Blu-ray by Panasonic

Glossary

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AC3

This is the 5.1-channel sound system specified in the digital-HDTV standard. Also known as Dolby® Digital, AC-3 delivers CD-quality digital audio and provides five full-bandwidth channels for front left, front right, center, surround left and surround right speakers, plus an LFE (low-frequency effect) subwoofer, for a total of 5.1 channels.

A/D Conversion

Analog/digital conversion. This is the process used to convert an analog signal into a digital signal. The analog signal, which is continuously smooth over time, is converted by binarizing the signal's amplitude into intervals of 1's and 0's.

AVCHD

This is a digital video camera standard for recording 1080i and 720p HD video sources onto memory cards such as the SD Memory Card, and onto DVD discs, by using MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 high-compression technology. When Dolby® Digital or linear PCM is used, this system enables Dolby® Digital audio recording in maximum 5.1-channel surround sound.

Bit

An abbreviation for binary digit. This is a single-digit binary value, consisting of the number 1 or 0. Each tiny pit on the surface of an optical disc holds one bit of information.

Bitstream

Bitstream refers to a method of transmitting recorded digital signals as a digital stream without any conversion. The DMP-BD30 is capable of outputting Dolby® TrueHD and DTS™-HD audio signals recorded on Blu-ray Discs as a bitstream from its HDMI output terminal. It can also encode audio signals mixed with secondary audio and produce bitstream output.

Bit Rate

The amount of information that can be transmitted per second. It is expressed in bits per second (bps). Generally speaking, a high bit rate means better quality and larger files. The higher the bit rate, the greater the amount of information and the higher the quality of sound or image. The transmission speed for Internet data is expressed in bit rates. For example, a bit rate of 8 Mbps, which equals 1 MB/s, allows you to download 1 megabyte of data per second.

Blu-ray

Unlike conventional CD and DVD technologies, which use a red laser to read and write data, the new Blu-ray format uses a blue-violet laser. Due to its shorter wavelength and tracking pitch compared with the red laser, it is able to pack data more densely on the same size disc. Consequently, while retaining a 12cm diameter, the Blu-ray Disc (single-layer) can store approximately five times more data than a single–layer DVD.

BD-Live

BD-Live is an entertainment function that was newly added to BD-ROM Profile 2. It allows for Internet access when the system is capable of Internet connection and you have a Blu-ray disc movie title that is compatible with the BD-Live function. In the future, BD-Live users will be able to participate in quizzes and challenge each other to interactive games that are linked to bonus movie content on Blu-ray discs. BD-Live also supports other interactive functions, such as Picture-in-Picture and Audio Mixing.
* BD-ROM Profile 2.
* Actual functions vary depending on the Blu-ray disc media.

BD-R

A Write-Once-Only type Blu-ray Disc. R stands for Recordable. This type of disc can be written only once. It is ideal for recording data that is not to be altered or recording data to be casually distributed. The recording capacity is 25 GB for a single-sided, single-layer disc, and 50 GB for a single-sided, dual-layer disc.

BD-RE

A rewritable type Blu-ray Disc. RE Stands for Rewritable. This type of disc lets you rewrite data approximately 1,000 times. The recording capacity is 25 GB for a single-sided, single-layer disc, and 50 GB for a single-sided, dual-layer disc.

BD-ROM

A playback type Blu-ray Disc. ROM stands for Read-Only Memory. This type of disc comes pre-recorded with movies, game software, etc.

