Technical Dictionary Here is an explanation of words, expressions etc. in the world of homecinema. If there is a link, click on the link to get transferred to their official site for more info, if needed. Click Here For Technical Main Site Hyperlinks Certification Homecinema System Setup Picture Sound Systems Video Formats Video Cables Other Certification THX , different categories of certifications in picture and sound. Product categories are THX Select, THX Ultra, THX Ultra2 (the last two for bigger roms) THX Trailers: Cavalcade (2001) Broadway 2000 (1999) Tex:2 Moo-Can (1997) Tex (1996) The Simpsons (1994) Grand (1993) Cimaron (1988) Broadwy (1983) Wings (1983) Others: T2 customized trailer for the T2 Ultimate edition DVD (2000) Tex as a THX surround EX (6.1) version of the Tex from 1996 (1999) Homecinema System Setup Calibration Very important, not to calibrate is the same as buying a system to 1/10 of what you have spent. When calibrated right, your system makes a wisper a wisper and an explotion an explotion. Use A Test Disc, More Info Here Front Speaker The standard front speakers, been there since stereo. Senter Channel Most of the film's sound come from here, voices for example. Should be equal to the front speakers. Subwoofer It is recommended with two. It's also normally better with 2 small, than 1 a little bigger one. Surround Channels Standard surround channles, in mono with pro logic, in stereo with 5.1/6.1 digital sound. Should be di-pole, this will give more diffuse sound in back. More like the cinemas, where they have 10 and more surround speakers. Surround Back For the back channel in DTS-ES (6.1) and Dolby Digital EX. Both stands for extended surround, extended from normally 5.1. Picture These test discs also includes test signals for calibration of picture quality, a blue filter is a must. Picture A Widescreen VS. Pan & Scan Look P&S have the sides cut out, up to 50% of the picture is missing (Pictures taken from Movgammus® - VulCaino World series filmed/made in widescreen 16:9 HD, free downloadable from our download site). Watch Movgammus - VulCaino World teaser now here Details And More About Movgammus - VulCaino World This applies of course also to almost all movies made for the big screen. DVD (and the earlier LaserDisc 12" format) and Blu-Ray have widescreen as standard on most movies and new TV series. The human vision are more wide than high, just like widescreen, more real. Cinemascope Picture size 1:2,35 2,35 times more wide than high. For example used on Star Wars. DLP (Digital Light Processing) A digital projector technology invented by Texas Instruments. LCD Liquid Crystal Display With the slim screen design it has become the new standard in the PC world. Also less tiring for Your eyes. In the TV world LCD TV has Plasma TV as its toughest competitor. NTSC (National Television Standards Committee) NTSC is used as a broadcast standard in the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico and more. 525 lines per frame and 30 frames per second. P&S (Pan & Scan) Picture size 4:3 (1,33:1) 1,33 times more wide than high. In this format, normally the sides are cut out, up to almost 50% missing of the picture. PAL (phase alternation by line) PAL is used as a broadcast standard in Europe, Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong and more 625 lines per frame and 25 frames per second SECAM (Systeme Electronique Couleur Avec Memoire) SECAM is used as a broadcast standard in France, Hungary, Romania, Morocco, Viet Nam and more. 625 lines per frame and 25 frames per second. WS/Widescreen/Letterbox Picture size 16:9 (1,85:1) or more. 1,85 times more wide than high, or more. Recommended as your screen format. Sound Systems Dolby , digital and analog sound up to 6.1 Not encoded as true 6.1, but a mix from 5.1, surround center back is matrixed into the Surround. Left and Right Channels called Dolby Digital 5.1 EX (the earlier called AC-3, is Dolby Digital up to 5.1). Others from Dolby are, analog formats, Dolby pro Logic (4.0), Dolby pro Logic II (5.1), Dolby pro Logic IIx (7.1), mix from stereo etc. DTS , digital sound up to 6.1 (Up to true DTS ES Discrete 6.1), and above with the new DTS-HD LOGIC 7 , sound format by Lexicon. SDDS Sony Dynamic Digital Sound, digital sound in 8 channals, but only for Theaters. SRS , Circle Surround (up to 5.1), Circle Surround II (up to 6.1), and mora, mix from mono, stereo etc. Info about 6.1 add-ons products for your 5.1 system Video Formats Beta A analog videotape format. Blu-Ray (High Definition) Capacity from 25 to 50 GB of data on a single-sided disc. Developed by the Blu-ray Disc Association D-VHS, High Definition Higher quality than DVD, witch is not a HD format. A digital videotape format called D-VHS. D-VHS players can also use standard VHS tapes. Store capacities up to 44 GB. DVD (Digital Versatile Disc) Released in 1997. Store capacities from 4.7GB up to 17.1GB. HD-DVD (High Definition DVD) Capacity: 15 GB single layer, 30 GB dual layer LaserDisc Invented by MCA/Philips Released in 1978, before CD. 12" disc with 2 sides (like a CD, but bigger). 30 min per side with CAV (constant angular velocity). 60 min per side with CLV (constant linear velocity). VHS A analog videotape format. WMV HD Windows High Definition format for PC, Media PC, DVD-rom, etc. High Definition widescreen picture and 24bit 5.1 surround sound Video cables Best solution at top, HDMI best, Composite bad. HDMI (digital, with sound). DVI (digital). Component (3 x RCA, RGB - green, red, blue)(analog). Scart (when using RGB)(analog). S-Video (analog). Composite (1 x RCA)(analog). Other Here are some other things... BNC, stands for British Naval Connector (or Bayonet Nut Connector or Bayonet Neill Concelman) CD, Compact Disc. CD-Rom, plays any CD format. CRT, Cathode Ray Tube. Digital Coaxial, RCA standard. Digital Optical, fiber optical light cabel. DVD-Audio, Digital Versatile Disc Audio. DVD+R, bruning up to 4.7GB. DVD-R, bruning up to 4.7GB. DVD+R9, bruning up to 8.5GB, dual layer. DVD-R DL, bruning up to 8.5GB, dual layer. DVD-Rom, to read most DVD formats. DVI, Digital Video Interface. HDCD, High Definition Compact Disc. Plasma, gas plasma technology. RCA, Radio Corporation of America. SACD, super Audio Compact Disc. TFT, other name for LCD, Liquid Crystal Display. Zip, simular to floppy, but up to 750MB. (Iomega has sold over 50 million Zip drives) Back To Technical Main E-mail us with your favourite products etc and we will add it to our site/archive..