0-9
1080i
Refers to an interlaced HDTV signal with 1080 horizontal lines and an Aspect ratio of 16:9 (1.78:1). All major HDTV broadcasting standards include a 1080i format which has a Resolution of 1920x1080, however there are other formats, including HDV and AVCHD for camcorders, which utilize 1080i images with a resolution of 1440x1080. Confusing matters even further, a 4:3 (1.33:1) image broadcast in 1080i (1920x1080) uses the center 1440 Pixels for the image, with 240 pixel wide pillarbox borders on each side.
For HDTVs themselves 1080i can also have different meanings. While you might expect a 1080i HDTV to have a resolution of 1920x1080, this isn't always the case. For many flat panel 1080i HDTVs the actual Native Resolution is 1366x768. While these TVs accept 1080i input signals (as do all HDTVs) they must scale them down to their native resolution, resulting in somewhat lower picture quality.
1080p
1080p is a high-definition video format with resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The "p" stands for progressive scan, which means that each video frame is transmitted as a whole in a single sweep. The main advantage of 1080p TVs is that they can display all high-definition video formats without downconverting, which sacrifices some picture detail.
A
AVCHD
Audio and Video Compression for High Definition (AVCHD), is a video format that is designed for camcorder use. It uses a disc structure designed for Blu-ray Disc standard compatibility, and benefits from native support among most Blu-ray players on the market, including the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console. The format is comparable to other handheld video camcorder formats including HDV.
B
BD
Blu-ray Disc
BD-J
(or BD Java) is the name given to the Java-based software that will be included on BD-ROM discs and all Blu-Ray Disc players. This will help provide the Blu-ray menus and many other features. On DVDs, menu's are made up of segments of MPEG video, or still frames. BD-J and the interactivity layer used by HD DVD, iHD, are far more advanced and will offer greater features than DVD. The Blu-ray group is using a specification from Europe called JEM.
BD-R
Stands for Blu-ray Disc Recordable. It is a write-once form of blank media offered by the Blu-ray Disc Association. As of February, 2007, BD-R discs can be found with a capacity of 25GB (single layer) and commercially available burners have a maximum write speed of 4x. The Re-writable form of Blu-ray Recordable Media is BD-RE.
BD-RE
Is a re-writable form of Blu-ray Recordable Media offered by the Blu-ray Disc Association. As of February, 2007, BD-RE offers capacities up to 25GB (single layer) and commercially available burners have a maximum write speed of 4x. The write-once form of Blu-ray Recordable Media is BD-R.
BD-ROM
Are the physical Blu-Ray Discs. Typically, BD-ROM discs store 25GB per layer, so one of the main selling points of Blu-ray is the 50GB dual layer discs that will be available. The first discs were enclosed in plastic caddies to protect the surface of the discs. However, it was thought that HD DVD would then have a huge advantage over Blu-ray as HD DVD discs can be handled like DVDs and CDs, which are familiar to consumers. Now instead of using caddies, BD-ROM discs will have a much tougher coating developed by the TDK Corporation. The coating, called Durabis, allows for easier cleaning of the discs.
BD Live
Interactive features found on some Blu-ray discs. While these features vary from disc to disc, they typically range from behind-the-scenes videos to additional bonus content and online games you can download via your broadband Internet connection. BD-Live-capable players include an Ethernet port, and must also support at least 1GB of flash memory for storing downloaded content. This memory can either be built into the player or achieved through the use of a removable device such as an SD™ memory card or USB thumb drive. Blu-ray players that support BD-Live are also known as Profile 2.0.
BD-25
A Blu-ray disc with 25GB capacity.
BD-50
A Blu-ray disc with 50GB capacity.
BD-9
BD-9 is a red laser DVD with BD contents on it. Capacity: 9GB.
BDA
The Blu-ray Disc format was developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA), a consortium of the world's leading consumer electronics, personal computer and media manufacturers, with more than 180 member companies from all over the world.
BDMV
Blu-ray allows two basic formats for titles. BD titles authored with menu support are in the BD-MV (Blu-ray Disc Movie) format. BD-MV discs contain audio, video, and other streams in Blu-ray's BD-AV (MPEG-2 TS) Container. In addition, BD-MV discs normally include interactive menus using BD-J (Blu-ray's Java implementation). BD-MV is the format intended to replace standard definition DVD.
Bitstream
A specific way of transmitting information from one place to another. The Bitstream ‘style’ of data transmission sends “compressed” information (data that has been previously ‘packaged’, or squashed down to save space) to an audio receiver. That receiver must then de-compress (or “decode”) the data before it can be ‘read’ and played by the receiver as sound. See Compression.