BD-Video

The BD-Video disc boasts a data storage capacity of 25 GB in a single layer and 50 GB in dual layers, because it uses the shorter wavelength blue-violet laser and a high-density objective lens for higher-density data reading.
In addition to the MPEG-2 format used by DVD-Video, the BD-Video disc uses video codecs, such as MPEG-4 AVC and VC-1, which use high compression rates to produce superb image quality. The data transfer speed of a BD-Video disc is 48 Mbps, which is about three times faster than DVD.
The BD-Video disc optionally supports next-generation surround sound formats like Dolby® Digital Plus. Linear PCM multi-channel data can be transferred by connecting a BD-Video player to an AV center with an HDMI cable. This makes it possible to reproduce high-quality 7.1-channel surround sound with each channel offering DVD-Audio quality. The BD-Video disc is also equipped with an extended function based on Java™ technology, called BD-J, to provide a variety of interactive features.
Blu-ray Disc specifications were established mainly by leading electronics, PC and gaming manufacturers around the world, including Panasonic. These companies support BD promotion by introducing various hardware. A number of major motion picture production companies have also expressed their support. A wide range of BD-Video media will soon be available.

Blu-ray Disc

A next-generation optical disc format jointly developed by a group of the world's leading electronics manufacturers, including Panasonic, Hitachi, Pioneer, Sony, and Sharp. Several Hollywood movie studios, such as Disney, Sony Pictures, Fox, and MGM, have announced that they will release movies on Blu-ray Discs.
The disc diameter is 12 cm, which is the same as that of CDs and DVDs. A single-sided, single-layered disc can store from 23.3 GB to 27 GB of data. The use of a blue-violet laser gives the Blu-ray Disc a data storage capacity that is 35 times greater than a CD and 5 times greater than the current DVD.
To achieve the huge capacity of approximately 25 GB, the structure of a Blu-ray Disc differs greatly from that of a DVD. While the DVD is made up of two 0.6-mm substrates bonded together, the Blu-ray Disc is comprised of a 1.2-mm substrate and a 0.1-mm cover layer. This 0.1-mm cover layer system uses an objective lens with a numerical aperture (NA) of 0.85 to record or play data. Blu-ray Disc media formats include BD-ROM (read only), BD-RE (rewritable), and BD-R (recordable).

Blu-ray Disc Association

The Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) was formed by 13 companies, including Panasonic, on October 4, 2004, with the aim of developing and promoting the Blu-ray Disc format. The association is currently supported by about 180 companies from Japan, America, Europe, and South Korea in the fields of consumer electronics, information technologies, media, and software (as of May 2006).

Coaxial Cable

A multilayer cable with an insulator, a shield, and an external sheath concentrically covering the signal-carrying conductor at the center. Although coaxial cables offer minimal signal loss and high stability, electrical noise in one device may sometimes be transmitted to another device.

Component Video Signal

All color images consist of the three primary colors of light: red, green and blue (RGB). The chrominance signal (C) contains information on these primary colors. The luminance signal (Y) contains information on how brightly they should be illuminated. The chrominance and luminance signals must be correctly relayed in order to transmit video information. The beauty of the image is greatly affected by whether these signals are properly displayed. The component video signal (also called a color difference signal), which transmits high-definition and DVD video signals, uses the luminance signal and, in addition, divides the chrominance signal further into R-Y (red luminance) and B-Y (blue luminance) signals. This allows the component video signal to express images with extremely high definition, minimizing problems like cross-color, which can be caused by the luminance signal leaking into the chrominance signal. Three cables are required for component video signal connection.

Composite Video Signal

As its name suggests, this signal is a composite of the luminance and chrominance signals and is sometimes called a VBS (video, blanking and synchronizing) signal. One advantage of this signal is that it can be transmitted with a single cable. The composite signal is divided into luminance and chrominance signals by a circuit called a Y/C separator inside the TV or other device.

Video Terminal Types and Transmitted Signals

  Terminal Transmitted Signal  Highest-quality
Video Output Format
Digital HDMI Digital signal, RGB signal or separated Y, Cb/Pb, and Cr/Pr signals  1080p
Analog Component Separated Y, Cb/Pb and Cr/Pr signals 1080i
S-Video Separated Y and C signals  480i
Composit Composite Y and C signal 

D/A Conversion

This stands for digital/analog conversion, and refers to converting a digital signal into an analog signal. In other words, the binary digital signal based on 1's and 0's is converted into a continuously smooth analog signal.

