcast installations. It has a wide range of applications for data rates including 3GB for short distances

1930 rule

SMPE (later SMPTE) standard setting of the film ratio at 0.8x0.6 inch 1.33 ratio. Later changed by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to a projected plate of 0.825 x 0.6 or 21x15mm yielding the true FULL ‘Academy Format’ of 1.37

1125

The line rate for ‘old’ NTSC HD tv championed by NHK and transmitted stunning pictures for over twenty years as an analog signal

1250

The line rate for ‘old’ PAL HD tv. Sometimes known as Eureka format and proposed by EBU

22:11:11

The HD equivalent of 4:2:2 video sampling at the same clock rates, 13.5mhz x 1920 samples at 10 bit.