Blu-ray
Also known as Blu-ray Disc (BD), is the next generation optical disc format. Its main uses are high-definition video and data storage. It is more than five times the capacity of traditional DVDs and can hold up to 25GB on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. The name Blu-ray Disc is derived from the blu laser (violet-colored) used to read and write this type of disc. Unlike the red laser beam of the DVD which has a wavelength of 650nm (nanometers), Blu-ray can substantially store more data because of its beam's shorter wavelenght (405nm).
Blu-ray Disc Association
The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) is an organization founded in 2003 to promote the Blu-ray Disc format as a successor to the current DVD technology. While DVD has been a huge success on the world stage, the current transition to high definition video technology requires a format with higher storage capacity. The Blu-ray Disc Association was set up as a kind of contrast to the DVD Forum which oversees the DVD format specifications and has backed the HD DVD format (Blu-ray's main rival) to replace DVD technology.
BOGO
Buy One Get One.
BonusView
A feature found on some newer Blu-ray discs and players. It allows the player to play two different audio and video streams simultaneously, making it essentially the same as picture-in-picture. BonusView is often used for director's commentary. The player displays the movie in its original, full-screen form while also playing video commentary from the film director on a smaller, inset screen. Blu-ray players with this function are also called Final Standard Profile or Profile 1 v1.1.
C
Coffee Book
A style of release for Blu-ray discs by Warner Bros. It resembles a hardcover book and contains a limited number of pages about the release but also acts as a storage box for Blu-ray disc(s). Also sometimes referred to as "Coffee Table Book Edition" and "Blu-ray/Coffee book".
Compression
Compression: Taking a large amount of information/data, and ‘re-writing’ it so that the new data takes up less space (on a Blu-ray or CD, for examples). This is known as “compressing” the data (or “encoding”). Before the data can be used again, it must be “decompressed” (or “decoded”). Some Blu-ray players can decompress data on their own – then send it to the receiver (as uncompressed PCM) to play it. Some must send the compressed data to an audio receiver first, and the audio receiver must then perform the decompression and play the audio. This depends on what compression method has been used, and if that player is capable of performing the decompression itself. Additionally, not all compression methods are equal. Some processes allow for exact copies of the original audio to be produced (Lossless), others do not produce exact copies of the original data and therefore some information is lost (Lossy). Some of the ‘styles’ of audio compression include: Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio (MA). See Bitstream. See PCM. See Lossy. See Lossless.
D
Durabis
Is the brand name for a clear polymer coating developed by the TDK corporation used for Blu-ray Disc scratch-resistance.
Deep Color
A color resolution standard associated with high-definition TVs, Blu-ray players, and other video gear that include HDMI 1.3 connections. Deep Color supports 10-bit, 12-bit and 16-bit color bit depths, up from 8-bit, which is the current standard for consumer video. (Because video is based on three primary colors, you'll sometimes see Deep Color described as 30-bit, 36-bit and 48-bit.) A higher color bit depth enables finer gradations between different shades of the same color, for smoother gradients and reduced color banding. Deep Color gives Blu-ray players the potential to display billions rather than millions of colors, but in order to see that improvement, the entire video production chain has to use it (camera, editing, format, player, display).
E
F
FUD
Fear Uncertainty and Doubt, a common term used to portray information as untrue or devious.
G
H
HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection)
HDCP encryption is used with high-resolution signals over DVI and HDMI connections to prevent unauthorized duplication of copyrighted material.
HDMI
HDMI or High-Definition Multimedia Interface is an all-digital audio/video interface capable of transmitting uncompressed streams. HDMI also incorporates Digital Rights Management technology. HDMI provides an interface between any compatible digital audio/video source, such as a set-top box, a DVD player, a PC, a video game system, or an AV receiver and a compatible digital audio and/or video monitor, such as a digital television (DTV). It is a modern replacement for older analogue standards such as SCART or the RCA connector.
I
IAR
Intended Aspect Ratio. Where as OAR, original aspect ratio, can be used in various contexts meaning anything from the original camera negative aspect ratio, to how the material was originally shown (even if it was modified from its intended aspect ratio), to its most common application of its original (ie. intended) aspect ratio, intended aspect ratio (or IAR for abbreviation) is the preferred, most descriptive and accurate term to imply the intended aspect ratio by its creators.