Data Transfer Rate

This rate determines the speed and amount of digital signal data that can be transferred. It shows the total number of bits that can be recorded or transmitted in one second. The larger the number, the better the image or sound quality. It is expressed in units of bps (bits per second).

Decoding

Decoding refers to the process of restoring audio or video data that has been encoded and recorded onto a DVD or other disc to its original, ordinary audio or video signal.

Deep Color

This is the name of an image enhancement technology that achieves 10/12/16-bit color gradation to exceed the current 8-bit/color image quality. It lends more natural gradation to images and enables extremely faithful color reproduction.

Dolby® Digital

This is a digital surround audio format created by Dolby® Laboratories. Each of the five channels (front left, front right, center, and surround left, surround right) and the 0.1 channel for the low-frequency subwoofer produces a sound recorded on a separate track, thus achieving a surround sound with a vivid feeling of motion and superbly localized vocals.
Dolby® Digital has many features, such as down-mixing to optimize the number of output channels according to the number of speakers. Dolby® Digital has been adopted as the standard audio format for DVD.

Dolby® Digital Plus

This surround format was created to become a new standard format following Dolby® Digital. It is based on the 5.1-channel Dolby® Digital. Nonetheless, to support high-quality, next-generation optical discs within the limited frequency range for broadcasting, Dolby® Digital Plus can handle up to 14 (13.1) channels to cover a wide range of sounds from monophonic to digital cinema (for movie theaters). It also offers a wide range of bit rates, from 32 k to 6 Mbps, and highly efficient data compression.

Dolby® Digital Surround EX

An audio format jointly developed by Dolby® Laboratories and Lucasfilm THX. This 6.1-channel system is divided among three sections (left surround, right surround, and back surround) along a movie theater's walls, to improve the spatial design and localize vocals.

Dolby® Pro Logic

This format was created by Dolby® Laboratories to apply Dolby® Surround sound to home theater use. It uses a decoder to analyze 2-channel audio sources and splits them into 4-channel audio signals. Its center channel speaker allows listeners who are seated slightly off-center to hear sounds as thought they were emanating from the screen.

Dolby® Pro Logic II

This is an advanced matrix decoding system based on Dolby® Pro Logic. The surround channel is stereo in this format. It generates 5.1 channels of sound out from a 2-channel source. The user can convert and enjoy any 2-channel sound source, such as analog TV broadcasts, into a 5.1-channel stereo sound field.

Dolby® Pro Logic IIx

This is a further improved surround format based on Dolby® Pro Logic II. Dolby® Pro Logic IIx processes stereo and 5.1-channel content to produce 6.1 or 7.1 output channels. The advanced matrix decoding system used for Dolby® Pro Logic II and Dolby® Digital Surround EX is further improved in this system, providing a new level of natural, seamless surround sound for music and movie soundtracks.

Dolby® TrueHD

A sound compression format adopted as an optional format for the Blu-ray Disc. With a maximum bit rate of 18 Mbps (24-bit/96-kHz), Dolby® TrueHD supports 8-channel playback. Technically, it can support up to 32 channels.

Down-Mixing

This is the process of remixing the multi-channel audio found on some discs into two channels. It is useful, for example, when you want to listen to the 5.1-channel audio recorded on DVDs through your television's speakers. Some discs prohibit down-mixing and the unit can then only output the front two channels.

DTS™ (Digital Theater System)

This is a 5.1-channel digital surround format created by DTS™ (Digital Theater Systems) of the U.S. It uses an algorithm called the Coherent Acoustics Coding System, which generally applies a relatively low compression rate of 4:1 to produce high-quality surround sound.

DTS™ 96/24

This audio format created by DTS™ (Digital Theater Systems) allows the reproduction of 96-kHz/24-bit high-quality sound in 5.1 channels. With sound quality approaching that of DVD-Audio and SACD, DTS™ is excellent for movies and music.
The sampling frequency of conventional surround formats was 48 kHz or 44.1 kHz, which limited the maximum playback frequency to 20 kHz. DTS™ 96/24 achieves a frequency range of more than 40 kHz by increasing the sampling frequency to 96 kHz or 88.2 kHz. With 24-bit resolution, the frequency and dynamic range of DTS™ equal those of PCM (96-kHz/24-bit).

