CD & DVD Replication, Duplication & Disc Pressing Glossary

CD format for holding audio data

The audio format native to Macintosh computers.

The blurring of hard edges to create the appearance of smoothness. Most commonly used with respect to graphics, especially text.

A Microsoft format for digital audio and video playback from Windows 3.1. Somewhat cross-platform, but mostly a Windows format. Has been replaced by the ASF format, but still used by some multimedia developers.

The number of bits transmitted per second. In theory, a 56 Kbps modem, for example, can transmit up to 56,000 bits per second.

CD Extra standard created by Phillips & Sony

Compact Disc

Compact Disc - Digital Audio. This format was launched in 1982 and was the product of joint development by Philips and Sony. CD-DA discs conform to the red book standard.

The process of 'burning' audio or data files onto a recordable CD.

A multisession CD comprising of audio and data. Can be used to add extra CD-ROM content to audio CD releases. The standard was developed by Philips, Sony and Microsoft

Audio CD that contains graphics as well as audio data. The format is usually used for karaoke CDs.

Compact Disc - Interactive. A multimedia/interactive CD format that was jointly invented by Philips and Sony.

Compact Disc Recordable. An optical disc which data/audio can be written to once. The CD-R was developed by Taiyo Yuden

The process of pressing or stamping data onto a CD from a master disc.

Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. An optical disc used to store computer data. CD-ROM is defined by the yellow book standard developed jointly by Philips and Sony in 1983.

CD-ROM Extended Architecture. These discs contain Mode 2 sectors allowing audio and data to be read at the same time. Photo CD, Video CD and CD-Extra are based on this format.

Compact Disc Re-writable. An optical disc that can be written with data or audio multiple times. Introduced in 1997 by Hewlett Packard, Mitsubishi, Philips, Ricoh and Sony.

Content Scramble System. Scheme used to encrypt DVDs so that they can only be played on CSS-licenced DVD players.

A drive used to write and/or re-write recordable CDs.

A color model used when working with print-based images that describes colors as mixtures of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink. CMYK is contrasted to the RGB (Red, Green, Blue) color model, which is used when working with images intended for electronic presentation, such as on computer monitors, televisions, and LCD screens. CMYK and RGB are also called "color spaces," because each defines it own color gamut or range of colors that it can represent. Since CMYK has a narrower color gamut than RGB (it can reproduce fewer colors accurately), it is important that images intended for print be defined as CMYK images so that what appears on the screen when editing can match the final printed output.

A mathematical system for compressing (encoding) and decompressing (playing back) a video or audio file. CODECs can be hardware or software-based, or both. Hardware CODECS are often more efficient, but the trade-off is that not all users will have the special hardware needed to play back the file.

In imaging, this refers to the process of matching the colors in a digital reproduction of an image to an analog original, such as a photograph. Adobe Photoshop is the standard application for color-correcting images. In film, this refers to adjusting the final print so that colors match from shot to shot, regardless of the film stock and camera used.

The process of reducing the size of a media file by eliminating data. Higher compression means that the compression utility (usually a software program or a combination of hardware and software) defines greater amounts of data (such as larger areas of an image) as redundant, but at certain points the human eye will register the missing information as quality loss. The trade-off is that highly compressed images can be delivered more efficiently over a network.

copyright is a form of protection grounded in the U.S. Constitution and granted by law for original works of authorship fixed in a tangible medium of expression. Copyright covers both published and unpublished works.

A medium used for recording and storing high quality audio such as interviews and sound effects from the field.

To convert analog (wave-based) media into digital format (zeros and ones) so that they can be understood by computers. Also known as "capturing," and sometimes "encoding." Digitization of video is usually accomplished with add-on devices for computers known as "Video Capture Cards," although firewire ports, which are increasingly becoming a standard on out-of-the-box systems for both Mac's and PCs, can perform this function. Audio can normally be digitized through standard sound cards that come with most computers.

A measure of image resolution.

The technique of combining multiple sound components into one. Can also refer to automatic dialog replacement of another language.

Digital Versatile Disc. A DVD can contain audio, video or data.

DVD format used for storing audio data.

The process whereby a whole CD is written to without turing the laser off, i.e. there is only a single track burned onto the CD.

Single sided, single layer DVD with 4.7 GB of storage

Single sided, dual layer DVD with 8.5 GB of storage

Double sided, dual layer DVD with 17 GB of storage

Digital Versatile Disc Recordable.

Digital Versatile Disc Re-writeable. Developed in co-operation with Hewlett-Packard, Mitsublishi Chemical, Philips, Ricoh, Sony and Yamaha.

Digital Versatile Disc Recordable. An optical disc capable of having large amounts of data written onto it once.

Digital Versatile Disc Re-writeable

Re-writeable DVD disc.

