Resource Center: How to Speak A/V
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Entries starting with: telephoto lens: Any lens of longer than normal focal length; used for telescopic views of distant subjects. 3-D comb filter, 3-D Y/C separator: Circuits used to extract the luminance and chrominance signals from a composite-video signal. The three dimensions are horizontal, vertical, and time. 3:2 pulldown: see 2:3 pulldown. through-the-lens (TTL): Any camcorder function that operates on signals obtained from light entering the lens, including autofocus, white balance, and exposure controls (aperture, shutter speed). THX: A certification program for audio components of a home theater system — plus DVD players — originally developed by Lucasfilm that’s designed to ensure they can reproduce soundtracks with very high fidelity to what is obtained in a movie sound studio. There are two grades of certification, THX Ultra2 (for price-no-object setups) and THX Select2 (for modest room sizes and budgets). THX also certifies acoustically transparent projection screens. DVDs and other program material bearing the THX logo have been mastered using processes and procedures designed to provide the most accurate audio and video signals. THX Surround EX: Circuitry for decoding Dolby Digital Surround EX signals approved by THX Ltd.; may include THX enhancements of plain DD Surround EX. tilt: A video-camera shooting technique that swings the camera vertically over a scene; see pan. time-alignment: A speaker design in which all of the drivers are arrayed, or their crossover delays adjusted, so that their sound reaches the listener’s ears at the same time. tint control: The consumer video-monitor control that adjusts the general coloration of an image; see hue. titler: A camcorder function or video accessory that displays user-entered text over a video image. tone controls: A kind of rudimentary equalizer included in most receivers, and in some preamplifiers and integrated amplifiers as well, that allows changing the relative balance among preset frequency bands, usually bass and treble but sometimes also midrange. Toslink: The most common fiber-optic connector for digital audio; used only with plastic-fiber cables; see ST. total harmonic distortion (THD): The percentage of an audio output signal that consists of spurious “harmonics,” or whole-number multiples, of the input frequencies; these distortions are generally introduced by an amplifier or another component through which the signal has passed; lower numbers are better; see harmonic distortion. total harmonic distortion plus noise (THD+N): The sum of all distortion and noise, expressed as a percentage of the output signal; lower is better. tracking: The ability of a CD or DVD player to follow the pattern recorded on a disc in the presence of physical or optical disturbances. transducer: Any device that transforms energy of one type into energy of another type. Speakers, microphones, image sensors, CRTs, and plasma displays are all transducers. transformer: A passive electrical device that raises or lowers AC voltages (as in a power supply), or changes input or output impedances; used in some amplifiers to match their output impedance to that of the speakers. transient: A rapid change in the waveform of an audio signal caused by the attack of musical instruments, especially percussion; any short-duration sound. transistor: The basic solid-state amplifying element used in most audio components; see solid-state, field-effect transistor (FET), and MOSFET. transport: The parts of a DVD/CD player or a tape deck/VCR that move the disc or tape, including the motor(s), spindle, reel hubs, and other mechanisms. treble: The upper part of the audio spectrum, from 2 or 3 kHz up to 20 kHz; see bass and midrange. tuner: A component, or part of a component, that receives radio or TV signals from an antenna or cable connection, allows the user to select a station, and demodulates the audio or audio/video signal from the broadcast radio-frequency (RF) signal. tweeter: A speaker driver designed to reproduce treble frequencies. 2:3 pulldown: Video processing that compensates for the different frame rates in film (24 frames per second) as opposed to video (30 fps). two-way, three-way, and so on: Refers to the number of frequency bands a speaker’s output is divided into. A two-way speaker has a woofer and a tweeter; a three-way speaker adds a midrange driver. Four-way power towers add a built-in subwoofer. Abbreviations |
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