Red Submarine glossary of common video editing terms

To visit the main Red Submarine web site click: www.sub.co.uk

A

A/B Editing - A/B Editing mode is intended primarily for editors who wish to work by dragging clips from the Project window to the Timeline window. This mode resembles a conventional editing method called A/B roll editing, which uses two video tapes or rolls (A and B) and an effects switcher to provide transitions.
Adobe Premier - "A stunningly simple and powerful professional video editing tool, comfortably closes the DV to Web gap while extending the award-winning software's position as the most accessible application on the market today. With new support for DV on the Windows platform and cross-platform support for all of the leading Web video formats, Premiere aggressively integrates a variety of features and functions into its long-held marketplace position as simply the best video editing tool around"
Analogue - a method of representing data using continuously varying electrical voltages. Analog video whether transmitted over cables, read from videotapes or broadcast, is subject to degradation due to noise, distortion and other electronic phenomena.
Aspect ratio - The ratio of an image's width to its height. 
AV - Abbreviation for audiovisual
.AVI - Abbreviation for Audio-Video Interleaved; the algorithm created by Microsoft for synchronizing and compressing analogue audio and video signals. 
Avisynth - scripting language and a collection of filters for simple non-linear editing tasks. Avisynth is unusual in that it does not generate output files. Instead, Avisynth scripts, which have the extension .AVS, can be opened directly in applications which read AVI files. When an AVS file is opened, Avisynth runs in the background, generating video and audio data according to the script and feeding it to the application as needed.

B

Bbmpeg - a freeware video encoder to convert AVI files to a more compressed MPEG files used for (S)VCDs and DVDs
Burning - the process of writing data to a CD-ROM

C

Camcorder - Combination of camera and video tape recorder in one device. Camcorders permit easy and rapid photography and recording simultaneously. Camcorders are available in most home video formats.
Capture - Refers to capturing source video for use on a computer. If analog, the captured video is converted to digital.
Capture Card - Sometimes called a capture or video board, the card installed in a computer and used to digitise video. Or, for video that is already digitised, the device that simply transfers the file to the hard disk. Using a hardware or software codec, the capture card may also compresses video in and decompresses video out for display on a television monitor
Chapters - Used on (S)VCDs and DVDs to create bookmaks in the video to enable the viewer to jump to sections
Clip - A digitized or captured portion of video
Clipping - Cutting the edges of frames to eliminate noise
Codec - Short for compression/decompression algorithm. and used to encode and decode (compress and decompress data) such as sound and video files. Common codecs include those that convert analog video signals to compressed digital video files (e.g., MPEG).
Coaxial Cable - The standard video cable consisting of a central inner conductor and a cylindrical outer conductor.
Component Video - Results in images of higher resolution and better color quality than composite video by keeping signals seperate. Though designed for high end television production, similar recording methods have recently become available to the consumer market. 
Composite Video - A video signal in which the luminance (brightness), chrominance (color), blanking pulses, sync pulses and color burst information have been combined using one of the coding standards. (NTSC, PAL, SECAM)
Crossfade - The audio equivalent of the video dissolve where one sound track is gradually faded out while a second sound track simultaneously replaces the original one
Cut - The transition from one video or audio source or both to another

D

De-Interlace - the process of preparing native television signals for playback on progressive scan devices such as computer screens
Digital - A method of representing data using binary numbers. This process virtually eliminates generation loss as every digital-to-digital copy is theoretically an exact duplicate of the original allowing multi-generational copies to be made without degradation. In actuality of course, digital systems are not perfect and specialized hardware/software is used to correct all but the most severe data loss. Consumer "digital" televisions and camcorders use the term to refer to the use of digital frame buffers for effects or signal processing. The output of these buffers is still converted back into analog signals for display and storage. Digital video requires more bandwidth than analog video to produce the same results unless compression techniques are used. 
Disolve - A process whereby one video signal is gradually faded out while a second image simultaneously replaces the original one
DIVX - A commercial and non-commercial video codec that enables high quality video at high compresion rates
DivX ;-) - A hacked version of Microsoft's MPEG4 codec.
DVD - Digital Versatile Disc, similar in physical size and appearance to a compact disc or a CD-ROM, a standard single-layer, single-sided DVD can store a 4.7GB of data, compared to 650MB on a CD-ROM.

E

Effects - any manipulation or processing of the video or audio signal. 
Encoding - converting an analogue video signal to a compressed digital file such as MPEG, or from one codec to another (AVI to MPEG etc)
Encoder - a program used to convert from one signal or codec to another

F

Fade - The act of dissolving a video picture to either a color, pattern or titles. Fading a video image is often used as an artistic tool in video productions, most commonly seen as a fade to black.

