Extron Electronics Matrix 200 - Manual (Page 78)

Extron • Matrix 200 • User’s Manual
Appendix A • Part Numbers, Glossary and Troubleshooting
DAT (Digital Audio Tape) – A method developed by Sony and Hewlett-Packard for recording large amounts
of information in digital form on a small cassette tape. It uses a rotating helical
read/write head, similar to the technique used on a VCR.
dB (Decibel) – The standard unit used to express gain or loss of power. It indicates the
logarithmic ratio of output power divided by input power. A power loss of 3 dB is
an attenuation of half of the original value. The term “3dB down” is used to
describe the “half power point”.
DC – Direct Current – The flow of electrons in one direction.
D Connector – A connector with rounded corners and angled ends, taking on the shape of the
letter “D”. Commonly used in computers and video.
Decibel – See dB.
Decoder – A device used to separate the RGBS (Red, Green, Blue and Sync) signals from
a composite video signal. Also called NTSC Decoder.
Detail – An Extron Technologies adjustment that enhances/improves image sharpness.
Differential Audio – See Balanced Audio.
Digital Audio Tape – See DAT.
DIN Connector – An acronym for Deutsche Industrie Norm - a round connector with notches, or
keyed that can be in several sizes: 4-pins, 5-pins, 8-pins, etc. A convenient way
of combining all the signal lines in one connector, 4-pin DIN connectors are often
used for S-Video.
Display Device – A projector or monitor.
Distribution Amplifier (DA) – A device that allows connection of one input source to multiple output sources
such as monitors or projectors.
DVD – (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc) An optical disc system about the size
of a CD ROM, but capable of storing an entire movie. The technology uses
MPEG-2 compression. Typical capacity for these discs is 4.5 GB, or about 133
minutes of digital video.
FCC – Federal Communications Commission –
A unit of the U.S. Government that monitors and regulates communications.
Field – In interlaced video, it takes two scans on a screen to make a complete picture, or
a “Frame”. Each scan is called a “Field”. Sometimes these are referred to as
“field 1 and field 2”.
Flicker – Flicker occurs when the electron gun paints the screen too slowly, giving the
phosphors on the screen time to fade.
Frame – In interlaced video, a Frame is one complete picture. A Frame is made up of two
fields, or two sets of interlaced lines.
Frequency Range – Refers to the low-to-high limits of a device, such as a computer, projector or
monitor. Also “bandwidth”.
Gain – A general term used to denote an increase in signal power or voltage produced
by an amplifier in transmitting a signal from one point to another. Gain is usually
expressed in decibels above a reference level. Opposite of Attenuation.
Genlock – A method of synchronizing video equipment by using a common, external sync,
or “Genlock” signal.
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