Glossary

The following list is a constant work in progress as we add to it periodically. We will do our best to include all the terms and definitions that we use internally and for the industry in general.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Aspect Ratio- refers to the ratio of width to height of a television set. Traditional television sets have a 4:3 aspect ratio. Widescreen television sets have a 16:9 aspect ratio. Traditional television sets are almost square in appearance; widescreen displays are more rectangular.
AVC (advanced video compression) -
B
bitrate - the speed at which audio and video contents is streamed on a network. Bitrate is usually measure in kilobytes per second (Kbps), for example 28.8 Kbps.
Buffer - an area for temporary storage of data, often used to free resources or to compensate for a difference in transmission speeds between devices.
Back to Top
c
CLEV (CyberLink Eagle Vision) - A video enhancement technology developed by CyberLink that detects video contents and dynamically adjust brightness, contrast and saturation to give the best picture. See here for more information.
CLMEI (CyberLink Multi-channel Environment Impression) - An audio channel expansion technology developed by CyberLink that converts a stereo audio sound and outputs multiple channels.
CSS (Content Scrambling System) - A technology designed by the motion picture industry, and computer industry, to prevent the illegal copying of the contents stored on DVD discs.
Back to Top
D
DirectX - Microsoft DirectX is a set of low-level application programming interfaces (APIs) for creating high-performance multimedia applications.
DivX - A brand-name video codec (compression-decompression) technology based on the MPEG-4 standard that compresses video to small size with a high degree of quality.
DTS - An audio encoding format similar to Dolby Digital. DTS offers theater system sound with at least six discrete audio channels but is compressed at a lower rate than Dolby Digital.
DV (Digital Video) - refers to the capturing, manipulation and storage of video in digital format. The DV format is an international standard for consumer use created in 1995 by a consortium of companies. Most digital camcorders record in DV format.
DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) - DVD is a high capacity (4.7GB) CD-size disc for video, multimedia, games and audio applications. It holds about 7 times more information than a regular CD (650MB).
DVD-R - a DVD format that allows you to write once. It is a competitor of DVD+R, and is therefore not compatible with that format. Some new DVD writers can write in both DVD-R and DVD+R, and most DVD player can read both.
DVD+R - (see DVD-R)
DVD-ROM - a read only DVD format commonly used for distribution of movies (which are more specifically referred to as DVD-Video) and computer games.
Back to Top
E
encoding - To change or translate into code. For software, encoding is used for video and audio references like encoding analogue format into digital or raw digital data into compressed format.
Back to Top
F
frames per second - for video content, the frame rate measures how many still frames per second with the average being 20-30. The higher the better when capturing video content with motion.
Back to Top
G
GOP (Group of Pictures) - A MPEG compression technology, the GOP concept reduces the temporal redundancy across frames (from frame to frame) for video content and consists of I, B, P frames. Video contents is streamed on a network. Bitrate is usually measure in kilobytes per second (Kbps), for example 28.8 Kbps.
GUI or UI (Graphical user interface) - The appearance or outlook of a given software application. Sometimes referred to as user interface (UI) for short
Back to Top
H
HighMAT - is an extension for Windows XP CD-writing wizard that can be used on a computer running the Microsoft Windows XP operating system to create a HighMAT CD that contains mixed media content (such as audio, video and image files)
H. 264 - this new compression format is also referred to a AVC or MPEG4. It compresses video files better than the current formats without sacrificing the quality.
Back to Top
I
IEEE1394 - The fastest transference device, also known as Sony iLink or FireWire. It is increasing in popularity because of its superior quality. The adapter card comes with 4 or 6 pins slots. Transmission rates can go up to 400MB and be adopted up to 63 devices.
ISDN (Integrated Service Digital Network) - This technology provides users up to 56Kbps of data bandwidth on a phone line that is also used for voice, or up to 128Kbps if the line is only used for data
Back to Top
J
JPEG (pronounced "jay-peg") - is a standardized image compression mechanism. JPEG stands for Joint Photographic Experts Group, the original name of the committee that wrote the standard.
