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| A–B |
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| • Active Matrix TFT | The
most common type of LCD used in most LCD projection panels and projectors.
A display in which each pixel is driven by a thin film transistor allowing a larger viewing angle, quicker response time and more color saturation. |
| • Ambient Light | Light that is present in the room where video projection will occur. (i.e: uncovered windows, track lighting, lamps, etc.) Depending on the amount of light present, the visible contrast on the screen may be affected. Although many projectors are made to produce crisp, clear images in a lighted environment, for home theater we suggest that the room or area be as dark as possible. |
| • ANSI Contrast | Contrast is the ratio between white and black. The larger the contrast ratio the greater the ability of a projector to show subtle color details and tolerate extraneous room light. There are two methods used by the projection industry: 1)Full On/Off contrast measures the ratio of the light output of an all white image (full on) and the light output of an all black (full off) image. 2) ANSI contrast is measured with a pattern of 16 alternating black and white rectangles. The average light output from the white rectangles is divided by the average light output of the black rectangles to determine the ANSI contrast ratio. When comparing the contrast ratio of projectors make sure you are comparing the same type of contrast. Full On/Off contrast will always be a larger number than ANSI contrast for the same projector. |
| • ANSI Lumens | A unit to indicate lumen brightness of projectors. ANSI (American National Standards Institute) has established the standard for measurement of lumen brightness. The lumen brightness value measured under this method is shown as ANSI lumens. |
| • Aspect Ratio | The ratio of width to height of picture. The aspect ratio of most computer pictures and normal video pictures is 4:3. HDTV provides 16:9 aspect ratio to cover various wide screen sources. |
| • ATA | Acronym for "Air Transport Association". The ATA adopts and maintains content protection standards for luggage that can be carried aboard commercial jetliners. InFocus offers a full line of carry cases (known as ATA cases) that meet or exceed ATA standards. |
| • Attenuation | The decrease in the magnitude of a signal. A decrease in signal voltage during its transmission from one point to another. |
| • Bulb | A light source commonly mistaken for the lamp module in a projector. Bulbs provide incandescent room lighting. Lamp modules provide light for projected images. |
| C |
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| • CineView™ | Proprietary line-doubling technology of Mitsubishi Electric that delivers smoother images and clearer pictures in video, especially in movie scenes with fast moving action sequences. |
| • Composite Signal | A traditional video signal format that combines vertical and horizontal blanking and synchronizing signals. Luminance signal and chroma (color) signal are consolidated into one video signal in this format while they are split in S-Video (or S-VHS) signal format. |
| • Component Video | A method of delivering quality video (RGB) in a format that contains all the components of the original image. These components are referred to as luma and chroma and are defined as Y'Pb'Pr' for analog component and Y'Cb'Cr' for digital component. Component video is available on some DVD players and projectors. |
| • Compression Mode | A method to reduce the resolution of the display image. |
| • Contrast | A user adjustment to increase or decrease the contrast between the bright area and dark area of a picture. |
| • Contrast Ratio | The ratio of the maximum white to the minimum black level possible for a particular spot on the image with the background light levels factored out. This is the ratio of the highlight output level divided by the low light output level. In theory, the contrast ratio of the television system should be at least 100:1, if not 300:1. There are several limitations. In the CRT, light from adjacent elements contaminates the area of each element. Room ambient light contaminates light emitted from the CRT. Well-controlled viewing conditions should yield a practical contrast ratio of 30:1 to 50:1. (See ANSI Contrast.) |
| D–E |
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| • DCDi™ | A
series of algorithms (a series of mathematical formulas) developed by
Faroudja® which are programmed into the processor of a projector
to detect and avoid problems which arise from the change in formats
between film and video. |
| • Deinterlacer | Converting from interlaced to progressive scan (I to P conversion). Also called Line Doubling. |
| • D-ILA® |
Acronym for "Digital Direct Drive Image Light Amplifier". JVC
technology For true HDTV performance, the D-ILA® technology packs 2048 x 1536 pixels–a total of 3.2 million pixels- on a single 1.3" chip. This makes possible display of HD images at full-spec resolution of 1920 x 1080 -with room to spare. The D–ILA®'s innovative CMOS design is the key to reproducing all the details in a high-definition picture. By placing the matrix addressing switches and electronics right behind (not between) the light-modulating liquid crystal layer, JVC has created a D–ILA® chip with a "3-dimensional" layout. The result is a 93% fill factor and virtual elimination of the annoying "grid" or "screen door effect" so evident in other fixed matrix display technologies. |
| • DLP™ |
Acronym for Digital Light Processing™; a reflective projection technology
developed by Texas Instruments using a microprocessor to display bright,
colorful images in fully lit rooms. Used primarily in portable and ultra-portable
projectors, the DLP™ chip is the size of a postage stamp and contains
millions of microscopic mirrors–one for each pixel –that flip
on an axis, reflecting light through a color wheel to create your image.