Fail-Safe Storage ? also known as disk striping with parity, N+1 configuration or protected storage. In the case of a 5-drive fail-safe VideoRaid, data is striped across 4 of the drives while the fifth drive stores parity information. If a drive should fail, the system will continue to operate with no degradation in performance and with no loss of data. By simply replacing the failed disk drive module, these arrays will automatically resume fail-safe operation.

Firewire - Also known as FireWire, IEEE 1394 is a standard for high-speed serial connections approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The standard is designed for the exchange of information between PCs and consumer electronics devices that transfer large amounts of data, such as digital camcorders or VCRs.
Field - One-half of a complete television picture consisting of one complete vertical scan of the video image containing 262.5 line for NTSC* and 312.5 lines for PAL. Two fields make up a complete television picture frame*. (See INTERLACING)
FlaskMPEG - A freeware program used to rip DVDs
Frame - A complete video image consisting of 2 fields. Also used to describe the total visible area of a video image.
Frames - NTSC video plays at 30 frames per second, and each video frame consists of two half-frames called fields. A field consists of every other horizontal line. When the video image is created on a TV set, the little scanning dot of light first scans across the topmost horizontal line, line 1. Rather than scanning along line 2 next, it scans line 3, then line 5, and so on. When it gets to the bottom (in half of the 1/30 second frame time), it begins at the top again but on line 2, then line 4, and so on. This technique is called interlace, and it was invented because most people see a flickering image if television is scanned sequentially at 30 fps
Frameserve - sending information from one program to another
Framesize - 
Freeze frame - Special effect in which the picture is held as a still image. 

G

H

Horizontal Resolution - Rating of the fine detail (definition) of a video picture, measured in scan lines. The more lines, the higher the resolution and the better the picture. 

I

 Interface ? This is where the VideoRaid connects to the host adapter in your computer. Medéa disk arrays are available with either SCSI or Fibre Channel interface.

IEEE - The Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, an organization which sets many of the standards in the electronic industry
Image stabilization - A camcorder feature which takes out minor picture shakiness, either optically or electronically.
Import -
Interlacing - A system developed for television which divides each video frame into two fields. This is done by first drawing one field consisting of an image's odd scan lines (1, 3, 5...525) and then drawing the remaining even scan lines (2, 4, 6...), interweaving both fields. Interlacing reduces the perception of screen flicker. Interlacing can cause annoying effects with images such as computer generated text and graphics when transferred to video.

J

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) - JPEG is a digital compression standard for still video images that allows the image to occupy less memory or disk space. Like the MPEG standard, it includes options for trading off between storage space and image quality.

K

L

Layers
Linear Editing - Editing using media like tape, in which material must be accessed in order (e.g., to access scene 5 from the beginning of the tape, one must proceed from scene 1 through scene 4).

M

Mark In/Mark Out - 
Menus - 
MP3 - 
MPEG - MPEG is a digital compression standard for moving video images that allows the images to occupy less memory or disk space. Like the JPEG standard, it includes options for trading off between storage space and image quality
MPEG-1
An ISO/IEC (International Organization for Standardization/ International Electrotechnical Commission) standard for medium quality and medium bitrate video and audio compression. It allows video to be compressed by the ratios in the range of 50:1 to 100:1, depending on image sequence type and desired quality. The encoded data rate is targeted at 1.5Mb/s - this was a reasonable transfer rate of a double-speed CD-ROM player (including audio and video). VHS-quality playback is expected from this level of compression. The Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) also established the MPEG-2 standard for high-quality video playback at a higher data rates. MPEG-1 is used in encoding video for VCD. MPEG FAQ



MPEG-2
An encoding standard designed as an extension of the MPEG-1 international standard for digital compression of audio and video signals. MPEG-1 was designed to code progressively scanned video at bit rates up to about 1.5 Mbit/s for applications such as CD-i. MPEG-2 is directed at broadcast formats at higher data rates; it provides increased support for efficiently coding interlaced video, supports a wide range of bit rates and provides for multichannel surround sound coding such as PCM, Dolby Digital, DTS and MPEG audio.



MPEG-3
A proposed variant of the MPEG video and audio compression algorithm and file format. MPEG-3 was intended as an extension of MPEG-2 to cater for HDTV but was eventually merged into MPEG-2.

MPEG-3 should not be confused with MP3 which is MPEG-1 layer 3 popularly used for audio encoding.



MPEG-4
An ISO/IEC standard 14496 developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), the committee that also developed MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. These standards made interactive video on CD-ROM, DVD and Digital Television possible. MPEG-4 is the result of another international effort involving hundreds of researchers and engineers from all over the world. MPEG-4 was finalized in October 1998 and became an International Standard in 1999. The fully backward compatible extensions under the title of MPEG-4 Version 2 were frozen at the end of 1999, to acquire the formal International Standard Status early in 2000. Several extensions were added since and work on some specific work-items is still in progress.