J
K
L
Letterbox
When the original aspect ratio of a film does not match the aspect ratio of the display device it is viewed on/with resulting in “black bars” above and below the film. This maintains the film in an unaltered condition as it was intended to be seen. Examples: Pirates of the Caribbean with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio will show up letterboxed on 4:3 and 16:9 ratio displays. Other films with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio such as Chicago or the BBC produced Planet Earth will fill a widescreen display entirely but will still be letterboxed on an older 4:3 televisions.
Lossless
Lossless: Refers to audio that has been reproduced from the original source (Blu-ray disc, CD, eg.) without having lost any information. Lost information results in a ‘less-than-perfect’ reproduction of the audio track. Uncompressed PCM, Dolby True HD, and DTS-HD MA are examples of lossless audio feeds. All Blu-ray players are capable of transmitting uncompressed PCM data to a receiver using an HDMI cable. Not all players are capable of decoding/transmitting every type of compressed data. See your player’s user manual for details. See Compression. For comparison, See Lossy.
Lossy
Refers to audio that is not an exact reproduction of the original. During the recording/compression process, information has been lost, and may result in the perception of less quality/depth/richness of sound. Not all players are capable of decoding/transmitting every type of compressed data. See your player’s user manual for details. Examples of Lossy sound compression methods include DTS, Dolby Digital, and DTS-HD HR. See Compression. For comparison, See Lossless.
M
MAR
Modified Aspect Ratio. Used to convey instances when the intended aspect ratio of the material has been altered/modified from its intended composition without the express permission and oversight of its creator(s).
MSRP
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price.
N
O
OAR
Original Aspect Ratio.
OP
Original Poster.
P
PCM
“Pulse Code Modulation”. A specific way of transmitting digital sound information from one place to another. The PCM ‘style’ of data transmission sends the info “uncompressed”. This means that when it is sent from the data source (a Blu-ray disc, CD, etc.) to a piece of audio equipment – it can be instantly ‘read’ and played. Compressed data has been previously ‘packaged’, or squashed down to save space on the disc. Compressed data must be Decompressed (or “decoded”) in order to be ‘read’ – like boxing up your book collection when you move, you must unpack your books before you can read them again. PCM is different. Since the data has not been ‘boxed up’, it does not have to be ‘unboxed’ (or “decoded”) before it is usable. See Compression.
Pillarbox
When the original aspect ratio of a film does not match the aspect ratio of the display device it is viewed on/with resulting in “black bars” or “pillars” on the sides of the film. This maintains the film as it was intended to be seen. Examples: Old films with a 4:3 or 1.37:1 aspect ratio like Seven Samurai or The Wizard of Oz will be displayed this way on 16:9 ratio “widescreen” display devices.
Posterization
Occur when the color depth, sometimes called bit depth, is insufficient to accurately sample a continuous gradation of color tone. As a result, a continuous gradient appears as a series of discrete steps or bands of color — hence the name. When discussing fixed pixel displays, such as LCD and plasma televisions, this effect is also referred to as false contouring.
PQ
Picture Quality
Profile 1.0
A term used to describe any Blu-ray player initially released before November 1, 2007. Unlike newer models, these players do not have BonusView (Profile 1.0) or BD-Live (Profile 2.0) capabilities. New Blu-ray players released after November 1, 2007 needed to be at least Profile 1 Version 1.1. However, this only applies to players initially released after that date. If you purchased a player that first came out before the cutoff date, it will still be Version 1.0, even if your particular player was manufactured later. In other words, running changes were not made to older players that are still in production to upgrade them to the new profile.
Profile 1.1
See BonusView
Profile 2.0
See BD-Live
Q
R
S
SQ
Sound Quality
T
TBA
To Be Announced.
U
V
W
Windowbox
Simultaneous letterboxing and pillarboxing of a film resulting in “black bars” all the way around picture. This is most often the unintended result of viewing non-anamorphic letterboxed material on a widescreen display. Windowboxing is used intentionally sometimes to counter overscan on displays without overscan control so that no part of the image is lost to the viewer; The result is a smaller picture with lowered resolution however.
WMA CD
WMA stands for Windows® Media Audio. Like MP3, WMA compresses audio files for easier storage. Some DVD players and recorders, as well as a handful of Blu-ray players, can read WMA files burned to a CD.
X
x.v.Color™
A high-definition video color space supported by some Blu-ray players and HDTVs (generally models with HDMI v1.3 inputs). The x.v.Color standard supports 1.8 times as many colors as the digital ATSC broadcast standard. There are currently no broadcast or packaged consumer high-def sources that support it, but you can find it on some camcorders. If Blu-ray discs encoded with x.v.Color become available in the future, you'll be able to see a wider range of colors as long as your Blu-ray player and HDTV also support it.
Y
Z
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