DTS™-ES Discrete 6.1-channel

In this format, all 6.1 channels, including the additional subwoofer channel, are recorded separately by a digital discrete system.

DTS™-ES Extended Surround

This 6.1-channel surround system was created by adding a center back surround speaker to the conventional 5.1-channel system. There are two modes to choose from: the DTS™-ES Discrete 6.1-channel mode or the DTS™-ES Matrix 6.1-channel mode. Backward-compatibility also allows audio recorded in either mode to be played as 5.1-channel surround sound, using a standard DTS™ decoder.

DTS™-ES Matrix 6.1-channel

This DTS™ system provides 6.1-channel output with a decoder that reconstructs a surround back audio channel matrixed in the right and left surround channels. For home use, the Neo:6 decoder serves as the matrix decoder.

DTS™-HD

This multi-channel reversible compression system was created by DTS™ (Digital Theater Systems) to compete with MLP. Selected as an optional sound compression format for Blu-ray and HD-DVD, DTS™-HD supports a virtually unlimited number of sound channels.

DTS™ Neo:6

The Neo:6 mode is well suited to playing music. The audio signals for the front channels are played without decoding, so its sound quality is unchanged. By adding the sound from the center and surround channels to this, the listener enjoys a sound field with a naturally expansive feeling.

Dual Protection Layer

This is a layer developed by Panasonic that protects the recording film on a disk from both sides (L0 and L1 recording layers in case of a single-sided, dual-layer disc). Panasonic combines hard-coating protection technology with the dual protection layer to internally guard the recording film and achieve more than one million continuous playback cycles and the durability to ensure more than 50 years of use.

Error Rate

This refers to the rate of data errors generated when reading data from a disc. If the error rate is high, the error correction cannot properly compensate for the errors, thus resulting in read errors or data dropout. The standard stipulates an error rate of 2.0 x 10-4 (two or fewer errors per 10,000 data items) or less.

EZ Sync™ HDAVI Control

By connecting devices that support Panasonic's EZ Sync™ HDAVI Control function via HDMI cables, the entire system can be operated by a single remote control. With the touch of a button, this new system provides automatic system control by switching the power of all connected devices on or off and automatically selecting the input. Operation is much easier because there is no need to change the remote control for each device.

Final Standard Profile

Final Standard Profile refers to a number of new functions added to BD-ROM Profile 1 Version 1.1. It includes a picture-in-picture function that displays a sub-screen on the movie's main screen, an audio mixing function that lets the user switch the sound between the main screen and the sub-screen, and a function for playing back both content recorded on a memory card and BD media.

Frames and Fields

Frames refer to the single images that constitute the image you see on your television. Fields are used only for interlaced signals (480i/1080i) and also refer to images you can see on the screen that have half the vertical resolution and are displayed twice as fast. Each frame consists of two fields. A "frame still" shows two fields, so there may be some blurring, but picture quality is generally better. A "field still" shows less picture information so it may be rougher, but there is no blurring.

Hard Coating

A coating provided on the recording surface of a disc to protect the disc surface from dirt and scratches.

HD (High Definition)

Usually refers to a video format consisting of either 720 active lines of progressive video or 1,080 active lines of either progressive or interlaced video.

HDMI (High Definition Multi Media Interface)

HDMI assures that the best video signal is always sent from the source (e.g., an HDTV signal) to the display (e.g., a plasma television). It does this by allowing uncompressed video and multi-channel audio data to be input to the display device through a single cable.

