Investing in video/audio systems and technology can get you an insanely positive return in 2023 if you know what you need. That’s why we created this audio/video solution glossary to help you out.
Because even if you don’t know, we invite you to ask for free help from LayerLogix’s team of experts.
In the meantime, you can learn more about these solutions, before acquiring any services.
2023 Audio/Video Solution’s Glossary of Terms
What are Audio Filters?
They are used to reduce background noise (traffic, air conditioners, wind) or to compensate for a noisy environment, for example.
What is an Audio Filter?
It is used to select, control and mix audio sources. It can include filter circuits, reverb control, and other features. It is generally operated by the audio mixer (a job title, as well as the name of the board) or A-1 (sound supervisor).
What is an ADC (Analogic Digital Converter)?
Hardware that converts an analog audio or video signal into a digital signal that can be processed by a computer.
What is an AGP Slot?
Connector on a computer’s motherboard for use with a GPU card.
What is the Aspect Ratio?
The ratio between the width of an image and its height. For example, a standard video screen has an aspect ratio of 4:3. Most motion pictures use the 16:9 aspect ratio, which is more stretched.
What is the Bit Depth?
Indicates the number of colors an image can display. A high-contrast black and white (no gray tones) image is 1-bit, which means it can be on or off, black or white. As the bit depth increases, more colors are available. 24-bit color allows millions of colors to be displayed.
What is the Bit Map?
A graphic image is composed of individual pixels, each of which has values that define its brightness and color.
What is CDN (Content Delivery Network)?
It is a system that works based on a network of interconnected computers that distribute enormous amounts of digital data to thousands of users simultaneously. Thanks to the use of these interconnected servers, a CDN system prevents the loss of information and allows a more stable transmission of streaming, among other things.
What is a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device)?
This charge-coupled device is an image sensor used in most video cameras.
What is a Codec?
It is a software layer to encode and decodes video files during recording and playback. Popular recording formats include XF-AVC and HEVC/H.265, MJPEG, MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, and AVCHD.
What is a Video Dolly?
A wheeled platform is used to smoothly move the camera during a shot towards or away from the talent.
What is DRM (Digital Rights Management)?
It is used in streaming services to protect the content to be broadcast on different platforms from possible copies or to restrict access by unauthorized persons.
What does Dither mean?
Alternate the colors of adjacent pixels to approximate the colors in between. (For example, displaying adjacent blue and yellow pixels to approximate green.) Dithering allows monitors to approximate colors that they cannot display.
What are Dropped Frames?
Frames that were lost during the scanning or video capture process. Frames may be dropped if your hard drive has a low data transfer rate.
What does External Recording mean?
Due to the very high data needs, video sometimes benefits from the use of an external video recorder, a stand-alone device that allows video to be viewed and recorded.
What does F-stop mean?
It regulates the amount of light that passes through the camera lens by varying the size of the hole through which the light passes.
What is Focus Peaking?
This is a visual aid in the viewfinder or on the screen that shows which parts of the image are in sharp focus. In theory, the areas in focus will match the highest contrast, so the image is judged by contrast, and these areas are highlighted on the screen in bright color.
What is a Fresnel?
An unfocused focus. It is lightweight and less expensive than an ellipsoidal, and it has an adjustable beam.
What is Greyscale in Video Solutions?
Series of visual tones ranging from true black to true white. In video applications, grayscale is typically expressed in 10 stops.
What does HDD mean?
Hard drives can be used to record digital video images and can be built into the camera or attached to the exterior of the camera.
What is HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)?
It is the most common type of connection for transmitting HD video and digital audio between devices, such as from a camera to a recorder.
What is an Image Stabilizer?
The technique used to eliminate shake caused by camera shake. Also called an electronic image stabilizer.
What are the different types of Microphones?
- Two-way microphone: This microphone can hear equally well in both front and rear but is deaf on both sides. This is sometimes called a “figure of eight” pattern.
- Condenser microphone: A high-quality microphone that can be very small and is typically powered by a built-in battery, phantom power, or a power supply.
- Shotgun microphone: A highly directional microphone used to pick up sound from a distance.
- Lapel microphone: These small microphones clip onto the talent’s clothing and provide fairly consistent, hands-free audio capture of the voice of the person being recorded (talent).
- Dynamic microphone: A rugged, low-maintenance, and not easily distorted microphone.
- Directional microphone: This type of microphone can hear sounds directly in front of it.
- Omnidirectional microphone: This type of microphone can pick up audio equally well in all directions.
What does Oversampling mean?
More powerful still cameras take the image from a larger sensor at full resolution and create 8-megapixel moving images, rather than just reading an 8-megapixel portion of the sensor.
This technique is known as upsampling because it takes the maximum resolution of the camera and reduces it to 4K or the desired recording resolution.
What is OTT (Over-the-top)?
Specifically, OTTs are those platforms that transmit information, generally streaming video, to multiple devices that have Internet access.
What is OVP (Online Video Platform)?
It is used in streaming to refer to cloud-based video content delivery and transmission solutions. In other words, an OVP is a tool that allows you to easily manage and distribute content on different devices.
What happens in Pre-production?
Production is the stage also known as filming. It is where everything that the script indicates is recorded. Actors, camera movements, lighting, audio capture, etc. were directed.
What happens in Post-production?
Once the material is recorded, the final stage begins. First, you start with the editing or presentation of the skeleton. Later it goes on to the finer details, such as color retouching, audio mixing, animations, and visual effects.
What is a PCI Slot?
Connection slot for expansion cards built into most computers. Most video capture cards require a PCI slot.
What exactly is a Pixel (“Picture Element”)?
The smallest element is visible on a computer monitor: a dot with a specific level of intensity and color. Graphics programs use square pixels.
However, NTSC and PAL video pixels are rectangular, so computer graphics displayed on a TV screen will appear distorted unless the aspect ratio of the graphics is adjusted for the video.
What is Rasterization?
Grid of pixels that make up the image on a computer or television screen.
What is Saturation?
Intensity or purity of a color. Saturation represents the amount of gray in proportion to hue measured as a percentage from 0% (gray) to 100% (fully saturated).
What does Stereo mean?
Stereo sound uses two audio tracks to create the illusion of space and dimension.
What is Streaming?
Allows the real-time distribution of audio, video, and multimedia content over the Internet, whenever the user wishes. This technology simultaneously transfers digital data, so that the final consumer receives everything as a continuous stream and in real-time (hence its name: stream means current or flow).
What is Transcoding?
Translation of a file from one format to another; that is, recording of the data.
What does Video Interpolation mean?
Method for establishing new data points between known data points.
What is VOD (Video on Demand)?
Currently, “video on demand” services are based on the philosophy that “I see what I want to see when I want to see it”.
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