Glossary

Glossary:

The industry is constantly changing, and so is the lingo. To help you stay on top of what’s what, we’ve compiled this comprehensive resource, so you have a place to return to whenever you come across a term that you’re not familiar with.

#A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

All "numeric" Terms

1/4"-20
A thread size and pitch for hardware fasteners. Standard thread mount for photography; also used for other, lighter-weight equipment.
1/8"
3.5mm mini phone connector, which is sometimes referred to by the close non-metric 1/8 inch dimension.
1080i
ATSC High Definition 1920x1080 interlaced video.
1080p
1920×1080-pixel resolution with progressive scan, also known as Full HD. 1080p can sometimes also be informally referred to as 2K.
12-track
1. A multitrack recording format using 1" tape. 2. A 1/2" cassette analog multitrack format used by Akai.
12G-SDI
(Serial Digital Interface) An uncompressed digital standard over a 75 Ohm coax cable, using a BNC connector. Supports a video signal up to 4...
16-track
A multitrack analog audio tape recording format using 1/2", 1", or 2" tape.
16:10
Aspect ratio, used by some computer displays. Popular native resolution for most professional video projectors.
16:9
Aspect ratio (width to height): 16 units in width by 9 units in height. This is the standard for video displays and some computer displays (...
16mm
Half-width version of 35mm film used for industrial, educational cinema production, and TV news capture.
2.0
Stereo sound with 2 speakers and no subwoofer.
2.1
Stereo sound with 2 speakers plus 1 subwoofer.
20-foot rule
If you can't see a flaw at 20 feet on a set in a theater, it can't be seen.
24-track
A multitrack analog audio tape recording format using 2" tape.
2K
Video with 2048×1080-pixel resolution.
2P&G
A "stage pin" power connector for theatrical and stage lighting.
3.5mm
A popular, small audio connector. Used for many headphones and line-level stereo applications, as well as smartphones.
3/8"-16
A thread size and pitch for hardware fasteners. Standard thread mount for European microphone stands and mounts; also used for other, heavie...
3-track
A 1/2" multitrack recording format that was popular until the introduction of 4-track recording in the mid-60s.
32-bit float
An ultra high dynamic range floating point recording format. IEEE-754 Standard.
35mm
The width of standard sprocketed film used for both still photograph and theatrical cinema.
3G-SDI
(Serial Digital Interface) 3-gps uncompressed digital standard over a 75 Ohm coax cable, using a BNC connector.
3LCD
A projector engine with 3 LCDs for each primary color, combined with a prism.
4-track
1. 1/4-Track on 1/4" or 1/2" tape, either 2 tracks in each direction or 4 tracks in one direction. 2. Any audio recorder that records 4 trac...
4:1:1
In describing the sampling structure of DV standard video. 4 refers to the luminance's sampling rate, while the other two numbers reference ...
4:2:0
Full-luminance, digital video recording with quarter the chroma subsampled as with 4:4:4.
4:2:2
Full-luminance, digital video recording with half the chroma subsampled as with 4:4:4.
4:4:4
A non-subsampled (uncompressed), raw, high quality digital video image.
4:4:4:4
A non-subsampled (uncompressed), raw, high quality digital video image with an alpha channel, 1. An image view that determines opacity. 2. I...
4K
3840x2160-pixel video resolution. This is also often called Ultra HD or UHD. Also resolution of 4096x2160, which is popular in the film indu...
5.1
Surround sound with 5 speakers plus 1 subwoofer.
5.2
Surround sound with 5 speakers plus 2 subwoofers.
5/8"-27
A thread size and pitch for hardware fasteners. Standard thread for American microphone stands and mounts.
5/8" Stud
A thread size and pitch for hardware fasteners without a traditional "head". Standard stud for mounting portable lighting equipment.
6G-SDI
(Serial Digital Interface) An uncompressed digital standard over a 75 Ohm coax cable, using a BNC connector. Supports a video signal up to 4...
6LOWPAN
IP IPv6 and LoWPAN Low power wireless for IoT devices accessing IP networks directly.
7.1
Surround sound with 7 speakers plus 1 subwoofer.
7.2
Surround sound with 7 speakers plus 2 subwoofers.
70V
"Constant Voltage" amplifiers and speakers that, due to their high voltages, allow thinner wiring with step-up transformers at the amplifier...
70V amp
Amplifier used in 70V systems, and usually recognized easily from its Phoenix type connectors/terminal blocks for the speaker wiring.
70V speaker
Speaker with a transformer attached that is used in 70V systems, which allow for longer runs with many speakers on one circuit. Used in comm...
70V system
A network of loudspeakers which connect to an audio amplifier using step-up and step-down transformers, wired in parallel to simplify impeda...
720P
ATSC High Definition 1280x720 progressive scan.
8-track
1. An 8-track analog audio multitrack recorder using 1/4", 1/2" or 1" tape. 2. A car-stereo music cartridge introduced as "Lear Jet."
8K
A UHD video display with about 8000 pixels, 7680x4320.
8mm
The width of home movie film and a Sony standard video tape cassette also used for data backup. Approximately 1/4" wide.
8VSB
Method of broadcasting digital television.
9.1
Surround sound with 9 speakers plus 1 subwoofer.
9.2
Surround sound with 9 speakers plus 2 subwoofers.