DVD TERMINOLOGY
Since the DVD players share some of the characteris-
tics 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 player,
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 31.
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, making it almost square. 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 31 to play back in either format,
depending on the features recorded on a disc.
Chapter:
DVD programs are divided into chapters and
titles. Chapters are the subsections programmed into a
single title on a disc. Chapters may be compared to
the individual tracks on an audio CD. Press the
Menu
Button
B
to see a listing of the chapters on a disc.
Component Video:
This form of video signal
eliminates many of the artifacts of traditional composite
video signals by splitting the signal into a separate
luminance channel (the “Y” signal channel) and two
color-difference signals (the Pr and Pb signal
channels). With a component video connection, you
will see greater picture resolution and eliminate many
picture imperfections such as the moiré patterns often
seen on check-patterned cloth. However, in order to
benefit from component video, you must have a video
display with Y/Pr/Pb component video inputs. Do not
connect the component video outputs of the DVD 31
to the standard composite or S-Video inputs of a TV
or recorder.
Group:
Where DVD-Video discs contain multiple chap-
ters that are organized into a “Title,” the individual tracks
on a DVD-Audio disc may be combined into Groups.
Depending on the way a disc’s producers create the
program, there may be more than one Group on a
disc. In some cases, the Groups contain different pro-
gram material, while in others the Groups repeat the
disc’s content in different formats, such as 5.1 audio
or high-resolution stereo.
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
4
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 tech-
nology 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-angle scenes.
Progressive Scan:
Progressive scan playback takes
the original video signal on the disc and formats it as a
high-scan-rate output with twice the scan lines of con-
ventional video images. Progressive scan outputs must
be connected to “digital-ready” or high-definition video
displays, regardless of the technology of the specific
display (e.g., conventional direct-view television, front
or rear projector, plasma display panel or LCD). In
some cases, the displays may have special inputs for
use with high-scan-rate inputs, and in others you may
need to make adjustments to the display’s setup
menus to make certain that the inputs used are con-
figured for an “HD” signal. Although the progressive
scan output uses the component video jacks, it is
not compatible with older conventional analog video
displays, even when they have component inputs.
Reading:
This is a message that you will see when
you first press the
Play Button
3
G
. It refers to
the fact that the player must first examine the contents
of the disc to see whether 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
5
I
on the DVD 31 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 31, however, you have two
options when playing DVD-Video discs. Pressing the
Stop Button
5
I
once will stop the playback, but
it actually puts the unit in the Resume mode. This
means that you can turn the machine off and, when
you press the
Play Button
3
G
the next time, the
disc will resume or continue from the point on the disc
where the
Stop Button
5
I
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
5
I
twice will
stop the machine in a traditional manner and, when
the disc is played again, it will start from the beginning.
Title:
For a DVD-Video disc, a title is defined as an
entire movie or program. There may 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 or to include other special fea-
tures. Press the
Title Button
3
to see a listing of
the titles on a disc. When a disc has only one title,
pressing the
Title Button
3
may show a list of
the chapters.
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DVD TERMINOLOGY
DVD 31 (120V) OM 6/25/04 11:40 AM Page 6
