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B

backlight compensation: A video-camera function designed to reduce the shadowed effect of the main subject when the subject is brightly lit from behind.

backlighting: A technique of illuminating the buttons and keys on a remote control so they can be identified even in a dark room.

back surround speaker: One or a pair of surround-channel speakers that are placed directly behind the listening position in a 6.1- or 7.1-channel system.

balance: A control that changes the relative volume level in two or more channels.

balanced line: An interference-rejecting connection technique in which the audio signal is carried on two out-of-phase conductors.

band: A particular continuous segment of a frequency spectrum. For example, a graphic equalizer may divide the audio spectrum (20 Hz to 20 kHz) into ten bands.

bandpass enclosure: A dual-chamber enclosure for a woofer that creates sharp acoustical rolloffs above and below its operating range, minimizing or eliminating the need for a crossover.

bandpass filter: A circuit that removes audio signals above and below a certain frequency range.

bandwidth: The range of frequencies a component can reproduce.

bass: The lowest part of the audio spectrum, from 20 Hz to 150 or 200 Hz; see treble and midrange.

bass-reflex: A type of speaker enclosure in which the sound emitted from the back of the woofer’s diaphragm is used to augment low-frequency output by being fed through a port or a passive radiator; same as a “vented” or “ported” enclosure.

Bessel filter: A type of filter with excellent phase characteristics but a very shallow rolloff slope.

biamping or biamplification: The use of separate power amplifiers to feed the woofer and midrange/tweeter in a speaker; see biwiring.

binary: The base-2 number system, whose numerals are 1 and 0, that forms the basis of all digital computation and electronics. The binary system is electronically useful since its two numerals can be easily represented by two simple electronic states.

binaural: An audio recording, recording system, or playback system (such as headphones) that carries signals picked up by two microphones placed in the “ears” of an acoustically accurate mannequin; theoretically, the only “perfect” record/playback scheme.

bipole: A type of speaker that radiates sound equally and in phase in two directions.

bit: The basic unit of information in digital audio or video, corresponding to on or off, 1 or 0; a contraction of “binary digit.”

bit rate: The rate of transmission of digital data of any type, measured in bits per second (see data rate). A stated bit rate may or may not include data for formatting, synchronization, and so on in addition to the audio or video data making up the program material.

bitstream: A signal that contains digital data in its undecoded state; often referring to the digital audio output from a DVD.

biwiring: The use of separate wires between a single power amplifier and the woofer and the midrange/tweeter in a speaker; see biamping.

black-level control: On a TV, a control that adjusts the amount of light put out by the display when it receives the video signal for black (often called the “brightness” control). On a DVD player, a control that adjusts the video output voltage that’s generated when it reproduces data representing black.

blocking: The perceptible breakup of a digital video image into an array of (usually) square blocks; can arise from inferior encoding or from a low data rate (high degree of compression).

blue minus luminance (B – Y): Part of a component-video signal; see color difference.

Blu-ray Disc (BD): A high-capacity, DVD-size format for high-definition video programs. Blue instead of red lasers are used to obtain high data density. Also see HD DVD.

BNC connector: A bayonet-type coaxial connector used on some A/V gear.

bookmark: A DVD-player feature that lets you return to a user-selected point in a movie or other disc.

bridge: A device that connects two local-area network (LAN) segments, whether they are similar or dissimilar types, such as Ethernet and HomePNA.

bridged: A stereo or multichannel amplifier design that allows the hookup of pairs of output channels to drive one speaker with considerably boosted power.

brightness: see black-level control.

broadband: A high-speed Internet connection, such as DSL or cable modem, that’s fast enough to support downloading high-data-rate signals, such as streaming video.

buffer: A temporary storage area for data, especially data read from a disc or downloaded from the Internet, so that playback can continue uninterrupted if the data flow is intermittent.

burn: The process of recording with a laser on optical media in computer drives and standalone CD or DVD recorders. Nothing actually burns, but chemical reactions caused by the heat of the tightly focused laser beam produce spot-like changes in the disc’s reflectivity that can be “read” like pits in a pressed disc.

Butterworth filter: A type of filter known for maximally flat frequency response in its passband.

byte: A cluster or group of eight bits that are transmitted, processed, or interpreted together.

Abbreviations
BD: Blu-ray Disc
B – Y: blue minus luminance
bps: bits per second

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