Also known as DMD. Note: DLP™ and LCD use different methods to process colors and light, but increasingly are producing quite similar image quality. Ultimately it is a matter of consumer preference. Digital Light Processing and DLP are trademarks of Texas Instruments. |
| • Digital Keystone Correction | A feature to compensate a keystone-like distorted picture (caused by projecting to screen either upward or downward) for a proper rectangle shaped picture by applying a gradual re-scaling process. |
| • DMD™ | Acronym for Digital Micromirror Device™ A chip developed by Texas Instruments that consists of thousands of tiny, moveable mirrors that reflect light to create clear, precise images that can be displayed. |
| • DVi | The new generation interface between computer output and projector (or monitor) input. Instead of traditional interface with an analog signal, a digital signal is used through DVI(Digital Visual Interface) cable so that picture quality is not distorted and synchronization is more stabilized. (Only applicable when digital signal output from computer and digital signal input terminal on projector (or monitor) are provided.) |
| • EDTV | Acronym for Extended Definition Television and is a class of digital television (DTV) that refers to the 480p format. 480p is a progressive scan video format that produces a full frame of 480 lines of video. |
| G–I |
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| • 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. The amount of gain is usually expressed decibels above a reference level. Opposite of Attenuation. |
| • HDTV | Acronym
for High Definition TeleVision. Uses 1125 retracing lines and higher aspect
ratio for higher resolution picture. An analog TV signal in the U.S. has
525 scan lines for the image, and each image is refreshed every 30th of
a second (half of the scan lines are painted every 60th of a second in
what is called an interlaced display). 480 of 525 scan lines are used
to hold the picture. We can also call it 480i. The formats used in HDTV
are as follows: • 480i - 640 x 480 pixels interlaced • 480p - 640 x 480 pixels progressive • 720p - 640 x 480 pixels progressive • 1080p - 1920 x 1080 pixels progressive |
| • IRIS® | Acronym for Intelligent Room Illumination Sensor–Automatically detects light volume emitted in a room and color density, then automatically adjusts the mid-range color tones required for optimum color reproduction under any lighting conditions. |
| L |
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| • Laser |
Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, often used for laser pointers. |
| • LCD | Acronym for Liquid Crystal Display–Liquid crystals exist in an intermediate state between liquid and solid, and realign under electrical stimulation. Each pixel operates as a light shutter individually to control the amount of light energy that goes through so that a bright part or a dark part of a picture is produced. Three LCD panels are used in a LCD projector (each LCD panel is assigned to each of the three colors) and each panel contains 786,432 pixels (for XGA) or 480000 pixels (for SVGA) in 0.7"`~1.3" diagonal size area. |
| • LCoS | Acronym for Liquid Crystal on Silicon. Similar to LCD, but LCoS employs one glass (crystal) plate with silicon on the back instead of two plates with liquid Crystal inbetween, yielding a higher resolution. |
| • Line Doubler | A device intended to synthesize a picture with twice as many scan lines with or without interlacing in the final result. |
| • Lumens | A measurement of illumination on a screen or other surface. 1 Lumen/m2 = 1 Foot-candle. |
| M–O |
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| • MSRP | Acronym for Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price |
| • Natural Color Matrix™ | A unique color processing technology exclusive to Mitsubishi. Natural Color Matrix™ makes it possible to independently adjust the hue of red, green, blue, cyan, magenta, and yellow without interfering with each other. New Natural Color Matrix™ features color saturation (richer color or pale color) adjustment in addition to the independent hue adjustment feature. Natural Color Matrix and New Natural Color Matrix are an exclusive feature on Mitsubishi-made projectors. |
| • NTSC | Acronym for National Television Systems Committee. The television standard for signal processing and broadcasting (terrestrial broadcasting and satellite broadcasting) in the U.S.A. and Canada. Also, used in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico and some countries in Latin America. HDTV is excluded. |
| • OSD | "On Screen Display," menu displayed on the screen with different options that users could easily use to adjust the display's picture. |
