| Term |
Definition |
| ASPECT RATIO |
A measured ratio between the width and the height of a video display signal. The standard NTSC signal has an aspect ratio of 4:3. Other common aspect ratio such as 16:9 applies to HDTV and some DVD video. |
| BNC |
Bayonet Neill Concelman connector is a standard for transmitting video signals via coaxial cable. It is also often found in measurement devices as a connector interface for sending waveform signals. |
| COLOR BARS |
One of the most typical pattern for testing television, color bars follow certain standards specified by the television system such as NTSC where they are a display of bar pattern with a prescribed luminance and chrominance levels and phase. |
| COMPONENT |
Component is a video output that splits the video signals into three different channels. They are often seen as input video connectors in televisions and are often labeled Y, Pb, and Pr. |
| COMPOSITE |
Often refer to as a video output with a preset of 1 volt peak-to-peak amplitude or variable 0 to 1.5 volt peak-to-peak amplitude into standard 75 ohm impedance. |
| CROSS HATCH |
A 19 x 15 pattern of two or more intersecting parallel lines. |
| CRT |
Cathode Ray tube |
| DLP |
Digital light processing, a technology used for projection of video images. |
| DTMF |
Dual tone multi-frequency, a term used to refer to a waveform having a signal with two different frequencies combined. This is implemented especially in telephone system, where the number keypads each generate a DTMF signal that sends to an operator. |
| ETHERNET |
This term refers to a standard type of technology often associated with computer networking. Ethernet adapters have RJ45 adapters for connecting a cable from PC to network. |
| FRAME RATE |
The rate at which a complete television picture is displayed, which includes all the vertical and horizontal lines. It is often measured in frames per second (fps). |
| HDTV |
High definition television, which differs from traditional television that mostly uses analog TV signals for picture display. HDTV uses digital TV signals that can provide content with a much higher resolution. This is often measured as 720p or 1080p, which translates to the vertical resolution of the picture based on the number of pixels. The "p" here presents the scanning system, which in this case means progressive scan. |
| INTERLACE SCANNING |
The opposite of progressive scanning, this scanning system scans every other horizontal lines of a signal at each frame and alternates after each frame. Meaning, it wills can all odd lines first, then scan all even lines. |
| LCD |
Is the abbreviation for Liquid Crystal Display. |
| MULTIBURST |
A pattern generated by NTSC generators for checking horizontal resolution and bandwidth. Often, the pattern includes bursts of sine wave video at various frequencies of dc. This wave radio produces alternative black and white lines. As frequency increases, lines in the pattern becomes closer together. |
| NTSC |
Stands for National Television System Committee, often referred to as the television system used primarily in countries such as United States and Canada. Under this standard, 525 horizontal lines of interlaced scan is performed in the transmission process. |
| OLED |
Organic LED |
| PAL |
Phase alternating line, a type of color encoding system for television in some countries. This is widely used in Europe. Under this standard, 625 lines of of horizontal resolution at 50Hz is used. |
| PROGRESSIVE SCANNING |
The counter part of interlace scanning, this scanning system scans all horizontal lines of a signal at every frame, providing a smooth transition from frame to frame in video imaging. |
| RASTER |
Raster is a type of pattern that is generally used for scanning from side to side with lines that are vertical. |
| RGB |
A color model that uses a mix of red, green, and blue colors to represent a wide range of colors. This is often used in CRTs, TVs, and LCDs. |
| RJ11 |
Standard telephone jack adapter. |
| RJ45 |
Standard Ethernet jack adapter. |
| STAIRCASE |
Generated NTSC prescribed staircase pattern of 5 equal steps of increasing luminance of gray-scale. Often this pattern is used for checking linearity of luminance and chroma gain, differential gain, and differential phase. |
| TFT |
Thin film transistor, often used for LCD displays. |