Video Terminal Types and Transmitted Signals

  Terminal Transmitted Signal  Highest-quality
Video Output Format
Digital HDMI Digital signal, RGB signal or separated Y, Cb/Pb, and Cr/Pr signals  1080p
Analog Component Separated Y, Cb/Pb and Cr/Pr signals 1080i
S-Video Separated Y and C signals  480i
Composit Composite Y and C signal 

HDMI™ V.1.3

This is the latest specification for the HDMI digital interface for digital AV products. It increases the bandwidth from the conventional 4.95 gigabits per second to 10.2 gigabits per second to transmit twice as much information. In terms of video, HDMI™ V.1.3 supports the Deep Color technology with its increased gradation. In terms of audio, HDMI™ V.1.3 is based on the loss-less format adopted by the Blu-ray Disc.
HDMI™ V.1.3. supports Dolby® TrueHD and DTS™-HD, and also complies with the mini-size HDMI terminal for connection of HD camcorders and digital still cameras.

High-Precision Layer Stacking Technology

This technology makes it possible to stack a 0.1-mm uniform-thickness lamination between layers such as the recording film (L1 recording layer and L0 recording layer), intermediate layer and transparent cover layer.

Horizontal Resolution

This refers to the degree of definition for the images reproduced on a TV screen. It is the maximum number of vertical lines that can be projected onto the screen.

Inorganic Recording Material

An inorganic material used as a recording film material, in place of organic pigments.

i/p Conversion

This refers to converting interlaced scan signals to progressive scan signals. Interlaced scanning is a commonly used image signal format that transmits the odd-numbered scan lines first, followed by the even-numbered scan lines. Progressive scanning permits the entire image to be drawn sequentially from top to bottom without the odd/even interlacing. For i/p conversion, the lines skipped by the interlaced signals are interpolated by their surrounding pixels or fields.

Layer

In a Blu-ray Disc, data is recorded on one side of the disc. However, a disc can store data in more than two data layers on the same side of the disc. The read-out or recording laser of the Blu-ray Disc device will first read data from, or record data to, one layer, and then re-focus on the second layer. All this is done automatically without any user operation. A dual-layer Blu-ray Disc can store up to 50 GB of data (25 GB in the case of a single-layer Blu-ray Disc).

Linear PCM

This is an audio recording format that does not use digital compression. It allows you to record and play high-quality sound without the loss that occurs from encoding and decoding. Linear PCM enables high-bit, high-frequency 44.1-kHz/16-bit sampling for CDs and 192-kHz/24-bit sampling for DVD-Audio.

Lossless Compression

This is a method of data compression that retains all of the original file's data so that the data can be completely reconstructed. While it involves more data than in irreversible compression, it produces more beautiful images and sounds. Linear PCM and MLP are lossless compression formats. Lossless compression is also used for audio formats such as WMA Lossless and FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec), Apple Lossless, and image formats such as JPEG 2000 and PNG.

Lossy Compression

This is a method of file compression in which some data in the original file is lost when the compressed file is restored, but the compression efficiency is greatly improved. A file that is compressed by lossy compression cannot be completely reconstructed by decoding.

MPEG

MPEG, which stands for Moving Picture Experts Group, is a standard for compressing color moving pictures and sound for TV and video use. It is used for digital recording media such as CD-ROMs. It compresses data by detecting and storing only the parts of the image that move or otherwise change. MPEG standards range from MPEG-1 to MPEG-4. MPEG-1 reproduces VTR grade picture quality, and is used in video CDs. MPEG-2 quality is equivalent to high-definition TV. MPEG-2 is used for DVD images.

MPEG-2

This is an abbreviation for Moving Picture Experts Group, phase 2. MPEG-2 is an international standard and a widely used digital compression method for moving pictures and sound. It is a high-compression technology that preserves picture quality. MPEG-2 works on the assumption that drastic changes do not generally occur from one frame to the next, so it compresses data by "predicting" and compressing only the moving parts of the image, thereby eliminating the need to handle large amounts of non-changing data. MPEG-2 is used for DVD-Video and broadcast satellite digital TV.