Digital Versatile Disc Read-Only Memory. Used for storing computer data.

The process of 'burning' audio or data onto a recordable DVD.

The process of pressing or stamping data onto a DVD from a master disc.

DVD format for storing video data.

The process of compressing audio or video.

Instructions and data programmed into the circuits responsible for controlling the operation of peripheral devices, such as CD copiers.

The process of moving files back and forth between a server and a local computer.

A file format commonly used for images on the Web. GIFs are especially suitable for images composed of relatively few colors, such as logos or vector graphics.

A unit of measure equal to 1,000 megabytes.

CD-I standard.

CD-ROM standard readable by both PCs and MACs.

Refers to an image file format popular for delivery over the Web because of its relatively high quality and low file size. Before uploading JPEGs to the Web, users can determine the amount of compression assigned to them-usually on a scale from 1 to 10. Recommended file type for photographic images.

A technique marked by black strips at the top and bottom of a screen image that allows for video or film shot at wide aspect ratios to be viewed on devices such as standard televisions that have squarer shapes.

A disc or file containing data or audio ready for duplication.

A device which converts sound into electrical impulses, usually for recording or amplification.

Contains a combination of a data track and one or more audio tracks. The CD-ROM track is the first track on the disc, followed by CD-DA on the rest of the tracks.

In live recording, refers to combining sound from different microphones, such as narration and ambient sound. The sound technician responsible for balacing audio uses a device called a mixer, which allows him or her adjust the balance and levels of sound from these different sources. In editing, this also refers to combining more than one recorded soundtrack in the finished product.

Motion Picture Expert Group. MPEG-1 is the video distribution system used on Video CD & CD-I. MPEG-2 and DVD offer better than laser disc picture quality.

CD format allowing the recording of data onto the disc in more than one session.

A recordable CD standard for CD-R and photo CD.

A proprietary document format from Adobe that preserves formatting such as specific fonts and graphics by embedding them into the file. PDF files are created with Adobe Acrobat.

single unit of screen information: one of the colored "dots" that make up a video image. Depending on the display mode, a pixel may require 8 bits/1 byte of information (for 256, or VGA, color mode), 16 bits/2 bytes (for "high color" mode) or 24 bits/3 bytes (for "true color" mode).

An image file format designed for the Web. Supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 and Navigator Navigator 4.04 and later.

A digital audio and video file-format and architecture developed by Apple Computer, Inc.. Can be viewed on most computing platforms.

One of the first CODECs for delivering streaming video over the Internet. Like other CODECs, RealMedia (comprised of RealVideo, RealAudio, and other file formats created by Real) use compression algorithms for eliminating data that can be considered as extraneous or not as important as other information. RealMedia and Windows Media are the two most widely used technologies for streaming video today.

Standard for CD-Rs playable in audio CD players.

Used in DVD players to only allow DVDs encoded for use in one of the six world regions to be played, as set up by the major motion picture companies.

The number of pixels in a given space, usually measured as dots per inch (DPI). Also, the number of dots per inch used by an output device.

The most widely-used color model for images displayed on electronic screens. It is based on the color subtraction that results from shining white light through a colored medium such as a slide. Contrast with CMYK.

File extension that is associated with digital documents created in a text based editor but saved as Rich Text Format (RTF), an open source document formatting scheme that allows files to be saved with formatting intact where it would otherwise be lost if simply saved as a text file.

The video format used in France and some other countries. SECAM has 625 lines total, 576 lines visible per frame, and has a frame-rate of 25 frames per second.

The transfer of one video standards format to another. For example, European tapes are made in the PAL format and need to be converted to NTSC format to be viewed in North American countries.

Video or audio transmitted over a network that users can begin to play immediately instead of waiting for the entire file to download. Typically a few seconds of data is sent ahead and buffered in case of network transmission delays. (Although some data is buffered to the hard drive, it is written to temporary storage and is gone once viewing is complete.) RealMedia, QuickTime and Windows Media are the most common streaming formats.

A sound system which creates the illusion of multi-directional sound through speaker placement and signal processing. See also Dolby, SDDS, DTS, THX.

Information held on discs containing the starting postions of tracks in the area of the CD before audio or data.

An image file output format. TIFF files are lossless, meaning the compression they apply to an image doesn't create artifacts that can degrade the appearance of the image. TIFF files are often used for archiving high quality versions of an images, such as images intended to be reproduced in print or studied digitally in minute detail.

Process whereby the CD is written the laser is turned on and off between tracks, leaving a small gap between audio tracks.

To move a digital file (such as a media file) from a local system to a server where it is stored for others to access or later retrieval. For example, web pages must be "uploaded" to a web server for them to be viewed on the world wide web.

CD format for holding video data.

A popular format for VCR systems. See also DVD.

Video CD standard.

CD-ROM standard.