MPEG-4 builds on the proven success of three fields:

Digital television
Interactive graphics applications (synthetic content)
Interactive multimedia (World Wide Web, distribution of and access to content)

More information about MPEG-4 can be found at MPEG?s home page



MPEG-7
MPEG-7 is an ISO/IEC standard developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group. MPEG-7, formally named ?Multimedia Content Description Interface?, is a standard for describing the multimedia content data that supports some degree of interpretation of the information?s meaning, Unlike previous MPEG standards aimed at encoding, MPEG-7 is not aimed at any one application in particular; rather, the elements that MPEG-7 standardizes support as broad a range of applications as possible. MPEG-7 Alliance
M
MBytes/s ? Megabytes per second. A measure of the data rate of VideoRaid disk arrays.PEG4 ? 

N

Noise - A general term used in electronics to indicate any unwanted electrical signal, unrelated to the original signal. Video noise is generally manifested as snow, graininess, ghost images or picture static induced by external sources such as the national power-line grid, electric motors, fluorescent lamps, etc.
Non-Linear Editing - The process of editing using rapid retrieval (random access) computer controlled media such as hard disks, CD-ROMs and laser discs. Its main advantages are: Allows you to reorganize clips or make changes to sections without having to redo the entire production; Very fast random access to any point on the hard disk (typically 20-40 ms)
NTSC - Standard of color TV broadcasting used mainly in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan, featuring 525 lines per frame and 30 frames per second. (See PAL and SECAM)

O

Opaque
Overlay - Keyed insertion of one image into another. Overlay is used for example, to superimpose computer generated text on a video image, for titling purposes. In video, the overlay procedure requires synchronized sources for proper operation
Overscan - Video images generally exceed the size of the physical screen. The edge of the picture may or may not be displayed, to allow variations in television sets. The extra area is called the overscan area. Video productions are planned so critical action only occurs in the center safe title area. Professional monitors are capable of displaying the entire video image including the overscan area

P

PAL - Phase Alternative Line system. The European color TV broadcasting standard featuring 625 lines per frame and 25 frames per second.
Plugin
Plug n Play -
Premier Video Server Plugin

Q

Quicktime

R

RAID 0 Storage ? also known as disk striping. Data (video, audio, graphics, etc.) is spread or ?striped? across disk drives for increased performance. In a 4-drive configuration, VideoRaid?s on-board hardware RAID controller automatically stripes data across four drives resulting in a data transfer rate of approximately 4X that of a single drive. RAID 0 offers the best price/performance but provides no data protection.


Region
Resolution - A measure of the ability to reproduce detail. Generally, referred to as horizontal resolution and evaluated by establishing the number of horizontal lines which are clearly discernible on a test pattern. Resolution specifications are not very well standardized, especially as stated in connection with monitors
Ripping
Ripple Delete

S

SCART -
SECAM - Systeme Couleur Avec Memoire. The television broadcast standard for France, the USSR and various eastern European countries. Like PAL, SECAM is based on a 50 Hz power system, but it utilizes a different encoding process and displays 819 lines interlaced at 50 fields per second. The video standard used in some European and surrounding countries. In countries using the SECAM standard, most video production is done using PAL and converted to SECAM prior to transmission.
single track editing - intended for trimming and positioning clips by setting In and Out points in the Source view of the Monitor window, and inserting and overlaying the trimmed clips into the Timeline window.
Superimpose - To place in front of video, e.g., placing text over a video signal
SVCD
S-Video - A consumer form of component video. Describes a system of plugs and jacks used to interconnect camcorders, VCRs and TV monitors, which keeps the chrominance (color) and luminance (brightness) information separate.
SCSI ? It stands for "Small Computer Systems Interface". Basically a high speed data connection from your storage to your computer

Ultra2 SCSI ? This flavour of the SCSI interface supports data transfer rates up to 80 MB/second. Medéa VideoRaids also incorporate a Low Voltage Differential (LVD) interface - with a compatible host adapter this allows longer cabling.

Ultra160 SCSI ? Sometimes referred to as Ultra3 SCSI, this flavour of the SCSI interface enables data transfer rates of up to 160 MB/second.

Ultra320 SCSI ? this is the newest flavour of the SCSI interface that enables data transfer rates of up to 320 MB/second.

T

Transition

U

Ulead Media Studio

V

VCD
Video Editing - Editing is the process of selecting the frames and arranging them on the edit master videotape. In professional applications usually edits must be frame accurate. For example. when mastering a laserdisc frame accuracy absolutely essential, especially when single frame elements are involved. See off-line, on-line, et al.
Video Server Plugin
VirtualDub

W

Wipe - Special effect in which two pictures from different video sources are displayed on one screen. Special effects generators provide numerous wipe patterns varying from simple horizontal and vertical wipes to multi-shaped, multi-colored arrangements.

X

Y

Z

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