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Glossary: M-UDF - NTSC Glossary of CD and DVD related technical terms and abbreviations in alphabetical order.

M

M-UDF: Micro-UDF, a subset of the UDF file system.

Macroblock: For JPEG and MPEG pictures are divided into 16 x 16 pixel macroblocks each comprising four 8 x 8 pixel blocks. For MPEG-1 used for Video CD, there are up to 396 macroblocks per frame or picture.

Macrovision: Name of the company who developed analogue copy protection systems to prevent recording to VHS. A variant is used to prevent copying of DVD-Video discs. Macrovision also offer Safedisc copy protection for CD-ROM and SafeAudio for CD Audio.

Magneto-Optical (MO) discs: A re-writable optical disc, which uses a laser together with a magnetic field to change the magnetic properties of the disc on a bit by bit basis. A laser is used to read the bits.

MCPS: Mechanical Copyright Protection Society, which licenses the recording and use of music on behalf of its songwriter, composer and publisher members.

MD: MiniDisc, the 6cm magneto-optical re-writable disc format developed by Sony for audio and data storage. MiniDiscs can store 74 minutes of compressed stereo audio.

MediaCloQ: A CD audio copy protection system from the US company Sunncomm.

Micron: One millionth of a metre.

Middle Area: This defines two areas on a DVD-9 dual layer disc.

1. The area after the program area of Layer 0, where the data (eg video) continues on Layer 1.
2. The area before the program area of Layer 1 (which must be Opposite Track Path) of the same disc.

MIDI: Musical Instrument Digital Interface, an industry-standard interface used on electronic musical keyboards and PCs for computer control of musical instruments and devices.

MiniDisc: 6cm magneto-optical re-writable disc format developed by Sony for audio and data storage. MiniDiscs can store 74 minutes of compressed stereo audio.

Mixed mode disc: A CD that comprises tracks of two or more different types, eg one or more data tracks followed by one or more audio tracks. Various options are available to implement audio and data on the same disc, including CD EXTRA.

MKB: Media Key Block, used in CPPM and CPRM copy protection for DVD-Audio and DVD recordable discs.

MLP: Meridian Lossless Packing, a lossless compression algorithm used in the DVD-Audio specification to increase the playing time. MLP offers a compression of between 2 and 3 to 1 depending on the audio content. The result is a playing time for multi-channel audio at the highest quality levels (96kHz and 24 bits) of well over 74 minutes using MLP.

MMCD: Multimedia CD, the Philips & Sony high-density disc format now replaced by DVD.

MMVF: Multimedia Video Format, a DVD-like format being developed for home digital video recording as a replacement for the VHS.

MO: Magneto-Optical discs. A re-writable optical disc, which uses a laser to change the magnetic properties of the disc on a bit by bit basis. A laser is used to read the bits.

Mode 1: CD-ROM sectors containing 2048 bytes of data per sector plus error correction.

Mode 2: CD-ROM XA sectors, which can be either Form 1 (2048 bytes + error correction) or Form 2 (2324 bytes, no error correction).

Mother: A nickel 'disc' that has been electroformed from a nickel Father as part of the CD or DVD glass mastering process.

Motion estimation: The process of estimating motion vectors during MPEG encoding. This avoids the need to repeat image data for an object within a video sequence by coding the movement of the object in subsequent frames.

Motion vector: A two-dimensional vector used for MPEG motion compensation that provides an offset from the co-ordinate position in the current picture to the co-ordinates in a reference picture.

MP@ML: Main Profile at Main Level, the MPEG-2 profile used by DVD-Video for standard TV quality.

MP@HL: Main Profile at High Level, the MPEG-2 profile used for HDTV.

MP3: MPEG-1 layer 3 audio encoding, used to compress audio on CD-ROMs and for downloading via the Internet.

MPAA: Motion Picture Association of America, the voice and advocate of the American motion picture industry.

MPEG: ISO/CCITT Moving Pictures Expert Group JTC1/SC29/WG11. This group has defined MPEG-1, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 video compression standards.

MPEG LA: The MPEG licensing authority, responsible for collecting royalties on hardware, software and discs, which use the MPEG-2 technology.

MPEG-1: ISO Moving Pictures Expert Group standard 11172, designed for CD-ROM applications.

MPEG-2: ISO Moving Pictures Expert Group standard 13818, designed for broadcast TV applications.

MPEG-4: ISO Moving Pictures Expert Group standard originally intended for low bandwidth applications, but now offering SD and HD video, 2D and 3D graphics and animation, interactivity and scripting.

MPG: Music Producers Guild, an independent and professional organisation that promotes and represents all individuals in the music production and recording professions in the UK. MPG membership includes producers, engineers, mixers, re-mixers, programmers, students and trainees, those involved in multimedia and any other individuals involved in the creative process. (See www.mpg.org.uk.)

MultiRead: A new optical storage hardware specification adopted by OSTA, which defines the requirements that must be met in order for a drive to play or read CD, CD-R, CD-RW and DVD discs.

Multisession: CD which comprises more than one session, each of which comprises Lead-in, Program area and Lead-out and (for a recordable CD) can be written at different times (ie sessions).

Multimedia: Refers to the delivery of information that combines different content formats (motion video, audio, still images, graphics, animation, text, etc).

Musicam: An acronym for Masking pattern adapted Universal Subband Integrated Coding And Multiplexing, a digital audio compression system selected as Layer II of the MPEG-1 audio standard and other audio codecs where compression is achieved by exploiting the way the human ear hears different sounds and the way one sound can mask another.

N

NTSC: National Television Systems Committee of the Electronic Industries Association (EIA) that prepared the standard of specifications for the U.S., Canada, Japan, Central America, half of the Caribbean & half of South America.