4
TERMINOLOGY
Terminology
Since they share some of the characteristics and
technology of CD players, many of the terms and
operational concepts used in a DVD player are
similar to what you may be familiar with from CD
players and changers, or older video disc formats
such as Laser Disc. However, if this is your first
DVD product, some of the terms used to describe
the features of a DVD player may be unfamiliar.
The following explanations should solve some of
the mysteries of DVD, and help you to enjoy all
the power and flexibility of the DVD format and
the DVD.
With the arrival of DVD, disc data capacity has
increased dramatically. On a DVD Video disc most
of this capacity is taken up by MPEG 2 video and
the multichannel movie soundtrack in Dolby
Digital and/or DTS. This information is
compressed.
Aspect Ratio:
This is a description of the width
of a video image in relation to its height.
A conventional video screen is four units wide for
every three units of height, that’s why the ratio is
called ”4:3”. Newer wide aspect ratio video
displays are 16 units wide for every nine units of
height, making them more like the screen in a
movie theater. The program material on a DVD
may be recorded in either format and, in
addition, you may configure the DVD to play
back in either format, depending on the features
recorded on a disc.
Title:
For a DVD, a title is defined as an entire
movie or program. There can be as many chapters
within a title as the producers decide to include.
Most discs include only one title, but some may
have more than one, to give you a “Double
Feature” presentation.
Chapter:
DVD programs are divided into
chapters and titles. Chapters are the sub-sections
programmed into a single title on a disc.
Chapters may be compared to the individual
tracks on an audio CD.
RGB Video:
This is a new form of video signal
that eliminates many of the artifacts of tradition-
al composite video signals by splitting the signal
into the three fundamental colors Red, Green
and Blue (RGB). With an RGB connection (via
SCART), you will see greater picture resolution
and eliminate many picture imperfections such as
the moiré patterns often seen on checkered
patterned cloths. However, in order to benefit
from RGB video, you must have a video display
with an RGB compatible SCART input.
Progressive scan:
DVD offers progressive scan
video outputs for use with compatible high-reso-
lution televisions and projectors. Before DVD, no
consumer medium could store, transmit or display
video with full resolution. To conserve bandwidth,
analog compression (interlacing) is employed: first
the odd-numbered lines of a frame are displayed,
followed by the even-numbered lines. The result is
that only half of the video image is drawn at one
time; the viewer's brain must reassemble the
complete image. This is acceptable, if the monitor
is not too large and if there is not too much
motion in the image. Large displays and fast-mov-
ing images reveal the limitations of this system.
Thanks to DVD's immense data capacity, images
are now stored intact (progressively), so that all
the lines in each frame (odd and even) are shown
at the same time. But because most TV's cannot
handle a progressive signal, all current DVD
players generate an interlaced output for
compatibility. Now, the Harman Kardon DVD is
among the select few DVD players with true
progressive scan video output (NTSC and PAL) for
use with compatible TV's and CRT projectors and
with all plasma, LCD and DLP display devices via
the component video output. The result is 40%
greater light output than a conventional TV and a
stunningly detailed high definition image, along
with an almost complete absence of visible
scanlines and motion artifacts. Of course,
traditional Y/Pr/Pb component video, SCART,
S-Video and composite video outputs are
included for use with conventional televisions and
projectors.
Multiple Angle:
DVDs have the capability to
show up to four different views of the same
scene in a program. When a disc is encoded with
multiple-angle information, pressing the Angle
button will enable you to switch between these
different views. Note that at present, few discs
take advantage of this capability and, when they
do, the multiple-angle technology may only be
present for short periods of time within the disc.
Producers will usually insert some sort of icon or
graphic in the picture to alert you to the
availability of multiple viewing angles.
Reading:
This is a message that you will see
after you´ve loaded the disc and the tray has
closed. It refers to the fact that the player must
first examine the contents of the disc to see if it
is a CD or DVD, and then extract the information
about the type of material on the disc, such as
languages, aspect ratios, subtitles, number of
titles and more. The slight delay while the
contents of the disc are read is normal.
Resume:
The operation of the Stop Button on
the DVD works differently from what you are
used to on CD players. On a traditional CD
player, when you press the Stop button, the unit
does just that: it stops playback. On a CD player,
when you press the start button again, the disc
starts from the beginning. With the DVD,
however, you have two options when playing
DVD discs. Pressing Stop once will stop playback,
but it actually puts the unit in the Resume mode.
This means that you can turn the machine off
and, when you press play the next time, the disc
will resume or continue from the point on the
disc where the Stop button was pressed. This is
helpful if you are watching a movie and must
interrupt your viewing session but wish to pick
up where you left off. Pressing the Stop button
twice will stop the machine in a traditional
manner and, when the disc is played again, it will
start from the beginning.
In resume mode, the cover of the DVD will be
displayed, if available. Otherwise, the
Harman Kardon screen will appear.
DivX
DivX is the name of a revolutionary new video
codec which is based on the MPEG-4 compres-
sion standard for video. This DVD player will play-
back discs created with DivX software. The DVD
player’s playback functionalities of DivX video
discs will vary depending on the DivX software
version used for creating your movies. For more
information about the different software versions
of DivX, please go to www.divx.com.
Terminology