| P |
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| • PAL | Acronym for Phase Alternative by Line. The television standard for signal processing and broadcasting used throughout the majority of Western Europe, South America, Asia, and Oceania. There are several variations in signal format (such as PAL-B, PAL-G, PAL-M, etc.) by area. PAL, SECAM and NTSC are not interchangeable with each other. |
| • PC | Acronym for Personal Computer. Includes Desktop type and Laptop type. |
| • PC Card | (ATA Card) A memory card to save computer picture data. Some Mitsubishi projector models have a feature to directly project the picture from the PC card without a PC. |
| • PCGC | Acronym for Personal Computer Graphic Control. In projectors, typically an on-screen display in the PC to command the projector or to communicate with the projector. |
| • PCV | Acronym for PC Viewer. A software that makes it possible to save picture data from PC to PC card and project the picture from the PC card by the projector without a PC. |
| • Picture-in-Picture | (P-in-P) This features allows the user to show two images from different sources simultaneously. |
| • Pixel | A single dot or group of three dots (red, green and blue) on a display. Total display pixels are usually expressed in horizontal x vertical dimension (e.g., 640x480). |
| • Plasma Imaging | Plasma technology uses phosphor stripes painted in Barrier Ribs (one stripe per color--red, green and blue) and these ribs or stripes are charges with a neo gas light mixture to create an image on a flat surface (no screen required). |
| • Projection Distance | The distance between projector lens and projection surface. The image projected becomes larger the further the projector is from the projection surface. There are two projection distance figures: one for maximum width (wide-angle) and one for maxium distance (telescopic). The projector should be adjusted to project at the point between these two figures when using a projection surface (e.g., screen) with a fixed size. The projection distance for projection surfaces of various sizes can be calculated easily if the projector's "Throw Ratio" is known. (See "Throw Ratio" for details.) |
| • Projection Resolution | Projection resolution Resolution of LCD panel (or DMD™ chip) of the projector If a computer signal at XGA resolution is fed into a SVGA projector, the image projected will be seen at SVGA resolution. Usually, the (native) input signal from a computer is automatically converted to the projector's own resolution (In this case, native XGA is converte to SVGA). Re-scaling technology is applied for the conversion process. |
| • Progressive Scan | Progressive scan means drawing the odd and even scan lines in order without interlacing. Progressive scan by itself does not improve resolution. We still have the same 480 (for NTSC) illuminated scan lines' worth of picture detail. One reason for progressive scan is to reduce flicker. |
| R |
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| • RCA Connection | (RCA Plug, RCA Jack) Used for Composite Video signal interface (also, see "Composite Signal"), and Audio signal interface (R and L separate in stereo). |
| • Rear Projection | Projecting an image through a translucent screen material with a special coating which allows an image to be projected through the screen, rather than onto the surface of the screen. for viewing from the opposite side. As opposed to front projection. The slide or film must be reversed, or a mirror must be used to correct the image for rear screen presentation. In some video or computer projectors, the image can be reversed electronically. |
| • Resolution | The
measurement of a computer screen or projected image measured by the
number of pixels wide by the number of pixels high. More pixels per
unit of area produce a higher resolution giving more detail in the display
of an image. |
| • RGB | Stands for the primary colors (red, green and blue) to make color spectrum. Typically refers to "computer signal" since the color signals in a computer are commonly processed in red, green and blue. (RGB does not apply to television signals as TV technology uses an entirely different color signal system.) |
| • RS-232C Interface | A serial communications interface between a projector and PC. The interface can be used for remote mouse control, operation by command panel, troubleshooting, transfering service data transfer, etc. top Ú S–Video (S–VHS) One type of video signal format. Luminance and chromaticity (color) signals are separated in this format. Due to this separation, the image signal is higher than a composite signal. S–Video connections are required for interfacing. |
