16 Glossary
B
Bit rate
Bit rate is the number of bits that are
conveyed or processed per unit of time. The
bit rate is usually measured in some multiple
of bits per second (kilobits per second: kbps).
The term bit rate is a synonym for data
transfer rate (or simply data rate).
C
Compression
In audio terms, this is a process of temporarily
or permanently reducing audio data for more
ef
fi
cient storage or transmission. A temporary
reduction in
fil
e size is called ‘non-lossy’
compression, and no information is lost. A
permanent reduction in
fil
e size (such as with
MP3
fil
es) is called ‘lossy’ compression, and
involves discarding unnecessary information
which is irretrievably lost.
D
Decibel (dB)
A unit of measure used to express relative
Frequency Response
Is the range of frequencies that a speaker
reproduces, lowest frequency to the highest.
While the optimal normal is 20-20,000 Hz
(Hertz), the range of human hearing for
individuals is often much more restricted.
A good full-range speaker system however,
reproduces as much of this range as possible
to cover all variations. Individual drivers are
limited to reproduce only that part of the
spectrum for which they were made, so their
response is limited, but still a necessary point
to consider when designing a complete sound
system.
FullSound
FullSound™ is an innovative technology
designed by Philips. FullSound™ faithfully
restores sonic details to compressed music,
enhancing it to provide a full sound experience
without any distortion.
L
LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)
Probably the most common way to show
visual information on non-computer electronic
equipment.
Lossless compression
A system for reducing the number of data bits
(density) in a musical signal without corrupting
the original.
M
MP3
A
fil
e format with a sound data compression
system. MP3 is the abbreviation of Motion
Picture Experts Group 1 (or MPEG-1) Audio
Layer 3. With the MP3 format, one CD-R or
CD-RW can contain about 10 times more
data than a regular CD.
difference in power or intensity of sound.
F
FM (Frequency Modulation)
In radio broadcasting: a method of modulation
in which the frequency of the carrier voltage
is varied with the frequency of the modulation
voltage.
29
EN
