SVGA - Super video Graphics Array. Is a display resolution of 800 X 600 pixels, which compares roughly to the 720 X 576 of UK TV broadcasts.

XGA - eXtended Graphics Array. Has a display resolution of 1024 X 768 pixels.

Resolution - Is the number of pixels that make up a screen or display and with a computer fed image or when presenting images from a digital camera, usually means the higher the resolution the sharper the image. Higher resolution i.e.: more than 852x480 on a plasma screen is of less importance when connecting a video source.

Aspect Ratio - Is the ratio between screen height and width i.e. 4.3 = 4 parts long and 3 parts high.4.3 aspect ratio is standard normal PC monitors & TV's 16.9 aspect ratio is wide screen TV.

Contrast Ratio - The difference in the light intensity between the brightest white and the darkest black.

Pixel - A colour controllable dot on a display screen

Candela - The measurement used referring to brightness.

DVI - Digital Visual Interface

PIP - Picture in picture

BNC - A bayonet type connector commonly on video equipment.

AC - 3 - Is the former name for Dolby Digital.

NTSC - United States broadcast standard for video and broadcasting.

PAL - Broadcast standard that is the predominant video system or standard mostly used in Europe & Internationally PAL, 25 frames are transmitted each second. Each frame is made up of 625 individual scan lines.

SECAM - Sequential Couleur avec Memoir). The television broadcast standard in France, the Middle East, and most of Eastern Europe, SECAM broadcasts 819 lines of resolution per second. SECAM is one of three television standards throughout the world.

CAM - Conditional Access Module. This is a device used in conjunction with a smart card to decrypt digital pay - TV services, such as BskyB. Some are built into the receivers whilst others take the form of plug-in cards.

RS-232 - A connection used for signalling devices.

CD-R - CD-Recordable. Is a Write-Once, Read Many times (WORM) version of a CD, with 650 MB data capacity. With a video capture card, MPEG1 video CDs can be produced.

CD-RW - CD-Rewritable. Consists of 650MB CD format disc similar to a CD-R, but can be erased and used thousands of times.

Coaxial Cable - Is a low noise cable in which the conductor is surrounded by a grounded braid. These types of cables are used to carry RF signals from aerials. They are also used with the electrical digital audio signal form DVD players.

Component Video - Also known as 'YUV'. Comprises a luminance/sync channel (Y), plus two colour 'difference' channels ('U' and 'V'). In the terms of performance potential, only RGB comes close to component video.

Composite Video - Used by analogue transmitters, this signal combines luminance (brightness), synchronisation and Chrominance (colour) components. It is not ideal because careful filtering is needed to separate the Y/sync and C information (however, note that modern TV's use a comb filter, which does a good job here). Superior pictures can be obtained by using S-video, RGB or component connections.

DB - The rating of a speaker is simply a measure of it's efficiency, the higher the dB the more Sound you get for a given input.

D-VHS - Digital VHs. D-VHS recorders can record a 'bitstream' from an IEEE1394port.Current.

DIGIBOX - Is the name given to the digital satellite receivers specific to BskyB's service. They feature an internal CAM for the Media-guard digital encryption system.

DNR - Digital Noise reduction. Is a feature built into many TVs and VCRs, plus high-end DVD players that seek to reduce grain from tapes and terrestrial broadcasts received via imperfect aerials.

DLP - Digital Light Processing. Texas Instruments' answer to the LCD, as used in many high-end video/data projectors. The DLP imaging device comprises thousands of microscopic 'mirrors', each representing a single pixel, which are angled towards (or away from) the light source to make the projected image lighter or darker. Three of these 'digital micro-mirror devices '(DMDs) are used for colour. They are more efficient at transmitting light than LCD's, meaning they are brighter.

Dolby Surround - The early surround sound format derived from Dolby Stereo film sound and has now been eclipsed by Dolby Pro-Logic.

Dolby Pro-Logic - Is a four-channel surround sound system available from stereo TV broadcasts, VHS movies and most DVDs. It sends information to speakers at front left, front right, front centre and two rear speakers, which share a mono signal.

DOLBY Pro-Logic 2 - Is a digitally implemented matrix decoding system designed to make the most of existing Dolby Stereo-encoded material. It will also generate simulated 5.1 surround sound from normal stereo recordings, as can DTS Neo: 6.

Dolby Digital - Also known as Dolby Digital 5.1. Dolby Digital is a six-channel surround system found on many DVDs which sends discrete audio information to speakers at the front, front right, front centre, rear left, rear right and a dedicated base speaker, known as a 'subwoofer'. It is the base (or LFE) channel, which provides Dolby Digital 5.1, the '1' part of its name.

HDTV - High-Definition Television, with at least double the number of lines of standard TV signals.