MPEG-4

One of the MPEG series of standards, MPEG-4 is a method for compressing and decompressing image data. It is designed primarily for distributing images over relatively low-speed communication lines, such as cellular and land-based phones. It is commonly used for sending video E-mail attachments.
MPEG-4 is also used for recording moving pictures with sound onto memory cards. It supports the extended-time recording of highly compressed data at approximately 100 kbps. It is also a high-speed format for PC downloads and Internet use. The image size is 176 x 144 pixels. MPEG-4 moving pictures can be directly recorded onto memory cards, and copied from videotape.

MPEG-4-AVC (H.264)

This is one of the MPEG digital video codec standards. It is also called MPEG-4 AVC (Advanced Video Coding), H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, and H.264/AVC. It offers advanced features that compress video much more effectively so it requires approximately half the capacity to reproduce sound with quality that matches MPEG-2. MPEG-4-AVC is being adopted as a video codec for BD-ROM and one-segment broadcasting.

NTSC System

NTSC stands for the National Television Standards Committee. The NTSC transmission standard was established by this U.S. committee in 1953 for terrestrial analog TV broadcasts. The NTSC system is used mainly in North America, Latin America, and Japan. It is an interlaced system with 525 scanning lines and a refresh rate of 30 frames per second (meaning that the screen image is rewritten 30 times per second).

Optical Cable

A cable that uses a conductor made of quartz, glass or plastic fiber (optical fiber) instead of a metal. Since optical cables transmit optical signals, they generate no electrical noise and allow high-speed communication. However, they are rather fragile due to the delicacy of their materials and structure.

PAL System

PAL stands for Phase Alternation by Line. PAL is a terrestrial analog color television system developed in the former West Germany in 1967. The PAL standard is used by various West European countries (except France), by China and other Asian countries, and by various African countries. It is an interlaced system with 625 horizontal scanning lines (525 in Brazil) and a refresh rate of 25 frames per second (meaning that the screen image is rewritten 25 times per second).

PCM

PCM stands for Pulse-Code Modulation, which is a method of encoding an audio signal in digital format. It uses the presence or absence of the signal's pulse for coding, without altering the amplitude, duration, or position of the pulse. PCM features minimal distortion and no noise.

Phase Change Technology

This technology is used to record signals by utilizing the change in reflectivity resulting from the change of state that occurs when the recording layer changes to a crystalline or non-crystalline state (amorphous state).

Pixel

Pixel is an abbreviation for picture element. It is also used to describe the size of an image, e.g., 1,600 x 1,200 pixels.

Power Margin

The power margin is a range of permissible fluctuation in the laser power of an optical disc device, while ensuring the proper recording of data on the recording media without degrading the recording signal quality.
A wide power margin enables stable playback even if the power of the recording laser fluctuates.

Progressive/Interlace

The PAL video signal standard has 625 (or 576) interlaced (i) scan lines, whereas progressive scanning, called 625p (or 576p), uses twice the number of scan lines. For the NTSC standard, these are called 525i (or 480i) and 525p (or 480p), respectively. Using progressive output, you can enjoy the high-resolution video recorded on media such as DVD-Video. Your television must be compatible to display progressive video.

Region Code

This code is recorded onto a disc to restrict the area of the world where specific commercial packaged software can be played. If the code recorded on packaged software does not match the code in the playback equipment, the disc cannot be played. A Blu-ray Disc is given one of the following region codes.

A: North and South America and East Asia (Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and others) excluding China and India
B: Europe, Middle East, Africa
C: China, Russia, India and other regions

Scan line

Scan lines are used to make up a television image. In the NTSC system, 525 lines are used to create an image. In the PAL system, 625 lines are used. A PAL TV broadcast cannot be displayed on an NTSC system.

Scart Terminal (Syndicat Français des Constructeurs d'Appareils Radio et Télévision Terminal)

An audio visual connector used to hook up BD players or DVD players to TV sets and audio equipment. Developed by Peritel in France and also known as a "EURO-Scart terminal," the SCART cable uses 21-pin male plugs at both ends, while the devices use female sockets.

