Glossary - Panasonic DVD-LV57 Manuel D'utilisation

Glossary

Bitstream
This is the digital form of multiple channel
audio data (e.g., 5.1 channel) before it is
decoded into its various channels.
Chapter
This is the smallest division on DVDs and
is roughly equivalent to a track.
Dolby Digital
This is a method of coding digital signals
developed by Dolby Laboratories. Apart
from stereo (2-channel) audio, these sig-
nals can also be 5.1-channel audio. A
large amount of audio information can be
recorded on the disc using this method.
Dolby Pro Logic
A surround system where a 4-channel
audio track is recorded as 2 channels and
then is restored to 4 channels for play.
The surround channel is monaural and
can reproduce up to 7 kHz.
DTS (Digital Theater Systems)
This is a method of coding digital signals
developed by Digital Theater Systems.
The signals are compressed at a low ratio
to maintain sound quality.
Dynamic range
Dynamic range is the difference between
the lowest level of sound that can be
heard above the noise of the equipment
and the highest level of sound before dis-
tortion occurs.
Field
One frame is made up of 2 fields.
A regular television shows these fields
one after the other to create frames.
Frame
Frames are the still pictures that go to-
gether to make a moving picture.
There are about 30 frames shown each
second.
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Frame still and field still
A still is shown when you pause a moving
picture.
A frame still is made up of 2 alternating
fields, so the picture may appear blurred,
but overall quality is high.
A field still is not blurred, but it has only
half the information of a frame still so pic-
ture quality is lower.
I/P/B
MPEG 2, the video compression standard
adopted for use with DVDs, codes frames
using these 3 picture types.
I: Intra coded picture (I-picture)
This is the standard picture and is a
complete picture in itself. This means
it has the best picture quality and is the
best to use when adjusting the picture.
P: Predictive coded picture (P-picture)
This picture is calculated based on
past I or P-pictures.
B: Bidirectionally-predictive coded pic-
ture (B-picture)
This picture is calculated by compar-
ing past and future I and P-pictures so
it has the lowest volume of infor-
mation.
Linear PCM (pulse code modulation)
PCM is the usual digital method used for
music CDs. DVDs have a greater volume
so they use linear PCM, which has a high-
er sampling rate.
Playback control (PBC)
This method of controlling disc play is
included on version 2.0 Video CDs. You
are able to interact with the disc through
menus.
Title
This is the largest division on DVDs.
Track
This is the smallest division on Video CDs
and CDs and usually equates to a single
song.