DTS ES Discrete 6.1, DTS ES Matrix 6.1 - Is a new 6.1 surround sound format. The extra channel is intended to drive one or more 'back surround', or centre rear speakers located between the left and right rear ones. The sixth channel will be 'ignored' by regular 5.1 DT decoders; hence the need for DTS ES Matrix 6.1 This format like Dolby Digital EX, encodes the back-surround channel via an analogue matrix, and delivers it via the rear channels.

DTS NEO: 6 - A matrix-decoding algorithm that generates simulated 6.1-channel sound from any two-channel source. Compare with Dolby Pro-Logic 11.

DV - Digital Video. Is a popular video format in worldwide use. It employs compression similar to MPEG in basic principle. There a two tape sizes, the full sized 3 hour one, which is fairly rare, and the 'mini' 1-hour version used in camcorders.

DVB - Digital Versatile Broadcasting. Is a set of standards that define MPEG2 terrestrial and satellite digital broadcasting? Both the UK's digital terrestrial signal and Sky digital are DB-Compliant.

DTS - Digital Theatre Surround. Is one of the two mainstream 5.1 multi-channel audio systems in present use. Compared with Dolby Digital, it has a relatively low data compression rate, which makes some people believe that it sounds better. The majority of DTS releases are still Region 1, although there are a number on Region 2, Gladiator, Hannibal and Ali.

Electrical Digital Audio - Whereby Un-decoded Dolby Digital and DTS soundtracks are transmitted form DVD decked to amplifiers in either optical or electrical form. Coaxial cables are used for the electrical signals.

HDCD - High-Density Compatible Digital. Is a relatively new concept as around only 4000 commercial HCDC titles are in circulation. The technology is set to be surpassed by new 'super-fi' standards like SACD and DVD-Audio.

LCD - Liquid Crystal Display. Is a flat, lightweight display technology that consumes 40% less power than the cathode ray tube (CRT) found in most modern TV's is also used by many projection systems.

LCOS - Liquid Crystal on Silicon. LCOS is an advanced form of LCD using a combination of liquid crystal and silicon processors. Manufacturers with LCOS products include Philips, Thompson, JVC and, Hitachi.

MPEG - Motion Picture Experts Group. Is a set of 'lossy' compression standards. With MPEG, the information regarded as unimportant (i.e. imperceptible to the viewer or listener) is irretrievably discarded by means of a highly mathematical process. The data rate is considerably reduced. Though. MPEG 1, as used on video CDs, is a low bit rate variant capable of VHS quality. MPEG" works at faster bit rates, and can yield high quality results as demonstrated by DVD and DVB.

NICAM - Near Instantaneous Companding audio Multi-plex. Is the digital stereo audio system used for terrestrial analogue broadcasting in the UK (but not Satellite).

HDTV - High Definition television, with at least double the number of lines of standard TV signals.

Optical - Is a popular type of connector for interfacing audio equipment such as DVD players by Dolby Digital decoders. Electrical signals are converted by an LED at the 'transmitter'; end, and past via an intermediate fibre optic light guide, to a phototransistor built into the 'receiver'. The latter device converts the light back into an electrical signal. The main advantages of this system, also known as TOSlink (TOShibaLINK) are isolation and total immunity to interference.

PAL - Phase Alternate Lin). Is a colour TV system employed in the Uk. Western Europe, China and Australia. Normally partnered with 625-line pictures and 25Hz frame rate.

PDC - Programme Delivery Control. If you enable ODC on your VCR and a 'flag' (command), issued by the broadcaster via tele-text, when the desired programme beings it tells your VCR to start recording. The VCR will only stop when the appropriate flag is received.

Progressive Scan - Is a superior way of viewing video images compared with the traditional interlaced method. With interlacing the two fields of each video frame (the odd and even horizontal lines) are shown one after another. With the progressive scanning all of the horizontal lines of the frame are displayed in one go. The advantages are the lack of 'flicker' and jagged edges, typical of interlaced displays like CRT TV's, and also smooth horizontal resolution. A number of DVD players can output video progressively, although it is only officially available with NTSC material. The signal must be fed to a non-interlaced display such as a plasma screen, or LCD or DLP projector. Certain TV's also feature progressive scan (or de-interlacing). Such sets analyse the video signal and insert scanning lines to increase the apparent resolution (compare with 100Hz scanning).

RCE - Regional Coding Enhancement. Is Hollywood's latest attempt at preserving regional coding. RCE is embedded in software (Region1 DVD discs) to make them incompatible with hacked or modified DVD players.

Regional Coding - Eight global DVD regions exist therefore a disc sold in one won't play in a player intended for another. The UK is region 2 (R2) but many people want Region 1 (the US) discs, which are cheaper and have better features. Thus, many DVD players here can be made multi-region by handset hacking or can be modified by a dealer.

RGB - Is a video transmission system that differentiates and processes all colour information as separate red, green, and blue channels. The best pictures from DVD are obtained using an RGB Scart connection or Component Video.

Scart - Is a 21-pin AV connector, which can carry composite, S-video and RGB video, plus stereo audio and widescreen/4:3 switching signals.