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Glossary:
Q-channel -
Runlength
Glossary of CD and DVD related
technical terms and abbreviations in alphabetical order. |
Q
Q-channel: One of the CD subcode channels. The Q-channel is used to give
timecode addresses and, in the lead-in, the Table of Contents.
QA: Quality Assurance - a vital part of any manufacturing process to
ensure that any defects in the process are at a minimum and that any
defective product does not reach the customer.
QuickTime: Apple Computer's video environment. Quicktime video files can
also be played under Windows 95/98.
R
Random access: The process of jumping to an arbitrary point on a CD or
DVD in order to read and decode data there. Unlike tape CDs and DVDs
offer fast random access to any part of the data on the disc.
Real-time: In computing, refers to an operating mode under which data is
received and processed as fast as the data to be processed arrives. For
example, decoding of an MPEG video stream requires real-time decoding
for smooth continuous playback.
Red Book: Specification from Philips & Sony that describes the audio
CD format and coding.
Region Coding: In the DVD-Video specification, the world is divided into
6 regions or locales so discs can be made to play in only one or a
limited number of regions.
Resolution: The size of an image in number of lines and pixels per line.
Resource Fork: The part of a Macintosh HFS file containing the Macintosh
resources, such as information defining the file type.
RGB: Red-Green-Blue, the three primary colours used to output video
signals to a computer monitor.
RIAA: Recording Industry Association of America
RIAJ: Recording Industry Association of Japan
RID: Recorder ID, which is a 97-bit code recorded in the
Q-channel of all CD-R and CD-RW discs when written to by CD-recorders.
It comprises a brand name identifier, a type number and the drive serial
number. The RID helps to prevent unauthorized copying by enabling the
source of any recording to be identified.
RLE: Run Length Encoding. Microsoft's video compression algorithm for
bitmap graphics image files.
Rock Ridge: Extensions to ISO 9660 for full Unix-like filenames.
RSPC: Reed-Solomon Product Code, the error protection system used for
DVD.
Run-In/Run-Out Blocks: These are written to a CD-R when recording in
Track At Once mode. Two run-out blocks are written at the end of each
track and five run-in blocks are written at the start of the next track.
Runlength Compression: A form of compression for image files where a run
of pixels of the same colour are coded as the colour and the number of
pixels in the run.
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