User Guide

Glossary
1394 See IEEE-1394.
16:9 Aspect ratio of a widescreen television screen (also expressed as 1.78:1 or 1.78).
DV cameras can record 16:9 widescreen video.
4:3 Aspect ratio of a standard television screen (also expressed as 1.33:1 or 1.33).
AC-3 See Dolby Digital.
AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) Uncompressed or compressed digital audio file format
developed by Apple Computer, Inc. Files have the extension .aif or .aiff.
analog Representation of an object that resembles the original. Film, VHS videotape, and LP
records are examples of analog storage media. The term exists only in contrast to digital.
anamorphic Widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) image that has been squeezed horizontally to fit
into a 4:3 frame. When played back on a widescreen television or on a PC, the image is
stretched to the correct proportions. On a standard television, the image may be displayed
in its squashed form, letterboxed, or using pan and scan, depending on how the viewer has
set up the DVD player.
aspect ratio The shape of an image, described as the ratio of the width to the height. For
example, a 4:3 image is one-third wider than it is tall. This ratio is usually expressed in whole
numbers (for example, 16:9 or 4:3). Compare with pixel aspect ratio.
asset Audio, video, and graphics files used to build a DVD presentation.