SD (Standard Definition)

Standard Definition refers to the standard resolution of conventional analog broadcasts (in contrast with high-definition broadcasts) and DVD. An SD image is displayed on a TV with 480 scanning lines.

Spin Coating Technology

This is a method of forming a uniform thin film. Rotating a round platform holding a substrate with a raw solution (spin coating material) causes centrifugal force and achieves a uniform thin film. Panasonic uses the spin coating method to form the transparent cover layer, intermediate layer and hard coating.

Subwoofer

The subwoofer reproduces only low-frequency sounds. It can be positioned wherever it is desired but is usually placed somewhere in front because bass sounds are not highly directional. Sounds below around 50 Hz have almost no perceivable direction. The "0.1" figure in a system such as 5.1 channels refers to the subwoofer. Because of its narrow frequency range, the subwoofer is counted as only "0.1" of a channel.

S-Video Signal

Ordinary video connections use a yellow pin terminal that transmits a composite signal containing both the luminance signal, which determines the sharpness of the image, and the chrominance signal. In contrast, the S-Video terminal transmits the luminance and chrominance signals separately. The "S" stands for separate.

Video Terminal Types and Transmitted Signals

  Terminal Transmitted Signal  Highest-quality
Video Output Format
Digital HDMI Digital signal, RGB signal or separated Y, Cb/Pb, and Cr/Pr signals  1080p
Analog Component Separated Y, Cb/Pb and Cr/Pr signals 1080i
S-Video Separated Y and C signals  480i
Composit Composite Y and C signal 

Track Pit

This refers to the indentations on the surfaces of CD and DVD discs. By illuminating the track pit with a laser, devices can read the data according to the changes in reflection.

Track Pitch

The space between two adjacent tracks. On a disc, data is recorded along a spiral line called a track. The narrower the track pitch, the more information the disc can record. The track pitch of the Blu-ray Disc is 0.32 μm (as compared to 0.74 μm on a DVD disc)*.
* 1 μm is 1/1,000 of a millimeter.

Transfer Rate

This is the rate at which a digital signal is transferred, expressed in bits per second (bps) or bytes per second (B/s). The higher the transfer rate, the better the quality of the transferred sound or image.

UniPhier®

UniPhier® is the name of an integrated platform developed by Panasonic for digital home appliances. It allows mutual utilization of hardware (system LSIs) and software (OSs and middleware) assets with mobile phones, personal AV, car AV, and home AV equipment. The UniPhier® processor incorporates advanced technologies for high-quality AV, lower power consumption, real-time processing, and security protection. The DMP-BD30 features a system LSI with the UniPhier® processor at its core, which contributes greatly to its enhanced image and sound quality, slim product size and reduced power consumption.

Up-convert

To convert one set of values to a higher set of values. For example, HDTV sets up-convert broadcast TV (480i) and DVDs (480i or 480p) to the highest format the set supports (720p, 1080i or 1080p). Also called "up-scale," up-converting is an upsampling operation.

VC-1

This video codec, based on Windows Media Video (WMV) 9, was created and standardized by Microsoft. Like H.264, VC-1 has been adopted as the video codec for next-generation optical disc formats such as the Blu-ray Disc.

VIERA Link™

By connecting devices that support Panasonic's VIERA Link™ function via HDMI cables, the entire system can be operated by a single remote control. With the touch of a button, this new system provides automatic system control by switching the power of all connected devices on or off and automatically selecting the input. Operation is much easier because there is no need to change the remote control for each device.

"x.v.Color "/ "x.v.Colour "

"x.v.Color "/ "x.v.Colour " is the name for the xvYCC standard, which is an international standard for a motion picture color space. The xvYCC standard improves the recording and reproduction of natural colors that could not be faithfully expressed in the past. The term "x.v.Color " was proposed as a designation for products compatible with xvYCC, which allows enhanced color reproduction with a wider color gamut than before.
*x.v.Color is a registered trademark.

