7.1

1009
Glossary
Sony aims at applications in the
broadcast market and markets it as a
successor of the Betacam SP format
widely used by TV broadcasting sta-
tions.
B-frame
Bi-directional frame
ÆMPEG
BIOS
Basic Input Output System
Designation for the automatic "start
program" of a computer. It is stored
on a separate chip. The BIOS basi-
cally controls the access to the
microprocessor and prepares the
acceptance of commands. A pro-
gram cannot operate without the
BIOS.
Bit
Binary Digit
Basic unit in
ÆDIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY. One bit may adopt
two states: 0 or 1.
Bit rate
Number of bits transmitted serially
per second.
Bit stream
ÆDATA STREAM
Blackburst
Black signal, burst blanking.
Video signal without luminance or
chrominance components (except
for bursts), which, however, includes
all other elements of a video signal.
The black burst is a reference/syn-
chronizing signal which is usually
used for timing audio and video
samples.
Bluebox
A frequently used type of ÆCHROMA
KEYING, i.e. the color key trick,
which is used with blue as key color.
A scene is recorded in front of a blue
background. The blue portions of
the image are keyed and replaced by
other parts of a different image
(
ÆALPHA CHANNEL).
BNC
Bayonet Neil-Concelman.
A common plug connection used in
professional video technology with
an
ÆIMPEDANCE of 75 ohms. BNC
plugs are used in both analog and
digital video technology.
Some few consumer recorders also
have BNC terminals for image dis-
play. Using a metal adapter plug, a
connection to cinch can easily be
established by BNC. This adapter is
available both in male and female
form.
Broadcast Quality
Although the expression broadcast
quality is frequently used, a fixed
definition does not exist. Generally
accepted measurable variables do
not exist.
Usually the tape format
ÆBETACAM
SP is selected as reference point:
Broadcast quality usually describes
the picture quality that the user sub-
jectively considers as being equal to
the Betacam SP picture quality.
Also non-linear editing does not
include any fixed measured variables
to determine the broadcast quality.
As a rule, video boards and editing
systems with a
ÆCOMPRESSION RATE
(approx. 1:2) as low as possible or a
data rate of approx. 50 Mbits/s are
understood by this.
Browser
Common word for a software by
means of which Internet or World
Wide Web contents can be dis-
played. Different manufacturers also
use program modules for their edit-
ing systems which are also known as
browsers. They are widely used to
display the existing digitized clips,
graphics, titles or effects in a simple
and clear way. The user can get an
overview of the existing material
with the help of a browser.
Bus
An internal data pathway for trans-
mitting bit patterns. The access to a