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Acronyms/Nomenclature
Contrast:
the range of light-to-dark values of an image proportional to the voltage difference between
the black and white voltage levels of the video signal. The contrast control is an adjustment of video
gain. Contrast is also called white bar or white reference.
Daktronics LED video display:
Daktronics-trademarked video displays that use RGB LED
technology to create full-color images. The displays are capable of showing video and animation in
4.4 trillion colors, depending on display technology.
DDR (Digital Disc Recorder):
a type of recording system that utilizes a high-capacity hard disk to
record digital audio or digital video.
DMP 7000:
Self-contained hardware/software playback component used in a digital display control
system.
DVI (Digital Video Interface):
a digital interface standard used to convert analog signals into digital
signals to accommodate both analog and digital monitors.
Frames Per Second (fps):
a measure of how much information is used to store and display film and
digital motion video. Each frame is a still image; displaying frames in rapid succession creates the
illusion of motion. The more frames per second, the smoother the motion appears. The NTSC video
format, for example, displays 30 interlaced frames per second.
Gamma correction:
a process used with video images to correct brightness and internal micro-
contrast within the image. Changing the value of the gamma affects middle ranges, while leaving the
full white and full black of the image unaltered.
Genlock:
short for
gen
erator
lock
ing device; a device that enables a composite video machine, such
as a TV, to accept two signals simultaneously. A genlock locks one set of signals while it processes the
second set. This enables a computer to combine graphics with video signals from a second source,
such as a video camera.
HD-SDI (High-Definition Serial Digital Interface):
a digital video interface used with high-
definition video.
Hue:
the actual color of an object. Hue defines color on the basis of its position in the color spectrum;
i.e., red, blue, and green.
Interlaced scanning:
the opposite of progressive scanning. Interlaced scanning is the technology
behind conventional television signal, which shows half of a frame’s scanning lines every
1
/
60
second.
First the odd-numbered lines display, then the even-numbered lines.
IRE (Institute of Radio Engineers):
units of measurement that divide the area from the bottom of
sync to the peak white level into 140 equal units. 140 IRE equals 1 volt, peak-to-peak. The range of
active video is 100 IRE. Typically, this measurement is only used for NTSC video.
Key color:
a color in a video image replaced by elements of a second image.