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GLOSSARY OF
TELEVISION TERMS
General Information: Glossary of Television Terms
Active Control™ • Proactive video-control system for NTSC
(see definition below) sources. Active Control™ continuously
measures and corrects the incoming signals to provide the best
picture possible.
Alternate Channel • The feature that allows you to toggle
between the last two channels viewed by pressing the A/CH but-
ton on the remote control.
Audio/Video Inputs • Jacks (standard RCA), located on the rear
of the TV, used for the input of audio and video signals. These
jacks are designed for use with VCRs (or other accessories) to
receive higher picture resolution and offer sound-connection
options.
Auto Program • The feature that, when activated, scans for all
available channels from regular antenna or cable signals and
stores only active broadcast stations in the TV’s memory.
Channel Edit • The feature that allows you to add or delete
channels from the list of channels stored in the TV’s memory.
Channel Edit makes it easy to limit or expand the number of
channels that are available to you when you press the CH +/–
buttons on your remote control.
Closed Captioning • The broadcast standard feature that allows
you to read the voice content of television programs on the TV
screen. Designed to help the hearing impaired, Closed
Captioning uses on-screen text boxes to show dialogue and con-
versations while a TV program is in progress.
Coaxial Cable • A single solid wire normally matched with a
metal plug (F-type) end connector that screws (or pushes) direct-
ly onto a 75-ohm input found on the television or VCR.
Comb Filter • TV filter that removes distortion, resulting in a
sharper and purer color display. The comb filter addresses the
annoying cross-color distortion that may occur in TV broadcasts
when, for example, the presenter wears a striped or checked
jacket.
Component Video Inputs • Inputs that allow the separate recep-
tion of blue, red, and luminance signals. These inputs provide
the highest possible color and picture resolution in the playback
of digital signal-source material, such as the kind available from
DVD players. Component video inputs allow for improved band-
width information not possible through composite video or S-
Video connections.
Composite Video Input • An input in which all the components
required for displaying the on-screen image are combined in one
signal.
Convergence • The technique used in color TV for bringing the
red, green, and blue color beams together so that they hit the
same part of the picture tube screen at the same time. This
avoids color fringes around images in the picture.
High-definition Television (HDTV) • High-resolution digital tel-
evision. HDTV has lifelike pictures, and with it films retain their
original width, enhancing the home theater experience.
Incredible Surround™ • False acoustic management of the
audio signal that produces a dramatic expansion of the wall of
sound that surrounds the listener and heightens overall viewing
pleasure.
Interlaced • A picture-scanning technique that improves the
appearance of on-screen motion. It also helps smooth jagged
lines that are sometimes seen on curved and angled surfaces in
the picture.
Menu • An on-screen list of feature controls available for you to
adjust or set.
NTSC • National Television Standards Committee format
devised in the 1940s for TV broadcast analog video signals (525
lines: 30 Hz).
On-screen Displays (OSD) • The wording or messages generat-
ed by the television (or VCR) to help you with specific feature
controls (color adjustment or programming, for example).
Picture-in-Picture • The showing of two pictures on the TV
screen at the same time (one main screen picture and one small
picture, or PIP).
Progressive Scan • A picture-scanning technique that doubles
the number of picture lines, eliminating the flicker and providing
a jitter-free picture.
PTV • Projection Television. (Rear- and/or front-projection
design systems are available.)
Remote-control Sensor Window • The window or opening
found on the television control panel through which infrared
remote-control command signals are received.
RGB • Red, green, and blue signal. These are the primary colors
of light that are used to produce a picture in television. Levels of
R, G, and B are mixed to produce proper color and brightness in
the picture.
RF • Radio Frequency or modulated signal design used as the
carrier for television broadcasts.
Second Audio Program (SAP) • SAP is an additional part of
the stereo broadcast system that can be heard apart from the cur-
rent TV program sound. TV stations are free to use SAP for any
number of purposes.
Status/Exit Button • Remote-control button that, when pressed,
shows the current channel number, name (if set), time (if set),
Sleep Timer setting, and sound setting (stereo, mono, SAP, or
mute). Pressing the button twice shows the current AutoLock™
settings. Pressing the button once when an on-screen display is
showing removes the on-screen display. You can use Status/Exit
rather than having to wait for the displays to “time out,” or auto-
matically disappear from the screen.
S-Video Input • Signal input that allows direct connection of
high-resolution video sources, such as a satellite receiver, DVD
player, S (Super)-VHS videocassette recorder, or video games.
Provides improved picture resolution, sharpness, and clarity.
480p • Digital picture format with 704 x 480 pixels, sent at 60
complete frames per second. This is the output format of progres-
sive-scan DVD players.
1080i • Digital high-definition picture format with 1920 x 1080
pixels, sent at 60 interlaced frames per second (30 complete frames
per second).
Tint • TV function that allows you to change the general color
balance between cool and warm. Adjust tint according to your
personal preference.
Twin–lead Wire • The more commonly used name for the two-
strand, 300-ohm antenna wire used with many indoor and out-
door antenna systems. In many cases, this type of antenna wire
requires an additional adapter (or balun) in order to connect to
the 75-ohm input terminals designed into the more recent TVs
and VCRs.