MTS (multichannel television sound):
The encode/decode
system devised by Zenith and dbx and used for stereo analog TV
broadcasting in the US. An MTS decoder is built into all stereo TVs
and VCRs sold in the US. Also see SAP.
N
NTSC (National Television System Committee):
The
industry/government body that issued the US analog color TV
standard that was approved by the FCC (Federal Communications
Commission) in 1953; thus, any video signal or component that
operates according to that standard.
P
PAL (“Phase Alternation Line”):
A signal format used in video
equipment in Europe and parts of Asia. PAL signals give you 25
frames per second, and so are incompatible with NTSC, the
American video signal format.
Picture-in-picture (PIP):
A TV-receiver function that allows the
simultaneous display of two or more different programs on the
same screen, usually with a small image of the subsidiary program
(s) superimposed over that of the main program.
Pixel (picture element):
The smallest subunit of an image that’s
treated separately in a digital video system or a non-CRT video
display. Pixel counts are often quoted in specs for image sensors,
LCD viewfinders, and LCD and DLP projection TVs; see front
projector and rear-projection TV.
Plasma:
A type of video display that employs an enormous array
of tiny cells of ionized gas (plasma), which is used to activate each
cell’s colored phosphor.
Progressive scan:
A video component or signal that processes or
displays each scan line of a video frame in sequence; the opposite
of interlaced scan.
R
Rear-projection TV (PRTV):
A TV set that beams the output of
video transducers (CRTs, DLPs, LCDs and the like) in the rear of its
cabinet onto an angled mirror, which in turn reflects it onto a large
screen (from 40 to 80 inches diagonal) at the front of the cabinet.
Red, green and blue (RGB):
The tree primary additive colors of
most video systems (such as NTSC and DTV); also, the three color
signals used by computer monitors. An RGB video connection
(usually RGB plus sync, or RGB+H/V) provides each color as a
discrete signal.
Red minus luminance (R – Y):
Part of a component-video
signal; see color difference.
Resolution:
The density of lines and dots per line which make up
a visual image. Usually, the higher the numbers, the sharper and
more detailed the picture will be. In terms of DTV, maximum
resolution refers to the number of horizontal scanning lines
multiplied by the total number of pixels per line, called pixel
density.
RS-232:
A standard for serial communications ports on computers
and some A/V components.
S
SAP (secondary audio program):
A separate mono channel
broadcast along with the two stereo channels in the MTS system
for stereo analog TV. The SAP channel can be used for an
alternative-language soundtrack or descriptions for the sight-
impaired.
Scaler:
A circuit or digital signal processing program that converts
a video signal from one image format to another (for instance,
from 480i to 720p).
Scan line:
One of the thin horizontal strips that together make up
a video field or frame. The basic subunit of an analog video image;
see pixel.
SDTV monitor:
A TV set that can display a 480i-format standard-
definition digital TV signal when connected to an outboard
tuner/decoder.
SECAM:
Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire (SECAM) is
a signal format used in video equipment in France and the former
Soviet Union. It is incompatible with PAL and NTSC formats.
Sharpness control:
A video-monitor control that affects the
middle to high frequencies of the luminance signal, which convey
the subjective impression of sharpness.
