Glossary
149
PAL
P
hase
A
lternating
L
ines. The dominant color television
format in Western Europe, Australia, most of Asia, and
parts of South America and Africa. PAL is characterized
by each frame being composed of 625 horizontal scan-
ning lines occurring 25 times per second. (Also see
NTSC
and
SECAM
.)
RCTC
R
ewriteable
C
onsumer
T
ime
C
ode (also referred to as
RC
). Commonly available on 8mm and Hi-8 format
devices.
S-Video
A video standard used by camcorders and VCRs rela-
tive to video signal formats. S-Video separates the Y
(luminance) and C (chroma) signals to improve signal
quality. Also see
Composite Video
.
SECAM
The standard video signal used in France, Eastern
Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa. Also see
NTSC
and
PAL
.
SMPTE
S
ociety of
M
otion
P
icture and
T
elevision
E
ngineers.
(Pronounced
simp-tee
.) This committee of engineers
and manufacturers establishes the most widely
accepted standard for time code. They created specifi-
cations for two version of time code: LTC and VITC.
Time Code
A method of putting a unique number or address on
each frame of a videotape. There are several formats of
time code. The Society of Motion Picture and Televi-
sion Engineers set the most common time code stan-
dard, called SMPTE.
VCR
V
ideo
C
assette
R
ecorder. A video device normally used
to record and play back video on cassettes. VCR is a
consumer-level term: VCRs in the professional field are
normally referred to as VTRs (
V
ideo
T
ape
R
ecorders).
VCRs and VTRs perform the same functions, although
VTRs usually provide many additional features and
functions.
Video Editing
The process of applying special effects to video
sequences and assembling those sequences into a
video program. In the computer world, video editing is
normally done using a computer software application,
such as Adobe Premiere.
To Next Page