1080i

1080i means that the resolution of the picture is 1,080 vertical pixels by 1,920 horizontal pixels, and i stands for interlaced scanning.

1080p

1080p means that the resolution of the picture is 1,080 vertical pixels by 1,920 horizontal pixels, and p stands for progressive scanning.

2x Speed

"2x speed" indicates that the disc can record twice as fast (approx. 72 Mbps) as the standard Blu-ray Disc speed (approx. 36 Mbps). At 2x speed, 1 GB of data (1 MB x 1,000 files) can be copied in about two minutes. Since the standard DVD recording speed is about 11 Mbps, Blu-ray Disc recording is more than three times as fast even at the standard speed.

2-channel Sound (Stereo)

Sound recording and reproduction by more than one (mono) channel. In home music reproduction, "stereo" came to mean two channels (left and right), while in the film industry, "stereo" is understood to include surround and center channels in addition to left and right. To avoid confusion, multichannel stereo is often referred to as "surround sound."

2:2 Pull-down

A process of converting (pulling down) PAL images shot at 24 frames per second (fps), such as those in a movie, to 50-fps video signals, such as those in a TV broadcast. By converting each frame to two fields, 24 frames are converted to 50 fields.

24p Output

A great number of BD movie titles are recorded at 24 frames per second (fps) in line with the original film format. However, many BD players use a 3-2 pulldown process to convert and output this at 60 fps. The 24p output function provided in the DMP-BD30, on the other hand, directly outputs the 24-fps signals recorded on the Blu-ray Disc, thus relaying the original ambience and image texture embedded in the film source.

3:2 Pull-down

A process of converting (pulling down) NTSC images shot in 24 fps, such as those in a movie, to 60-fps video signals, such as those in a TV broadcast. By converting each odd-numbered frame to two fields and each even-numbered frame to three fields, two frames are converted to five fields. As a result, 24 frames are converted to 60 fields.

4x Speed

"4x speed" means that data can be recorded four times as fast (approx. 144 Mbps) as the standard Blu-ray Disc speed (approx. 36 Mbps). At 4x speed, 1 GB of data (1 MB x 1,000 files) can be copied in about one minute.

480p

480p means that the resolution of the picture is 480 vertical pixels by 852 horizontal pixels, and p stands for progressive scanning. Although 480p is a wide-screen format, it is not considered a high-definition format. It is related to EDTV and today's DVDs.

5.1-channel Surround Sound

A system with five speakers and one subwoofer, each reproducing a separate audio signal. By contrast, a system that simply reproduces the same audio signal from five speakers is still monophonic.
The speakers are positioned at the front left, front right, front center, left surround, and right surround. The subwoofer that produces the bass sound can be positioned wherever desired but is usually placed somewhere in front because bass sound is not highly directional.

6.1-channel Surround Sound

A system with six speakers and one subwoofer, each reproducing a separate audio signal. In addition to 5.1-channel surround sound, there is an additional rear speakers positioned right behind the listener.

7.1-channel Surround Sound

There are three types of 7.1-channel surround sound systems: In the first, separate audio signals are recorded for all 7.1-channels, such as in Dolby® Digital Plus of BD-Video. In the second, audio signals separated into 6.1 channels are recorded onto the disc and converted to 7.1 channels during playback, such as in DVD-Video's Dolby® Digital EX and DTS™-ES. And in the third, all sound sources are converted by a decoder to 7.1-channel signals, such as in Dolby® Digital Pro Logic IIx.
To fully enjoy 7.1-channel surround sound, you need an AV receiver that supports 7.1-channel input, and a total of eight speakers at the front left, front right, center, left surround, right surround, left surround back and right surround back, and a subwoofer.

720p

720p means that the resolution of the picture is 720 vertical pixels by 1,280 horizontal pixels, and p stands for progressive scanning. Progressive scanning offers a smoother picture as 720 vertical lines are scanned progressively or in succession in a vertical frame that is repeated 30 times a second.

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