| S
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| • S-Video | A video connection interface. Also a generic name for Y/C, applied to S–VHS or Beta E. |
| • Saturation | The intensity of the color, or the extent to which a given color in any image is free from white. The less white in a color, the truer the color, or the greater its saturation. On a display device, it can be adjusted with the color control. Not to be confused with the brightness, saturation is the amount of pigment in a color, and not the intensity. Low saturation is like adding white to the color. For example, a low-saturated red looks pink. |
| • Scan Converter | Also called "video converter" or "TV converter", a scan converter is a device that changes the scan rate of a source video signal to fit the needs of a display device. Examples: computer-video to NTSC (TV), or NTSC to computer-video. |
| • Scan Doubler | A device used to change composite interlaced video to non-interlaced component video, thereby increasing brightness and picture quality. Also called "line doubler". |
| • SECAM | Acronym for Systeme En Couleur Avec Memoire. The television standard for color processing and broadcasting used in France, the majority of Eastern Europe and some countries in Africa. Not interchangeable with NTSC or PAL |
| • Serial Port | A data I/O port on the computer enabling other devices or computers to link with the computer. Also referred to as RS–232C or COM port. |
| • Sharpness | Usually used to describe image quality. In computers, the "Sharpness" function is a user-adjustable feature that allows the sharpness of an image to be changed (e.g., from from soft to sharp) using a re-scaling technology. |
| • Smart Hub Networking System | Allows connectivity to an existing LAN or the creation of an independent LAN. Files created during a presentation can be transferred to a PC for distribution or existing files can be called up from a server or desktop computer and displayed as required. |
| • sRGB | Acronym for Standard Red, Green and Blue; it is the color spectrum standard established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and is applied for uniform color reproduction in CRT monitors, LCD panels, projectors, printers and other devices. Originally developed by Microsoft Corporation®, which contracted with Mitsubishi Electric® to develop testing and evaluation methods for sRGB Color Profile compliance in projectors. |
| • S-Video | A video signal that separates luminance (Y) and chrominance (C) signals. For displaying VHS or Beta ED images. |
| T–Z |
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| • TFT | Acronym for Thin Film Transistor. Technology used with LCD screens, also known as Active Matrix. |
| • 3D Gamma Correction | Three-dimensional (3-D) Gamma Correction technology enables projectors to reproduce images with superior color and picture quality. With adjustment every 64 steps and full gray-scale control at gradations of 1%, optimum color management and reproduction of images with colors true to the original are possible. |
| • Throw | The distance from projector lens to screen. |
| • Throw Distance | Length of the projection beam needed for a projector to produce image of a particular size. |
| • Throw Ratio | Ratio of projection distance to projection surface width. Throw ratio is determined using the following calculation: Throw Ratio = Projection distance / Projection surface (screen) width. These are often utilized to design fixed installations. |
| • USB | Acronym for Universal Serial Bus. A peripheral connection interface for low-speed devices notable for it's hot-swap ability. For projector operation, the USB is commonly used to connect a remote mouse. |
| •VESA | Acronym for "Video Electronics Standards Association". A non-profit group of companies organized to define and improve computer graphics standards. It set the standardized refresh rate of 72Hz for SVGA (800x600) and VGA (640x480). |
| •Weight | The actual weight of the projector minus power cord, bag, and other optional accessories. |
| •Wide Angle Lens | A lens that will project a larger image on a screen at a closer distance than a standard lens will project. |
| • Zoom | A lens adjustment function that allows the user to adjust the projected image so that it is larger or smaller. This function also allows flexibility to adjust projection distance when the projector must be set up to project onto a specifically sized screen. |
|
This is a summarized explanation of terms
and brands commonly found in the specifications of projectors and |
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