Back to Top
K
N/A
Back to Top
L
LAN (Local Area Network) - A computer network that spans a relative small area. Most LANs are confined to a single building or group of buildings and mainly connect workstations and personal computers.
Language kit - a language kit refers to a file that contains a specific language other than English. Most programs have 9 different languages that are available from our download page.
Letterbox - provides horizontal bands at the top and bottom, in essence, to create a widescreen picture in a traditional television set.
LPCM (Linear pulse code modulation) - this technology is used to store digitized audio signals.
Back to Top
M
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) - Is a compression technology for digital video and audio signals intended for consumer distribution. MPEG-1 (low quality) was designed to reproduce VHS/VCR quality in a digital format.
MPEG-1 - The main technologies for this technology is: Resolution of 352x240 lines for NTSC and 352x288 for PAL.
MPEG-2 - The main technologies for this technology is: Resolution of 480x480 lines for NTSC and 480x576 for PAL.
MPEG-4
Back to Top
N
NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) - is a standard format adopted by the FCC for television broadcasts in the United States, Japan, Canada and Mexico. This is commonly referred to as composite video because of the convergence of luminance and color into a single analog signal. NTSC delivers 525 lines of resolution at 30 frames per second.
Back to Top
O
OSD (On Screen Display) - This configuration controls the on screen display, which informs users when a function is in use and the current status.
Back to Top
P
Pan and Scan - A version that fills the screen of traditional 4:3 television sets with an entire picture, much like watching network movies.
PAL (Phase Alternation Line) - It is the standard format for television broadcasts in Australia, most Western European, South American and Asian countries. PAL delivers 625 lines of resolution at 25 frames per second.
Patch - this refers to a 'fix' in a program. In most cases a patch will be a small file that will repair a known issue in a program. To download a patch, you will have to be a registered user.
Printscreen - this function takes a 'picture' of your screen and can be 'pasted' in to another application such as Word
Back to Top
Q
N/A
Back to Top
R
resolution - a synonym for sharpness in regards to imaginary detail, it is measured in lines or pixels. Most PC currently use a 1,024x768 resolution.
Back to Top
S
snapshot - same as printscreen. Achieved by hitting the 'PrtSc' button on your computer which can be 'pasted' into another application such as Word (also see printscreen)
S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface) - This format transfer signal using a digital interface instead of the traditional analog interface.
SVCD (Super Video CD) - This technology is mainly used in Asia and uses the MPEG-2 quality format.
SVRT II (Smart Video Rendering Technology) - featuring AC-3 technology preserves the original audio quality, making it ideal for consumer electronic devices, such as DVD recorders. This latest development (from SVRT) ensures that video rendering technology supports a broader range of the audio formats, including AC-3, MPEG and LPCM
Back to Top
T
TruSurroundXT - Developed by SRS Labs Inc., it is a downmixing technology that creates a virtual surround sound. It is designed specifically for playback on 2 speaker systems from multi-channel audio sources
trial - a trial version of a program lets the user get to know the program before making a commitment to buy it. Our programs are all fully functionally, but limited to 30 days of use.
Back to Top
U
USB (Universal Serial Bus) - Users can connect USB devices to computers through USB ports without turning the power off. Although this is very convenient, the bandwidth is lower than other devices, which jeopardizes the quality somewhat
Back to Top
V
VCD (Video CD) - Generally for video applications utilizing MPEG-1 technology. The video quality is not a detailed as DVDs. Mostly used in Asia.
Back to Top
W
Widescreen - provides a special "anamorphic video" signal that, when processed by a widescreen television set, fills the entire screen and delivers optimum picture quality
WMA (Windows Media Audio) - A proprietary streaming audio format typically used to download and play files or to stream contents
WMV (Windows Media Video) - A proprietary streaming audio/video formats typically used to download and play files or to stream contents.
Back to Top
X
N/A
Back to Top
Y
N/A
Back to Top
Z
N/A
Back to Top